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The Cauldron


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You do know Sydney nearly botched it with the cauldron lighting? The huge disc jammed just above poor old Cathy Freeman's head and she graciously stood there slowly being soaked in her white bodysuit...A good save though, they used the music piece as cover to reprogram the squence and got it going fine when the music finished.

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You do know Sydney nearly botched it with the cauldron lighting? The huge disc jammed just above poor old Cathy Freeman's head and she graciously stood there slowly being soaked in her white bodysuit...A good save though, they used the music piece as cover to reprogram the squence and got it going fine when the music finished.

Yes- I was in a seat just above Juan.... There was a little nervousness in the stands, but just by luck the music seemed to fit the 'pause' just fine, and it wasnt immediately obvious there was a f^^& up!

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Yes- I was in a seat just above Juan.... There was a little nervousness in the stands, but just by luck the music seemed to fit the 'pause' just fine, and it wasnt immediately obvious there was a f^^& up!

Presumably, except for those sitting closest to the Sydney cauldron, the way it shook as technicians under the track struggled to free it was not apparent?

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Presumably, except for those sitting closest to the Sydney cauldron, the way it shook as technicians under the track struggled to free it was not apparent?

I'm pretty sure that the problem was due to a computer error and not a mechanical issue. If you watch the footage you can clearly see the point where it breaks, it stops quite abruptly and shakes a bit.

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I'm pretty sure that the problem was due to a computer error and not a mechanical issue. If you watch the footage you can clearly see the point where it breaks, it stops quite abruptly and shakes a bit.

It was explained sometime down the track that it was some problem with the electronic controls - worked fine in tests, but there was some kind of jamming when all the mobile phones and wireless comms were in full swing during the actual OC.

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I wonder whether the Sochi "Ring" malfunction was worst than the Vancouver Cauldron "leg" malfunction.

Initially I was thinking Vancouver was worst, but at least they eventually got the legs up in the end and from different angles the problem didn't look so bad. But Sochi blew THE Rings! Lost the money shot :(

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I'm pretty sure that the problem was due to a computer error and not a mechanical issue. If you watch the footage you can clearly see the point where it breaks, it stops quite abruptly and shakes a bit.

Having just re-watched the footage, I have to disagree. The trouble is, we don't know what was supposed to happen, but what actually did happen was that, after rising from the water to the foot of the ramp, the Cauldron stopped moving. Cathy walked out from under, to stand in front of the pool, so initially everything looked natural. However, after that, nothing much happened, axcept for Cathy first looking back over her sholder at the Cauldron, then turning fully back round to face it. Half a minute after the Cauldron had met the track, a close-up caught it wobbling violently- my guess is that this was caused by the technicians working on the basis that the problem might be purely mechanical. The shaking continued for about 15 seconds, then minutes of desperate filling-in ensued, fading between cameras every few seconds to give an illusion of action.

I wonder whether the Sochi "Ring" malfunction was worst than the Vancouver Cauldron "leg" malfunction.

Initially I was thinking Vancouver was worst, but at least they eventually got the legs up in the end and from different angles the problem didn't look so bad. But Sochi blew THE Rings! Lost the money shot :(

Sochi was worse than Vancouver for the simple reason that the failure could easily be shown on a still image. Very sad.

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Having just re-watched the footage, I have to disagree. The trouble is, we don't know what was supposed to happen, but what actually did happen was that, after rising from the water to the foot of the ramp, the Cauldron stopped moving. Cathy walked out from under, to stand in front of the pool, so initially everything looked natural. However, after that, nothing much happened, axcept for Cathy first looking back over her sholder at the Cauldron, then turning fully back round to face it. Half a minute after the Cauldron had met the track, a close-up caught it wobbling violently- my guess is that this was caused by the technicians working on the basis that the problem might be purely mechanical. The shaking continued for about 15 seconds, then minutes of desperate filling-in ensued, fading between cameras every few seconds to give an illusion of action.

Sochi was worse than Vancouver for the simple reason that the failure could easily be shown on a still image. Very sad.

I think Vancouver was worse because it was just nothing, awkwardly staring at the cauldron for what seemed like ages. At Sochi though they were able to just get on with it and quickly get to the next event.

There was no waiting to try and fix the problem at Sochi like there was at Vancouver (or Sydney).

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You do know Sydney nearly botched it with the cauldron lighting? The huge disc jammed just above poor old Cathy Freeman's head and she graciously stood there slowly being soaked in her white bodysuit...A good save though, they used the music piece as cover to reprogram the squence and got it going fine when the music finished.

When the Cauldron had risen up initially in the first sequence, Cathy did not remain under the cascading water but stepped out of the pool and walked to the dry spot at the top of the stairs and turned back toward the Cauldron.

It was at the start of the 2nd Cauldron sequence that there was indeed a technical glitch caused by a computer switch which malfunctioned, causing the sequence to shut down by giving a false reading. This meant that the Olympic flame was suspended in mid-air for about 3.5 minutes, rather than immediately rising up a water-covered ramp to the top of the stadium. When it was discovered what the problem was, the computer program was overridden and the cauldron continued up the ramp, where it rested on a rising silver pedestal at the end of the 3rd & final sequence.

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I think Vancouver was worse because it was just nothing, awkwardly staring at the cauldron for what seemed like ages. At Sochi though they were able to just get on with it and quickly get to the next event.

There was no waiting to try and fix the problem at Sochi like there was at Vancouver (or Sydney).

That's a fair point, but the number of YouTube "videos" consisting essentially of just a still shot of the Sochi Rings, with 25 seconds of gloating narrative, suggest that this failure was very impactful.

