NHS segment

[adrianme17]

Thanks for the explanation, Adrian.

Since we talked about the camera work as well - did you re-watch the opening ceremony as it was broadcast on TV and were you satisfied with the camera work?

I thought while it worked great during the Pandemonium segment, it had its flaws during other segments. For example, when they covered the stands with that blue cloth at the very beginning; they never showed the whole stadium with that blue cloth but only particular sections of the stands - so the "sea surrounding the Isles of Wonder" effect didn't work at all for TV viewers. And as we already mentioned, the camera work wasn't good either when they revealed the baby.

The camera work wasn't the best - across the board.

There was so much going on in "Pandamonium" that was missed on TV. Also in the NHS section they missed the best Mary Poppins bit! The Marys were winched into the stadium from the roof - but they looked like witches to start off with - they then matamorphosised into Marys half way through! This was magical & by far one of the highlights!

Also the bikes of peace sequence was breathtaking in the stadium - but didn't work on tv!

Finally - Abide with Me (the sequence that was a tribute to the victims of 7/7) was amazing on TV but lost in the stadium - might explain why NBC couldn't be arsed to air it!!??

[Olympian2004]

Tell us more - what precisely did they miss in the Pandemonium segment and in the other segments?

[adrianme17]

In Pandamonium - after the tribute to all the fallen of all the wars - the pace changes and you then see the change of British society.The Suffragettes (women demanding social justice) - Paper Boys (delivering free speech & challenging the status quo) - the Jarrow Crusade (men wanting social justice & the right to a decent standard of living) - the Windrush (bringing immigrants that would futher change society) - St Peppers (illustrating the break with conformity & repression of sexuality & the birth of the sexual revolution) - Steel Bands (representing the change in music & culture) - then the Chelsea Pensioners (representing our enduring respect for tradition & those who went before us) & the Pearly Kings & Queens (representing a steadfast & enduring London - through all the turmoil of the years).

Pandamonium was my section - very moving to have been part of it & I really thought of my Grandparents & Great Grandparents who had to struggle so much - so we can be who we are today!

Will post more later!

[baron-pierreIV]

Btw hope you are well?

I'm fine, Adrian. Thank you. Just signed up for a cruise to Hawaii in February.

Hope u r recovering nicely from your O experience!

[Olympian2004]

In Pandamonium - after the tribute to all the fallen of all the wars - the pace changes and you then see the change of British society.The Suffragettes (women demanding social justice) - Paper Boys (delivering free speech & challenging the status quo) - the Jarrow Crusade (men wanting social justice & the right to a decent standard of living) - the Windrush (bringing immigrants that would futher change society) - St Peppers (illustrating the break with conformity & repression of sexuality & the birth of the sexual revolution) - Steel Bands (representing the change in music & culture) - then the Chelsea Pensioners (representing our enduring respect for tradition & those who went before us) & the Pearly Kings & Queens (representing a steadfast & enduring London - through all the turmoil of the years).

I remember seeing the suffragettes, the Windrush, Seargant Peppers and the Pearly Kings & Queens on television, though.

[paul92]

I remember seeing the suffragettes, the Windrush, Seargant Peppers and the Pearly Kings & Queens on television, though.

Yeh, those were all shown on TV.

Only a couple of the things you listed adrianme17 were missed out.

And the Mary Poppins flying in were absolutely shown on TV.

I was at the rehearsal and yeh it was cool when we looked up and it 'appeared' as if they were flying in from outside the stadium but on TV it perfectly cut to them flying in from 'above' and caught the moment they lit up and landed. Equally as magical on TV.

[aismanggo]

im not sure it was an olympic standard..must be some political issue here right?

[FDLondon]

I never heard before that organisers left out elements of their ceremonies because they didn't rehearse enough. Did you ever hear such thing?

