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Opening Ceremony


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Posted

Sebastian Coe, with his LOCOG leadership post, will just be there prinicipally for the opening speech.

That (and the other remarks you made) is actually a very good point -- since I read sometimes speculation whether Coe will be the final torchbearer or one of the final torchbearers. No way! He's the head of the organising committee, and he won't want that ceremony to become a "Coe show". It would be very awkward if he lit the flame at (so-to-speak) "his" opening ceremony. He will have his moment in the spotlight with the speech (and probably also with the solemn entrance of the dignitaries in the stadium). And that's it.

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Posted

That (and the other remarks you made) is actually a very good point -- since I read sometimes speculation whether Coe will be the final torchbearer or one of the final torchbearers. No way! He's the head of the organising committee, and he won't want that ceremony to become a "Coe show". It would be very awkward if he lit the flame at (so-to-speak) "his" opening ceremony. He will have his moment in the spotlight with the speech (and probably also with the solemn entrance of the dignitaries in the stadium). And that's it.

There was talk recently that Lord Coe would be carrying the torch in Sheffield late June as that was his hometown and was inspired by one of his teachers who was a keen athlete

BBC London Website:- Olympic chief Sebastian Coe also revealed last week that he had been nominated to carry the torch in his home town of Sheffield. He told the BBC's School Report: "For me Sheffield was where all my athletics really happened so that would be the obvious place to be involved."

Posted

That's OK for Coe because the torch relay is independent altogether of the Opening Ceremony with thousands of others across the British Isles.

Because of Coe's portfolio, he would very much want not to make it in the eys of the public into the "Coe Show", like he's the star of it all and not the athletes, Danny Boyle, his TV director, Daniel Craig, and the performers. Outside of his speech, as you mentioned CAF, there's the OC protocol of being intorduced in the VIP section and of the God Save The Queen rendition very early on.

Perhaps because of Coe's important role and of his connections as a beloved middle distance runner, I'm starting to think Ovett will be the final torchbearer.

Posted

I think that's looking at it the wrong way. The OBS are obviously competent, but Boyle clearly wantes to work with people he knows and who will understand his vision.

Posted

I think that's looking at it the wrong way. The OBS are obviously competent, but Boyle clearly wantes to work with people he knows and who will understand his vision.

Especially after London's handover @ Beijing (which I am now big fan off) was appalling directed on the day!

Posted

Good choice, I guess. But in terms of Beijing, I didn't find the camerawork and directing unprofessional, even if Zhang Yimou didn't have a TV director of his own. I think the pictures we saw on the world feed were very good and impressive.

Posted

Good choice, I guess. But in terms of Beijing, I didn't find the camerawork and directing unprofessional, even if Zhang Yimou didn't have a TV director of his own. I think the pictures we saw on the world feed were very good and impressive.

It was professional, but it's bog standard camera work, nothing extraordinary. You can see in Athen's that all camera angles and frame-to-frame editing are specially carefully thought-out and choreographed to present the best shot and story to the TV audience

Posted

It was professional, but it's bog standard camera work, nothing extraordinary. You can see in Athen's that all camera angles and frame-to-frame editing are specially carefully thought-out and choreographed to present the best shot and story to the TV audience

Yes.

But to be fair, the Athens ceremony needed that type of camerawork since it had a lot of intimate personal moments e.g. the pregnant woman scene etc.The more 'artsy' camerawork made a lot of sense.

Beijing's ceremony was much more centred on the infield and took place in a very linear framework i.e. the scroll, the writing blocks, the ship etc. They all followed a sort of grid in the centre of the stadium. Thus, I think the camerawork was perfect for what was needed to be portrayed.

Posted

The parade of nations will take 1 and a half hours and the route around the stadium will be lined with 2500 cheering school children with the athletes able to watch on giant screens before entering the stadium.

"Let's get back to basics where athletes should be at the centre of the Opening Ceremony.