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It's actually pointless to discuss what was the worst glitch - I think you can't really measure that. Sydney, though, dealt in the most elegant way with its cauldron problem so that viewers couldn't even notice it. They didn't show an obviously irritated and sweating Wayne Gretzky (or, in their case, Cathy Freeman) in a close-up, they even managed to keep the musical flow while Vancouver's cauldron lighting music even was interrupted briefly and then seemed to go on after an awkward silent pause.

I was surprised when I learned only years after Sydney's opening ceremony that their cauldron had stalled. I thought that the segment was designed that long, even if it seemed a bit strangely too long to me. But I also thought that long pause until the cauldron dish actually started its journey up the stands created was meant to create a meditative, somewhat sacred atmosphere when everyone watches that flame burning there on the base of the stand, accompanied by the majestic "Te Deum" music.

And the moment when that fireworks music had it's final crescendo right when the cauldron dish had connected to its stem on top of the grandstand seemed well timed. I wouldn't have noticed at all that that was actually only designed as fireworks music and that by the original plans, the cauldron should have been connected already during the playing of "Te Deum". I think the fireworks music was even the more fitting musical accompaniment for that moment.

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And the moment when that fireworks music had it's final crescendo right when the cauldron dish had connected to its stem on top of the grandstand seemed well timed. I wouldn't have noticed at all that that was actually only designed as fireworks music and that by the original plans, the cauldron should have been connected already during the playing of "Te Deum". I think the fireworks music was even the more fitting musical accompaniment for that moment.

The planned synchronisation with music of the cauldron's upward journey went out the window once the cauldron stalled at the start of phase 2 being it's journey up the stadium track.

"Te Deum", as majestic as it was (I loved the music), actually finished just after the Cauldron re-commenced it's journey and it was barely one-eighth up the stadium tracks.

Once the "Te Deum" music finished, there was a slight pause and then the fireworks symphony began, which should have been when the Cauldron was already at the top of the grandstand.

The actual fireworks began just before the delayed Cauldron reached the top of the track. But then the fireworks symphony then also finished while the Cauldron was sitting still on top of the silver pedestal for a minute or two and before it was raised.

The PA announcements pronouncing the end of the Opening Ceremony in French, then English, were done but the Cauldron was still rising on the silver pedestal. TV footage clearly shows this but the slow upward movement on it's silver pedestal may not have been as noticeable by the stadium audience, unless someone had binoculars.

A final illustration of how far out of sync the Sydney Cauldron now was with the planned sequence was that it was still rising in musical silence on the silver pedestal after the end of these announcements, with fireworks still exploding in the background and final cheers from the audience.

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@Universal:

That's actually what I wrote. I do realise that the cauldron actually should have been connected and "risen up" by the end of the Te Deum. But: The fireworks music that followed seemed actually so fitting for the journey of the cauldron dish that I didn't notice back then that they were behind schedule actually. And I didn't even mind that the cauldron was still rising during the final good-byes of the stadium PA announcers. As I said: Now, in hindsight, we are a lot wiser and know how the original schedule for the cauldron lighting was. But back then when I simply was amazed by the whole ceremony and also by the cauldron lighting, I didn't notice really that there was actually a serious glitch.

Just realized the cauldron is in the shape of a firebird...

Exactly. And that's why it's actually so strange that they didn't play with that firebird story a lot more for the cauldron lighting (besides choosing Stravinsky's "Firebird" suite as music for the final moments of the whole cauldron segment). They could have have lit up a firebird figure inside the stadium, for example, with the flame shooting out of the stadium via a very fast fuse, up the cauldron. Or that firebird figure could have carried the flame across the arena, for example, until the end of the rails under the roof, and then passed the flame on to Rodnina and Tretiak. Or they could have used the fantastic Firebird suite at least as music for the whole final leg of the torch relay inside the stadium. In this video, Stravinsky himself conducts the lullaby and the finale (that was actually used for Sochi's cauldron lighting) in London in 1965:

But they didn't do all of that and Stravinsky's music could only do its magic at the very end of the segment. And because of all that, I think that the cauldron lighting was unexpectedly boring and uninspired, so it sold itself way too short.

And that once again, the authentic Olympic Flame apparently didn't even touch the cauldron makes it all worse. The IOC has to put a stop to that. As someone here already said: What's the point of carrying the flame over thousands and thousands of kilometres across the host nation if it isn't even used actually for lighting the cauldron? I had nothing against London's lighting scenario where they lit up only seven petals with the authentic flame - it would have been simply impossible to light up also the other petals in time without the help of automatic lighters. But that the flame doesn't even touch the cauldron, in whatever way? Give me a break.

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The lighting of the cauldron may not have been as spectacular as people were wanting, but it was straight to the point, not drawn out, plus it is one of the most accessible cauldrons in history, plus it is visible to all and has the fountain and lights on it.

Also the entry of the flame into the stadium with that spectacular constilation sequence is overlooked and the flaming puck to revel Maria Sharapova emerging underground was awesome. The flame lighting worked and was a nice end to what was a technically innovative, visually spectacular, historically and artistically great.

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Ah, well Atlanta also had a glitch. The wick didn't light properly and didn't zip up the line as fast as it should have. They even cut the music for a bit. I kinda blame Ali for that. He lit the top of the wick and I think it should have been lit from the bottom. And perhaps the wick should have been a bit further up the line. Ali having to bend over like that was also a bit awkward. Then again, Atlanta's cauldron was a hot mess, so maybe it was fitting.

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Yeah, but given the choice is between a man who's most famous for being eaten by another human being, and one of the most stunning women in the world, I don't think it matters. Sochi wins this one ;)

Well, just setting the record straight, Black women may not feel the same way you feel about Maria Sharapova (who admittedly is a chosen creature of the gods) so the fact is still valid.

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