I don't think it was lack of rehearsal time; they'd run through the full show with the tube train in place at Dagenham several times. They ran out of time to get it all laid out again due to technical issues, presumably with the rigging. The Hirst groundcloth only went down around 3.30pm... and I suspect there were other more pressing things to do than put the secondary one on. Not even all the sandwiches made it into the picnic hampers for the street parties; several trucks had to mime their picnic!

While they were testing the rigging, they were rehearsing other bits out of sequence like the human cannonball placement and the phoenix rising.

Speaking of which, it seems to me there was an important mistake during Rio's handover segment. According to the media guide, when the giant logo appeared at the end, Rio's skyline should have been projected with the stadium LEDs. I've been rewatching that part and I can't see anything there...

It was quite clear in the stadium... even if not from the picture posted later. Certainly a few of the people around me pointed to it and 'ooohed'. It was there for quite a while too - up to and including the fireworks

Since we talked about the camera work as well - did you re-watch the opening ceremony as it was broadcast on TV and were you satisfied with the camera work?

I thought while it worked great during the Pandemonium segment, it had its flaws during other segments. For example, when they covered the stands with that blue cloth at the very beginning; they never showed the whole stadium with that blue cloth but only particular sections of the stands - so the "sea surrounding the Isles of Wonder" effect didn't work at all for TV viewers. And as we already mentioned, the camera work wasn't good either when they revealed the baby.

I didn't think they filmed it well at all. Even Pandemonium didn't get across the chaotic noise of the industrial revolution fully; they cut away at odd points to the drummers; they'd have been better getting them marching down the stadium stairs earlier and then focusing on the action around the M25 - you only got a bare glimpse of the suffragettes and other sections which felt like they were just skimmed across. It could have been that it was too ambitious so there was too much to show in the time but, watching it later, I felt that there was too much repetition of what was going on with the casting and drumming and not enough other stuff.

I believe that originally there was supposed to be more of the Green and Pleasant land sequence after 9pm when it went live to the world (i.e the cricket match and the football turning into rugby) but when the timings were rejigged, most of that went into the preshow for the stadium crowd. I wonder if the blue silk sea was also a timing casualty...

[baron-pierreIV]

I don't think it was lack of rehearsal time; they'd run through the full show with the tube train in place at Dagenham several times. They ran out of time to get it all laid out again due to technical issues, presumably with the rigging. The Hirst groundcloth only went down around 3.30pm... and I suspect there were other more pressing things to do than put the secondary one on. Not even all the sandwiches made it into the picnic hampers for the street parties; several trucks had to mime their picnic!

While they were testing the rigging, they were rehearsing other bits out of sequence like the human cannonball placement and the phoenix rising.

That sounds to me like a lack of time to at least go through everything once, and then have the confidence to say: ok, we don't really need that part. Let's remove it then.

I didn't think they filmed it well at all. Even Pandemonium didn't get across the chaotic noise of the industrial revolution fully; they cut away at odd points to the drummers; they'd have been better getting them marching down the stadium stairs earlier and then focusing on the action around the M25 - you only got a bare glimpse of the suffragettes and other sections which felt like they were just skimmed across. It could have been that it was too ambitious so there was too much to show in the time but, watching it later, I felt that there was too much repetition of what was going on with the casting and drumming and not enough other stuff.

And again, maybe this is all moot, but it still makes for a fascinating study for huge, once-in-a-lifetime ventures such as this,,,Boyle and his brain-trust did NOT have the right foresight and proper experience to deliver their message in the right way...not all muddled and subject to various interpretations. It's too bad because the whole thing can't be redone and one is left with many what-might've-beens. For something like this, you have got to get it right the first and only time. No re-dos.

[Olympian2004]

and then focusing on the action around the M25

Was it called the "M25" also for the opening ceremony? Because I thought that that name made much more sense at the closing ceremony when they showed the London rush hour with the cars and lorries on that "M25" - they even had a division line painted on the track for the closing ceremony for separating the different lanes. They apparently didn't have that for the opening ceremony.

[FDLondon]

Yes - and it's still called the M25 in the Paralympic map of the stadium too although it bears even less resemblance to it. It did make a bit more sense in the Closing.