"I hope that London 2012 will set a new standard."

London 2012 has developed its Opening Ceremony plans in consultation with Frankie Fredericks, the four-time Olympic silver medallist, who is the chairman of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission.

http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2012/16595-exclusive-london-2012-reveal-new-plan-to-encourage-athletes-to-march-in-opening-ceremony

Posted

Sorry, Davey, but you misunderstood the article a little bit. The schoolchildren won't line the parade route inside the stadium, but the 1,500-metre-long route of the athletes from the Olympic Village to the stadium.

Athletes, for example, will be able to walk to the stadium as it is so close to the Olympic Village inside the Park and no buses will be required."

The athletes will be cheered on during the 1500 metres wlak by more than 2,500 schoolchildren who will line the route, Jevans announced.

That's a big relief for me. I hated those cheerleaders they had for the parades in Beijing and Vancouver and always hoped that they won't copy that in London or any other future Games.

By the way: They want to restrict the number of officials in the parade of nations and thereby shorten the parade to one and a half hours? That's very ambitious, I think. In the end, were there ever so many officials marching in the parade? I think the vast majority of participants always were the athletes, and they often delayed the parade by walking too slowly into the stadium and being too busy to cheer, dance, wave, film a homevideo, take pictures etc. The parade of nations doesn't need less officials, but more discipline.

Furthermore, that concept and schedule doesn't sound as if they want to do a real Olympic premiere, namely a parade through two or even more stadium entrances. Sad to hear that -- it would have made the parade much more dynamic, and also much shorter of course.

EDIT: "...being too busy cheering, dancing, waving, filming a homevideo, taking pictures etc."

Posted

I really like the idea of cutting the officials. If you look at past years there are MANY "gray hairs" who must be officials. I think it's a great idea and I think it will shorten the parade.

Posted

Anyone going to do something to get ready for the ceremonies??

What do you mean? Some will be attending, and we'll have a live thread here during the OC for sure, but it's all more than three months off?

Posted

Ill do as I usually do, get some VHS tapes for recording (I know, archaic), get some snacks and sit back and enjoy. Really an awesome time, and I really cant wait!

Posted

Well, I'll be getting up early (it starts 6am Saturday morning here), making sure the recorder's on, rugging up against a cold Sydney winter's morning, logging onto GBids to join in the live chat, then waiting for the show to start - and waiting for the first GBids snap judgement that "this show is crap!" five minutes into the ceremony.

Posted

and waiting for the first GBids snap judgement that "this show is crap!" five minutes into the ceremony.

It's a great tradition! :P

Posted

LOL Sir Rols what I mean was like how is everyone going to do during and before the ceremonies start. LOL @ 5 mins into... All ceremonies have their good and bad points, and just one segment does not seal the fate of the rest of the performance.

Posted

LOL Sir Rols what I mean was like how is everyone going to do during and before the ceremonies start. LOL @ 5 mins into... All ceremonies have their good and bad points, and just one segment does not seal the fate of the rest of the performance.

LOL! You're talking GamesBids here. One of the funniest things about the live chat during the Beijing OC was to exactly see at least one Greek poster declare the ceremony boring and a failure while it was still in the drums/intro segment.

Posted

LOL! You're talking GamesBids here. One of the funniest things about the live chat during the Beijing OC was to exactly see at least one Greek poster declare the ceremony boring and a failure while it was still in the drums/intro segment.

I woke up at 8am (late by many standards) very early considering I slept at 2am to watch Beijing. I wasn't too thrilled with the opening segment either but it was a fantastic ceremony. I want to see what Sochi throws up for 2014 as well.

Posted

LOL! You're talking GamesBids here. One of the funniest things about the live chat during the Beijing OC was to exactly see at least one Greek poster declare the ceremony boring and a failure while it was still in the drums/intro segment.

I remember that well, wasn't even five minutes in and he already claimed Athens to be the better ceremony!

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