mattygs Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 I enjoyed the closing, though overall preferred the Olympic closing. Like the Para Opening, the concept was there, it was just often abit too messy for my liking. That may well have been down to the lack of a *clean* field of play - I think the design was off. But these concepts would have been magic in an Olympic closing, although the whole fire festival is very similar to the Barcelona closing. I liked the steampunk tribal feel of this ceremony, and agreed, the opening video and music to it was fantastic. Moments like the fountains and the fireflies were extremely beautiful. I think the portrayal of seasons were at times abit loose, but I won't split hairs over that. A good standard for the Paras. The Rio handover, wow, the OCOG have really bombed on their handovers, I've been quite disappointed. It's all well and good to name a handover segment and say you have a concept, but you actually have to demonstrated that as well - and they just didn't do it. It was just as if they had got a bit of paper, named a random amount of dance and music styles and artists, and jammed them all together. I now that rhythm, energy and music will play a big part in Olympic and Para celebrations in 2016, but it has to have some thread to join everything together and make sense - there was nothing though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercator Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 All four ceremonies were completely different from the other. That's something to be thankful about. However, I would say the following: OG OC: Set the tone for the rest. The mix of good humour, enthusiasm and endeavour was exactly what the next two weeks served: the athletes did the endeavouring and the crowds added the good humour. OG CC: Made me, and the thousand others watching scream with laughter at Eric Idle and we loved the great party atmosphere it created. The Mexicans sitting in front of us were really glued to it. PG OC: My favourite of all four, for its simplicity and thought-provoking message. Also set the tone for the coming eleven days. PG CC: I couldn't really get into it like the others. It didn't draw me in like the rest. Although the speeches were by far sensational, and those little bits of detail, like the presentation of the medals and the like really gave it class. If you take out the fact that this was by-and-large a Coldplay concert with a huge backdrop and a couple of other performers, I loved the use of the pixels more than in the other ceremonies, I thought the colours used were splendid and the overall love in the air quite tangible. Athan very charitably said it was only half a Coldplay concert. I'd say it was a lot more than half... All-in-all, the overriding observation I have is, in many, many years to come, when those images of Olympic stadiums are used in magazine and newspaper articles, nobody will ever, ever fail to notice which one is London's. I mean, on here, most people will get them all right. But I am talking about amongst the general public. The outstanding use of colour and shapes: the Union Flag stage in the OG CC, the grass-to-industry setting of the OG OC, the umbrella-like structure gracing the interior of the stadium in the PG OC, and the tremendous colours of the PG CC can only make ordinary people say, "that must be London 2012." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 So, is the Para Closing worth watching...or is just another rock concert? Obviously, I haven't seen it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattygs Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 It certainly helps if you like Coldplay So, is the Para Closing worth watching...or is just another rock concert? Obviously, I haven't seen it yet. It certainly helps if you like Coldplay. It had moments that are worth watching , but they are very small here and there moments. To me, it's almost like a ceremony which contains bits and pieces that you can look at and say *wow, that would have been good in the Olympic closing*. I think like me, you might find it very messy to look at, it does have a Danny Boyle feel to it to be honest, very 28 days/weeks later in nature. It's definitely worth a watch, but I wouldn't be surprised if you fast forward large chunks of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 The only things I found memorable were the fact that it was the last night of London 2012, the great and heartfelt speeches by Sebastian Coe and Philip Craven and Coldplay's performance of "The Scientist" together with that highlights video of the Games. And there was the moving moment when also the PA announcers thanked all involved for "an unforgettable summer", only seconds before it was all over. The other parts were rather stale for me, even if I like Coldplay's music and considered it a pleasant soundtrack for that ceremony. But it was too much of a Coldplay concert and too little of a closing ceremony. I didn't even get the feeling of the different seasons, while Vancouver's Olympic opening ceremony was far more atmospheric in that regard (starting with the polar scenes, continueing with that fantastic optimistic spring ballet segment and finishing with the red autumn Maple Leafs falling and the summery feel of the "Who Has Seen The Wind" segment). I must say that all in all, the Olympic ceremonies impressed me far more than the Paralympic ceremonies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDLondon Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 So, is the Para Closing worth watching...or is just another rock concert? Obviously, I haven't seen it yet. Not unless you're a massive Coldplay fan; pick and choose some other bits. The aerial light bulbs look good as is Rihanna's piece. The speeches are worth watching and then the extinguishing of the flame. And the fireworks are brilliant. It was my least favourite Ceremony but I have Coldplay-loving friends who thought it was the best. Go figure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercator Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Well I guess the organisers tried (and kind of succeeded) to please everyone's