I think it started off as a bit of a joke that London was in the middle so the road around the outside was the M25 and it just kinda stuck. It's certainly easier to reference over the radios than to describe it as the main outer track, or the grey road.

[adrianme17]

Yeh, those were all shown on TV.

Only a couple of the things you listed adrianme17 were missed out.

And the Mary Poppins flying in were absolutely shown on TV.

I was at the rehearsal and yeh it was cool when we looked up and it 'appeared' as if they were flying in from outside the stadium but on TV it perfectly cut to them flying in from 'above' and caught the moment they lit up and landed. Equally as magical on TV.

I don't think you got the true magic of the Marys on Tv - ie you dont see them change from witches to Mary Poppins - spoke to a lot of peeps in my segment & they agreed! But - lets agree to disagree. Also we didn't see the full impact of the parade ie the suffragettes etc because time was cut. They were all supposed to circum-navigate the stadium after the pause for those who left us (poppy moment) but the suffragettes were relegated to the Tor - which was a shame as they sang & did a wonderful demonstration of woman power!

[adrianme17]

Yes - and it's still called the M25 in the Paralympic map of the stadium too although it bears even less resemblance to it. It did make a bit more sense in the Closing.

I think it started off as a bit of a joke that London was in the middle so the road around the outside was the M25 and it just kinda stuck. It's certainly easier to reference over the radios than to describe it as the main outer track, or the grey road.

It was known as the M25 from the start afor the opening & was clearly (to us) demarcated into 2 lanes (the M25 has 6 lol)! It should have been covered in mirrors but it didn't work! This was to assist in the traffic of the the parade that had o be cut in time!

[Olympian2004]

What was the significance of the mirrors they originally wanted to put on the M25?

[Durban Sandshark]

I don't think you got the true magic of the Marys on Tv - ie you dont see them change from witches to Mary Poppins - spoke to a lot of peeps in my segment & they agreed! But - lets agree to disagree. Also we didn't see the full impact of the parade ie the suffragettes etc because time was cut. They were all supposed to circum-navigate the stadium after the pause for those who left us (poppy moment) but the suffragettes were relegated to the Tor - which was a shame as they sang & did a wonderful demonstration of woman power!

I think this is one of the numerous things that Danny Boyle was planning to do with his planned feature-length DVD of the Opening Ceremony, when that happens. Did seem off to me that the suffragettes didn't get as much screen time as they should have. There was just too much going on and put in even if it was all structured to Boyle's vision.

make that plans to do

[Olympian2004]

Since we discussed about the poor camerawork when they had the blue cloth covering the stands -- here's the same segment, this time as it was shown on BBC. The camerawork there is much better and you also see the whole stands covered in blue cloth, and not only certain segments. Additionally, you also see the inspiring young musicians by LSO On Track (as I learned, they are young people from East London who in parts had never played an instrument before) "at work". The director of the international feed didn't seem to care at all about them, so that shows again how lousy actually the camerawork for the international feed was.

[baron-pierreIV]

Only problem is, how many people will bother to switch to a different network just to find the "perfect" or "better" telecast? I'm sure 98% of the world will just watch it on the medium that's 1st available 2 them.

[Olympian2004]

Well, of course they wouldn't switch unless they know that there might be two different telecasts. Even I didn't know beforehand that the telecasts would differ that heavily. And I think, that in general, it's only an issue for us Olympic nerds whether a TV director butchers an opening ceremony or not. John Doe will probably hardly notice that something is wrong about the telecast.

[Durban Sandshark]

Well, of course they wouldn't switch unless they know that there might be two different telecasts. Even I didn't know beforehand that the telecasts would differ that heavily. And I think, that in general, it's only an issue for us Olympic nerds whether a TV director butchers an opening ceremony or not. John Doe will probably hardly notice that something is wrong about the telecast.

