baron-pierreIV Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 And Sirs Elton John and/or Andrew Lloyd Webber for musical directors (and all of them (w/ Birch and Mackintosh) would've had 4 ceremonies to split up), I think the shows would've even been grander. I don't know what Coe and his cohorts were thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 We should definitely wait for the ceremony before we judge it. And if our society never gave newbies a chance, we wouldn't get anywhere. I for my part am glad that they didn't choose the same old producers who have already produced several multi-sports event opening ceremonies around the world (such as Ric Birch, David Atkins etc.). Also Olympic ceremonies need fresh air, and not always the signature of the same small elite bunch of ceremony producers. I trust Danny Boyle that he'll deliver a humourous, emotional and joyous show. And he doesn't have to deliver the best opening ceremony ever, as long as it doesn't get as tacky and cheap-looking as Torino's opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgdrewsif Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 We should definitely wait for the ceremony before we judge it [...] I trust Danny Boyle that he'll deliver a humorous, emotional and joyous show. And he doesn't have to deliver the best opening ceremony ever, as long as it doesn't get as tacky and cheap-looking as Torino's opening. Amen to that... the ONLY part of Torino's opening that didn't come off that way was the bit with the giant rings being erected (I think it was called "passon of the Games" or similar) The ABSOLUTE worst part was the bit with people running around on the field in the shape of a skier going down the hill and taking off... they wore raincoats with head-mounted flashlights and plastic wrap... it was beyond 'tacky' or 'cheap' I am just praying for no rapping, beatboxing, or British hoodie-thug-grafitti-ASBO nonsense... As an American I can tell you that is NOT what the world wants to see of London and the UK and it would NOT serve the interests of the UK a a whole... it would be a major turn-off to viewers around the world and potential tourists... That crap at the Beijing handover was bad enough... the best part of the 2008 handover presentation was the singing of the UK Anthem by that young (20-somethings it looked like) choir... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Would the theme to this year's opening ceremony be 50 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tower Bridge Fox Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 I think Danny boyel will deliver a fantastic opening ceremony, Beijing wanted Steven Spielberg I would take Danny boyel over Spielberg any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Tickle Posted March 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 I still have total faith. Hes announced a few ideas, we have no way of knowing how they will look. If 5 years ago I had heard Beijing would do a segment on a printing press I would think WTF, how dull. As it turned out it was a fantastic piece. Keep the faith people : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tower Bridge Fox Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Is there any indication of where the caldron will be or look like, Is it possible to construct it in the night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Is there any indication of where the caldron will be or look like, Is it possible to construct it in the night? But if they construct it at night, we will see the results of that also by daytime. It won't be possible to hide the construction from the public, especially not if they stick to the original plan of building a cauldron tower outside the stadium. Beijing tried to hide it as long as possible as well, but that inflatable tent on the Birds Nest's roof of course showed that there can only be the cauldron beneath it. But I understand your curiosity -- it's only four-and-a-half months to go. At about this time, Vancouver started the construction of its cauldron, and I believe that was also the case for Torino's cauldron tower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenadian Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Given that most accounts say that it will be placed outside the stadium with that also meaning it will likely be rather tall, I'm pretty sure we'll know in a few months what the cauldron is going to look like - like Salt Lake, Athens, Torino and Beijing. Unless they've devised some hidden cauldron that rises like Calgary, Sydney and Vancouver (hmmmm, a commonwealth tradition?), then expect to see photos of it basically anytime after the Olympic flame is kindled in Olympia. Would the theme to this year's opening ceremony be 50 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign? She's been on the throne for 60 years. But other than God Save the Queen and proclaiming the Games open, the night belongs to Britons and the athletes of the world, not HRH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotguy Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Yeah, they made that fuss during the Manchester Commonwealth Games, Maybe a quick mention but i do hope it does not take over the ceremony. With regards to the cauldron, it would be awesome if they could have it built into the stadium and be a complete surprise during the night like in Sydney, or have it there but a surprise lighting like Barcelona. i cant help thinking though that the lighting will be like Atlanta, where it will focus more on who is lighting rather than the sequence itself. The only part of the Beijing Opening that underwhelmed me was their cauldron lighting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) I know London dont have the Money, Actually, Colin, I happened to take a look at London's figures again, and it now has the largest ceremonial budget at $156 million. It reached that amount when they upped the budget in December by $65 million. So London's