Jump to content

Opening Ceremony Script


Diana

Recommended Posts

A script for the Opening Ceremony, explaining what each segment meant, etc. was available for many previous games.

The symbolism, the order, number of participants etc was included. It is often the basis of the commentator's speil (Bob costas or in Canada, Pater Mansbridge).

I expect that it was part of the responsibility of the director/producer. It usually is posted on the games website, and is available to download.

Has anyone seen this? If so, would you please post the link?

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A script for the Opening Ceremony, explaining what each segment meant, etc. was available for many previous games.

The symbolism, the order, number of participants etc was included. It is often the basis of the commentator's speil (Bob costas or in Canada, Pater Mansbridge).

I expect that it was part of the responsibility of the director/producer. It usually is posted on the games website, and is available to download.

Has anyone seen this? If so, would you please post the link?

Thanks.

There seems to be one available at http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/headli...peningceremony/. Unfortunately for non Chinese readers, the Chinese version is alot more detailed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
A script for the Opening Ceremony, explaining what each segment meant, etc. was available for many previous games.

The symbolism, the order, number of participants etc was included. It is often the basis of the commentator's speil (Bob costas or in Canada, Pater Mansbridge).

I expect that it was part of the responsibility of the director/producer. It usually is posted on the games website, and is available to download.

Has anyone seen this? If so, would you please post the link?

Thanks.

I think what Diana is looking for is just the programme. I doubt that it would be posted on an website. But it certainly would've been on the Souvenir Programme given out at the actual Ceremony itself.

BTW, some of the #s of performers used are inaccurate. Examples:

1. The drum countdown sequence. They say 2008 drummers. Lie. There is NO WAY you could have 2 groupings of perfectly even no. participants at 2008. I computed it. It was either 2006 or 2010 -- NOT DOABLE with 2008. They lied to make it appear like 2008. OK, so it's a small detail.

2. The "3000" student philosphers -- per Mark Fischer's account, only 810 were used. (There were 897 printing blocks.)

Anyway, just some of the trivial inaccuracies I found.

Diana, performers for the actual portions televised around the world was like 9,950.

If you included the pre-show ethnic dancers (est. 2800), the est. 1200 marshalettes/cheerleaders who opened the (children's smiling faces') umbrellas and served as the 'Nations' convergence field marshals, and the 204 placard girls, one would arrive to about the 14,500 mark that reports closer to Openign Day bruited about.

Edited by baron-pierreIV
Link to comment
Share on other sites

baron I counted 2592 for the drumming segment. I got each section to be 72 by 18.

That many, faster? Wow. :blink: They lied even 'bigger' -- I mean 2592 is NOWHERE close to the claimed 2008.

I guess they never figured that someone somewhere in the planet would actually bother to count the mass of performers.

So that meant they (or 'political' prisoners -- something tells me they used quite a bit of prison labor* to build those sets and props) ACTUALLY built some 2600 'Fou' drums. That would've raised my estimate for the Drumming Sequence to maybe, $2.5 mil.

* Ya know, keep those political prisoners busy as part of their 'rehabilitation' process/progress. Give them 'noble' incentives like what they build will be part of the 'Olympics' -- and then have them accrue points for good behavior to be able to watch the Olympic coverage. Of course, this is mere conjecture but I know that some Olympics in the past (I think Sydney) used prison labor to build these peripheral things for the Games -- and something not readily admitted on those Official Reports. Not that there's anything intrinsically immoral about it -- but something that's not admitted in the open either.

Edited by baron-pierreIV
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think what Diana is looking for is just the programme. I doubt that it would be posted on an website. But it certainly would've been on the Souvenir Programme given out at the actual Ceremony itself.

No, I was/am looking for the host's/producer's written explanation of the meaning of what is included in the ceremony, and its cultural meaning. This was written and available for Seoul, at least, and for some earlier OG.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I was/am looking for the host's/producer's written explanation of the meaning of what is included in the ceremony, and its cultural meaning. This was written and available for Seoul, at least, and for some earlier OG.

Well, Diana, I think BOCOG already did that with the 'script' info that they provided the various commentators. NBC had a "China" expert on hand with Bob Costas and Matt Lauer, obviously with 'info' provided by BOCOG. Another 'Asian' version I saw had the woman providing the same info to her male Aussie counterpart. So I think you can just glean from that what the Ceremonies creators intended to impart.

More than that I cannot help you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Diana, I think BOCOG already did that with the 'script' info that they provided the various commentators. NBC had a "China" expert on hand with Bob Costas and Matt Lauer, obviously with 'info' provided by BOCOG. Another 'Asian' version I saw had the woman providing the same info to her male Aussie counterpart. So I think you can just glean from that what the Ceremonies creators intended to impart.

More than that I cannot help you.

I must say Joshua Cooper Ramo's cultural commentary for NBC was the best of the different network OC coverage that I've seen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
baron I counted 2592 for the drumming segment. I got each section to be 72 by 18.

Faster, you were off somewhere. They are sticking by their story of 2008 drums.

http://english.sina.com/sports/p/2009/0303/222899.html

I think our mistake in counting was assuming that the sections were exactly the same. I think one section might've had one more row than the other. I think that way, they could cheat and come to the 2008 mark.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...