Most nations, unless those few who paid an incredible amount of cash for the Olympics like NBC, BBC, the Canadian Bell-Rogers Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, Nine/FOXTEL, NHK, Eurosport, and some other EBU members did and used their own cameras, got the IOC world feed from that OBSL TV director, which didn't encompass the full atmosphere all over the Olympic Stadium of the nod to the British seas and maritime culture like we just saw the BBC did. Surely many wouldn't catch many of those references unless explained. When I saw that moment, I instantly thought of that Tears For Fears instrumental "Pharoahs" that samples the BBC Radio's Sea Report.

Also, on the World Feed, it didn't really show the OC countdown that was played on the large video screens, but it did show the kid actors in the rural English customes having the balloons pop from 5 during that.

[Rob2012]

What's the point having an inferior world-feed? So you end up duplicatinng roles and end up with a situation where lots of the World gets inferior pictures as a result. Am I the only one who thinks that's completely stupid?

[The Tower Bridge Fox]

Much as I believe in the principal of the NHS the only good thing about this sequence was Mike Oldfield

And the set . Danny Boiyl said he started off by writing a list , it’s a shame he didn’t seem to progress any further than a list,.Ss for the feed I didn’t like the count down video, to much like the Eurovision song contest,

lets face it Danny Boyel didn’t really know what he was doing.

[baron-pierreIV]

lets face it Danny Boyel didn’t really know what he was doing.

Ya know, last week I happened to watch an old episode of INSPECTOR MORSE (vintage 1992), and there it was at the end of the Opening Credits...Directed by Danny Boyle!! I tried to pay special attention and see if this particular episode looked or felt any different or was distinct from the others. I couldn't. It was just like all the others.

So even then, I don't know that Boyle had any special directorial talents.

[Mercator]

Danny Boyle <<did>> know what he was doing, but the TV director didn't. I am quite sure it would have all been absolutely fine had the utter amateur in charge of camerawork actually been to the optician the week before. If anyone can find his/her name, we could send a few frank emails, politely written, of course...

[Olympian2004]

We know at least that it must have been a Finn directing the international feed of the ceremony, Finnish television YLE was responsible for the opening ceremony within the OBS pool.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4402686/Finnish-broadcaster-YLE-to-cover-Olympic-Games-and-not-BBC.html

However, allegedly the Finnish director was only allowed to direct the parade of nations and the speeches, according to this report: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympics-opening-ceremony-what-is-it-like-to-put-on-a-show-for-the-biggest-audience-on-earth-7976704.html

I find that confusing. Didn't someone mention before that Danny Boyle's director directed the BBC broadcast while the Finns directed the whole international feed?

According to this article, however, the BBC's director for the opening ceremony was Paul Davies: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/danny-boyle-in-private-talks-with-huw-edwards-on-olympic-opening-ceremony-7966269.html

[baron-pierreIV]

We know at least that it must have been a Finn directing the international feed of the ceremony, Finnish television YLE was responsible for the opening ceremony within the OBS pool.

http://www.thesun.co...nd-not-BBC.html

However, allegedly the Finnish director was only allowed to direct the parade of nations and the speeches, according to this report: http://www.independe...th-7976704.html

I find that confusing. Didn't someone mention before that Danny Boyle's director directed the BBC broadcast while the Finns directed the whole international feed?

According to this article, however, the BBC's director for the opening ceremony was Paul Davies: http://www.independe...ny-7966269.html

That sounds right, Fab. My friend says some sort of compromise was reached...not entirely to DB's liking. So he got his director for BBC; and the OBS had their man for the World Feed. What if it's a Chechyan for 2014 and a Portu-guy for 2016?

Addendum: over and above the OBS' world feed directed by the Finn unit, BBC's version directed by Paul Davies, (NBC's version), there was actually Danny Boyle's team -- Done & Dusted; and his version was directed by a Hamish Hamilton:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/18/olympic-opening-ceremony-drama?newsfeed=true

So there were at least 3 versions (from 30 camera locations) broadcasting at least the Opening Ceremony. No wonder it's a fractious world!! They should've gotten me to intercede!