tastes in at least one or parts of the ceremonies I don't think I liked one competely all the way through from beginning to end, but I remember that experience in years past too. However, as I already said, the Paralympic Closing Ceremony was, like a few other posters, my least favourite. Watch it, because there are some excellent bits, but once again the camerawork was, in places, absolutely abysmal. The poor motorcycle highwire act had a shot lasting a few milliseconds, while the director thought it a good idea to show the musicians instead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDLondon Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 I'd forgotten the motorcycle highwire which was rather cool. The Help for Heroes piece at the start is also worth watching although it is slightly surreal. It's the bit where it's just Coldplay and the pros that it starts to look just like a concert. Still fewer volunteers means that our names are all in much bigger print in the PCC programme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve10086 Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 Wasn't the motorcycle high wire guy supposed to light something at the end of his ride? On first attempt he didn't get far enough, so they tried again and I could see him reaching out but nothing seemed to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 That's true, Steve - I also had the impression that that was a blooper. Here's what actually should have happened, according to the official media guide: Laszlo Simet and Lyndsay Adams rise to the top of the Stadium by motorbike, where they ignite a ball of energy to signify the beginning of Spring. Eventually, as the motorbike reaches the object at the end of the Stadium. It’s revealed as the sun, which Lyndsay lights and a dazzling burst of sunshine fills the Stadium. Winter is over. Skip to 1:05:00 and you'll see that that "ball of energy"/"sun" clearly doesn't light up. The music also seemed to end too early before they reached the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDLondon Posted September 15, 2012 Report Share Posted September 15, 2012 The first time up, the stop was deliberate so that they could do some acrobatics on the way back down again - or at least, that's how they did it in rehearsal too. They did make it up to the globe on the night (I was right under it) but lit it but it didn't catch light properly and seemed to fizzle out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjb22 Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 I loved this Ceremony (but then, I like Coldplay!) This is a link to the very poignant extinguishing of the flame which I was fortunate enough to be able to film at the Ceremony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 Thanks a lot for sharing that experience with us via your videos! It's amazing that you were able to see all four opening and closing ceremonies of London 2012 in person. How did you achieve that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjb22 Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 Thanks a lot for sharing that experience with us via your videos! It's amazing that you were able to see all four opening and closing ceremonies of London 2012 in person. How did you achieve that? I got the Olympic Closing Ceremony ticket in the original LOCOG ballot and also applied for the Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies in the Paralympic original ballot as well. That was back in the days when demand for the Paralympic tickets wasn't that high because people hadn't really cottoned on to how great the whole thing would be. My 'golden ticket' I.e. the Olympic Opening Ceremony ticket was obtained on 6th January when a 're-sale' window opened. Someone obviously put up for sale a Band A level ticket and I bid for it straight away and got it! I think he system only operated for a couple of hours before it crashed so I was very lucky there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I got the Olympic Closing Ceremony ticket in the original LOCOG ballot and also applied for the Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies in the Paralympic original ballot as well. That was back in the days when demand for the Paralympic tickets wasn't that high because people hadn't really cottoned on to how great the whole thing would be. My 'golden ticket' I.e. the Olympic Opening Ceremony ticket was obtained on 6th January when a 're-sale' window opened. Someone obviously put up for sale a Band A level ticket and I bid for it straight away and got it! I think he system only operated for a couple of hours before it crashed so I was very lucky there. So you spent like $6,500 (or whatever the GBP equivalent is) for the four 2012 ceremonies? Your attendance alone is a record of sorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjb22 Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 So you spent like $6,500 (or whatever the GBP equivalent is) for the four 2012 ceremonies? Your attendance alone is a record of sorts. In a word, yes! But bear in mind that I had always wanted to go to an Olympics, saved up for more than 6 years and was absolutely determined to get tickets. The strategy was to apply for the highest categories in the hope that other people wouldn't! The Ceremonies were just 4 of 29 events that I attended altogether across the Olympics and Paralympics and I don't regret a single penny of the money spent and I wouldn't have missed any of it for the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 In a word, yes! But bear in mind that I had always wanted to go to an Olympics, saved up for more than 6 years and was absolutely determined to get tickets. The strategy was to apply for the highest categories in the hope that other people wouldn't! The Ceremonies were just 4 of 29 events that I attended altogether across the Olympics and Paralympics and I don't regret a single penny of the money spent and I wouldn't have missed any of it for the world! Good 4 u!! The memories they brought 2 u are, I am sure, priceless!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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