Filipe_Golias Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Oh Aliyeva, you think poorly of yourselves. Two years to put these Games up is nothing for a country that erected a huge arena for Eurovision in less than a year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Me thinks she has smiled! Amazing - how does she do that? And now Patrick Hickey uses up all his speaking time just for welcoming the dignitaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JO2024 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Oh my, she's struggling to smile... I feel pity for her somehow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Oh no, a flying carpet! Do not copy from Doha 2006 as well, please! Very nice effect with those greens coming up from the stadium floor, though. That's something new And we have water, we officially have water! Oh well, needless to say which ceremony this is reminding me off... And the throwing of dust up into the air, under an artificial sun, is London 2012. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filipe_Golias Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Yes, it's great imagery, even if 50 % of it is copied Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanMUC Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 There's not a single bone of originality in the Aliyev clan, neither in the Eurovision songs they buy in Sweden every year, nor Mehriban's face, nor obviously in this event tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Come on, this is a pretty impressive segment now. A solar eclipse really is a first at such a ceremony And that apparently is the cauldron of Baku 2015 - a solar eclipse. Hmm, interesting (and not necessarily positive) symbolism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filipe_Golias Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Another cauldron outside the main stadium... and a pretty unimpressive one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post LatinXTC Posted June 12, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 OMG you queens need to get a grip! Heaven forbid that a lesser game copies something that the bigger games (the Olympics) actually does! For a non-Olympic OC this is incredible, and actually a far better ceremony than some SOGs. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Come on, nit-picking is always an essential part of the fun of watching an opening ceremony I felt well-entertained and yes, it was an impressive ceremony of Olympic proportions. Another cauldron outside the main stadium... and a pretty unimpressive one. No, there's also a cauldron inside the stadium. There's just one question remaining: No athletes' oath? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JO2024 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Oh, it's over. I have to say, it was a great Summer...Oops, European Olympic Games OC. The only thing is that it was obviously too much of an Athens 2004 rehash. But since Athens 2004 is my favourite OC, I didn't really mind. Well done Baku. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filipe_Golias Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Regardless of the overall high standard, there was just too much of Athens 2004 OC for it to go unnoticed and uncommented. Such a praised artistic director should've known better. No, there's also a cauldron inside the stadium. There's just one question remaining: No athletes' oath? That burning ring thing will stay inside the stadium? Not in that position, I expect. Maybe it'll be placed on the roof rim. Nor judge's oath! Prepare for some serious rigging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afiqnadzir Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 well done, very photogenic and one of the best...olympic scale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 That burning ring thing will stay inside the stadium? Not in that position, I expect. Maybe it'll be placed on the roof rim. No, that pylon on which the "eclipse" sat looked very much as if it's the real cauldron and not only a temporary structure. However, I think they might pull the cauldron a little bit back, maybe also into one of the stadium's gates - just like London did with its cauldron after the opening ceremony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 (edited) I didn't catch it live...but based on the comments here (and obviously, I will watch it a replay)... 1. So, the unsold 60 platforms of 2004 were, I guess, shipped to Baku and finally found a 2nd use; 2. The "eclipse" thing I actually mentioned in my book (like, when was it going to be used in an OC??) Hmmmm.... 3. Dmitris, Dmitris...imagination, imagination, boy. I guess they offered him mucho bucks here as well, for him to rehash his ideas. Will watch it later. Edited June 12, 2015 by baron-pierreIV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intoronto Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 So Austrian athletes run over by a bus at the athlete's village... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshi Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 So the eclipse-disc thing is the cauldron then? Who will actually be described as cauldron lighter, the guy who lit the pebble at the start or the one who threw the pebble at the disc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatinXTC Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 So the eclipse-disc thing is the cauldron then? Who will actually be described as cauldron lighter, the guy who lit the pebble at the start or the one who threw the pebble at the disc? It's a joint effort So Austrian athletes run over by a bus at the athlete's village... Yea 3 of them got hit, one severely injured and is already in Austria. They flew her using the private jet of the president of Azerbaijan. http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/13063747/austrian-swimmer-induced-coma-bus-incident-baku AND just found the video! Wow the driver was COMPLETELY careless, how the hell do you not see the 3 girls there??? And he dragged on for MUCH longer than he should have! He better face serious charges!