total ceremonial budget (to include all Cultural, Imagery, Awards, Paralympics and Torch relay expenditures) tops Beijing's $150 million slightly by $6 million. So it's 2nd to Doha 2006's $185 million; pushing Beiing to 3rd. It probably was NOT intended to top Beijing's but that's what it's come out to. Edited March 6, 2012 by baron-pierreIV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athensfan Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 I'm with Davey regarding Danny Boyle. Sure Cameron Mackintosh and/or Trevor Nunn would have been more theatrical, but I think Boyle will be more hip and current. How can anyone say he was a bad choice when we don't have anything to judge yet? Give the guy a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Tickle Posted March 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 I keep telling everyone exactly what the cauldron will look like why is nobody listening he he. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattygs Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 We should definitely wait for the ceremony before we judge it. And if our society never gave newbies a chance, we wouldn't get anywhere. I for my part am glad that they didn't choose the same old producers who have already produced several multi-sports event opening ceremonies around the world (such as Ric Birch, David Atkins etc.). Also Olympic ceremonies need fresh air, and not always the signature of the same small elite bunch of ceremony producers. I trust Danny Boyle that he'll deliver a humourous, emotional and joyous show. And he doesn't have to deliver the best opening ceremony ever, as long as it doesn't get as tacky and cheap-looking as Torino's opening. Agree to an extent, but the truth is, we are still getting the old boys club involved in these ceremonies. While the head creative mind seems to change, the production team and producers are always the same - it's the same people being rotated. Scott Givens, David Atkins, David Zolkwer, Andrew Walsh, Ric Birch, Catherine Ugwu - they are always the ones to work on these kinds of events. Not that Im complaining, they do a great job. Im not going to judge yet, that would be unfair, but admitedly I am not getting excited about the opening ceremony in the lead up, a contrast to my feelings before Athens and Beijing. I am however, really looking forward to the closing ceremony, I think it's going to be a winner of a ceremony. I dunno about giving a film director the job, would I get Peter Jackson to direct a Kiwi opening ceremony event? probably not. Zhang Yimou had a nice wee tradition in some massive outdoor special events in addition to some very arty movies, likewise, DP had worked heavily on stage theatre using some great Greek stories. We will see, I hope we are all surprised and we get a fantastic show, the ideas they have presented must have impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 I keep telling everyone exactly what the cauldron will look like why is nobody listening he he. Poor Davey! With regards to the cauldron, it would be awesome if they could have it built into the stadium and be a complete surprise during the night like in Sydney, or have it there but a surprise lighting like Barcelona. i cant help thinking though that the lighting will be like Atlanta, where it will focus more on who is lighting rather than the sequence itself. The only part of the Beijing Opening that underwhelmed me was their cauldron lighting I think that the cauldron lighting method will be quite a surprise, but not the cauldron itself. I don't expect it to sit on the roof because the roof doesn't look like it can sustain such heavy objects (similarly to the problems the Rio 2007 organisers had at Maracana Stadium -- I hope that that problem will be fixed after the renovation of the stadium for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games). And I also don't expect them to put a Seoul-style cauldron beside the track. They also did not dig a hole anywhere on the infield where they could hide a "rising cauldron" from the public. Therefore I see no real alternative to a cauldron tower outside the stadium à la Torino -- so the look of the cauldron will be well-known by opening day. By the way: I tried to trace back when the cauldrons of previous Olympics were started to be built. Vancouver: The first reports about the not-so-secret construction site on Jack Poole Plaza came in late October 2009. That makes it three-and-a-half months before the Games' start. See here: http://www.gamesbids.com/forums/topic/15724-the-olympic-cauldron/page__view__findpost__p__235424 Beijing: The cauldron was lifted onto the Birds Nest's roof and put under that famous rubber hangar in (obviously late) May 2008, a little bit more than two months before the Games' start. See http://www.china.org.cn/olympics/news/2008-08/13/content_16214170.htm Torino:The organisers revealed pictures of the cauldron tower on December 21, 2005 (only seven weeks before the Games started), the assembly of the cauldron beside the stadium started by the end of the year 2005 and was finished in mid-January, with one month to go. Athens: We first got to know that the cauldron will look like a spindle on May 13, 2004 (here's a more detailed text from one day later: http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2004/05/14/oly_415597.shtml), with three months to go. It must have been a few weeks later that someone here posted a first picture of the spindle lying outside the stadium, waiting to be installed. But I believe the installation didn't take place before the stadium's roof was finished in early June 2004. So it must have been installed with only about two months to go. So, all in all: London apparently still has plenty of time for the construction (or at least assembly) of its cauldron, when even Torino with its big tower didn't start until the six weeks mark and Beijing waited until late spring. Oh, the tension... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 By the way, during my research I also came across the SSC cauldron prediction thread (apparently some of you guys posted there already) and there across this article from The Australian with an interesting quote: The one element that threatened to derail the Sydney show was the Olympic cauldron, which came to a shuddering halt for what seemed like an eternity after emerging from the water on its journey to the top of the grandstand.The Vancouver opening ceremony in 2010 had an even more conspicuous technical malfunction when one of four giant mechanical arms that were supposed to emerge from the ground to cradle the cauldron, refused to move. But London's creative director of ceremonies, filmmaker Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott), said their team had not been tempted to embrace a more conservative approach to lighting the cauldron, arguing that the sense of "jeopardy" only enhanced the suspense of the moment. "Knowing that at any moment it could go wrong is one of the great joys of the ceremony," he said. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/london-games/sydney-olympics-inspired-danny-boyle-for-london-2012-opening-ceremony/story-e6frgdg6-1226255980250 That's good to hear. Even if my blood froze when the fourth arm of the Vancouver cauldron got stuck, I would never want to miss the risk and the thrill of an elaborate cauldron lighting method. So bring the huge fire catapult on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brekkie Boy Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 So want to know what it'll look like - but so want it to be a surprise on the night too. I won't be able to resist a spoiler though - and probably have no choice if it's plastered across the news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) Agree to an extent, but the truth is, we are still getting the old boys club involved in these ceremonies. While the head creative mind seems to change, the production team and producers are always the same - it's the same people being rotated. Scott Givens, David Atkins, David Zolkwer, Andrew Walsh, Ric Birch, Catherine Ugwu - they are always the ones to work on these kinds of events. Not that Im complaining, they do a great job. Even the choreographers/chartists are the same: used to be Doug Jack who did like 7 or 8 Games but I think has moved on to motivational speaking. Then there is now the new fellow, a Sean...something-or-other who started with the Glasgow Handover in Delhi; and a Steve Boyd. But your're right, Matty, the crew you name above brings the "new names" like Boyle and Daldry who haven't really done this, down to earth: Uhmmm, Danny, it's not going to work that way... or...uh-uh, we've tried it before. It's more effective to do it this way... Boyle and Daldry may have new ideas of their own; but I am sure half of it will have come from at least those who have done it before. Those guys know how to recruit the thousands of volunteers, how to harness their energies and goodwill; how to whip them into Olympic frenzy. I mean they take care of the nuts-and-bolts of the whole shebang and they got it down to a science. And then to the outside world, it will seem like Boyle and Daldry will have thought it all up. Speaking of the cauldron-lighting technique, I wonder if from that webcam posted here in mid-August, that contraption in the middle of the field, the rolling down ramp for one of the zorbs, is the cauldron? I wonder if it was the test -- a flaming zorb rolling into the cauldron -- sort of like shooting a flaming billiard ball into its pocket? Hmmmm... Edited March 6, 2012 by baron-pierreIV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotguy Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 Seen this picture on facebook. Apparently its the closing ceremony team playing around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Yes, that looks pretty similar to the closing ceremony video which was posted on the official Games' website a few weeks ago (and which was posted here as well). There are those spotlights again which seem to sit on top of the Orbit, but are in fact attached to one of the floodlight triangles on the stadium's roof. The lighting looks amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarJoLe Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Lasers that create straight lines and grids across the stadium and beyond? Well that could create something quite familiar above the stadium. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevzz Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 I just hope the cauldron lighting will be something unique yet simple. Beijing is still the worst cauldron lighting ever in my opinion. Tried too hard and overtly tedious! Athens's is still my fave. Beautiful simplicity, perfect combination of humane and technological touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakydoky Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 I just hope the cauldron lighting will be something unique yet simple. Beijing is still the worst cauldron lighting ever in my opinion. Tried too hard and overtly tedious! Athens's is still my fave. Beautiful simplicity, perfect combination of humane and technological touch. I liked Athens's cauldron lighting too. Barcelona's was also very well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agreatolympicfanforlife Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 The White House officially announced today that First Lady Michelle Obama will lead the U.S. delegation for the Opening Ceremony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevzz Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 The White House officially announced today that First Lady Michelle Obama will lead the U.S. delegation for the Opening Ceremony. What does that mean? That she will be the flag bearer for the US team in the parade of the nations?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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