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RPMEuLy0Hw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 I've just watched it. Very upset the idiots in Azerbaijan decided to block it to many countries (is this their way to say "**** you" to the west?). I was forced to use the Hola plugin to get in Youtube as if i was an azeri citizen in order to watch it. Anyway 1-The carpet segment with the skirts was very clever. For those who didn't understood the segment, Azerbaijan rugs are an important part of their culture and they have many different schools of carpeting. It kinda worked nicely during daylight. They lost a good chance to make an epic performance of the anthem, though. 2-I was very surprised like all of you when the torch arrived from the very start. Then, when i saw them putting the fire underground I understood it had to do with the Land of Fire theme and I liked the idea. 3-Like some of you, I was kind of dissapointed with the Clepsydra 2.0 segment. Papaioannu blatantly ripped himself from Athens and I honestly preferred the original one from 2004, it was much better done. I liked the promeganate appearing since its another important symbol of Azeri culture 4-Liked the parade of nations, felt very olympic-like. Although the placard girls looked like a mix of London and Sochi placard bearers. 5-Ugh. Lady Gaga. What does she even has to do with the European Games? Its obvioys Aliyev paid her a large sum of money just to come around and sing Imagine in a far from liberal and democratic country. 6-I actually liked the flying bull segment, I understood it inmediatly knowing the myth of Europa and Zeus (the origin of the continent name) 7-And then, we got to what was possibly the best segment of the ceremony. The ground shaking and rising to form the mountains with the Gobustan glyphs, the fire from the start of the ceremony reappearing once again, the fire figure of a man and the way they lighted the "cauldron" was one of the most artistic lightnings i've ever seen. The eclipse cauldron was very neat, even if a bit unimpressive afterwards. Overall, a good ceremony. The clepsydra segment was a big dissapointment for me and Gaga made me cringe, but the rest was very nice, and the show was pretty much saved by the awesome last part of it. Too bad Aliyev and friends blocked most of the vids to the western countries so finding a place where to download it or watch it on HD is going to be a pain. PS: They didn't booed Armenia, but the crowd started to chant "Azerbaijan! Azerbaijan!..." when they entered. The big tensions between them over the Naghorno issue are far from over. At least there wasn't drama like in the 2012 ESC when Armenia decided to boycott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brekkie Boy Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 A two-hour opening ceremony - that's more like it! Didn't see much of it (and BT are rubbish at making stuff available On Demand) but was so glad to see something a bit different with the cauldron lighting considering in recent years so many have gone down the light small cauldron, set off some fireworks, light bigger cauldron route. OK, that is kind of what they did but it was far more spectacular than anything we've seen for some time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 A two-hour opening ceremony - that's more like it! Didn't see much of it (and BT are rubbish at making stuff available On Demand) but was so glad to see something a bit different with the cauldron lighting considering in recent years so many have gone down the light small cauldron, set off some fireworks, light bigger cauldron route. OK, that is kind of what they did but it was far more spectacular than anything we've seen for some time. Agreed. I really liked it, far better than the dissapointment we got in Sochi. And I found it a bit more artistic than Vancouver and London cauldron (sorry, guys ^^; ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 (edited) OK, finally watched it in replay. Overall, a good try...but a little too sterile and stately. Again, like Athens 2004, the sum of the parts do not make a great whole. Some brilliant; and not so brilliant moments. The Klepsydra thing - a little too long and lame. That turntable should've spun faster and there should've been like the 9 different frames which lit up when the particular story entered that frame. Boy, it took a long time for those girls with the hoop skirts to get off the stage, hence the Flame Journey film clip. They try sooooooo hard to make the placard bearers different and witty each time; but it only looks more silly each time. What's with wrapping women in these cage outfits? Also, the nations marched in too far apart from each other. Overall, it had your jaw dropping for the stage machinery (the cracks (Vancouver 2010 handover), the plastic weeds growing; the zombies rising from the ground (Lillehammer); the Nazca glyphs on fire (I thought for London they would simulate the Thames on fire on that stage); again with the little pool; the different plateaus rising with glowing drawings, and that ring of fire/cauldron is different but NOT very impressive. Again, Papaioannou showed no joy or elation for this show; just...wow! look at the stage machinery. I think they bought all the understage hydraulic lifts from Sochi. A few good effects...but a little slow and too stately. With Holland bowing out for 2019, I guess there will be no Handover at Closing. My estimate: at least a $45 million show. Edited June 12, 2015 by baron-pierreIV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galandar Posted June 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2015 Are you always so ignorant and disrespectful when it comes to hosts of sport events? Well I don't care so much, just wondering... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bairrosfelipe Posted June 13, 2015 Report Share Posted June 13, 2015 I was very disappointed with the ceremony. There was no emotion. The directors and producers have something to do with the ceremonies of Athens? I thought many times of similar ceremony with the Athens opening ceremony. I think it had many features that could be used in a better way, that is have not been explored. Because in all the ceremony moments we had this big white circle in the center of the stadium? Why not use projections as well as Sochi 2014 has made? I think it would be a good idea to display the flag of the countries, or something, in the parade of athletes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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