Pyeongchang 2018 Closing Ceremony Verdicts & Reviews

[PikyoK]

With less than a week to go until the end of the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the Closing Ceremony, I thought it would be nice to start this topic so that there is no hassle in creating a topic after Closing Ceremony is done and also the fact that I feel as though I need to contribute something to the forums. What do you guys think of the Closing Ceremony?

[nowuniverse]

The ceremony was great as expected.

The handover is a bit disappointing though. The only thing I like is Chinese performers are better in term of precision and synchronization & that made their performance neat while Koreans are a bit loosen up. It feels like China tried too much to beat Japan or something but fell short because it has no pace or climax. During the performance, I was expecting some sort of unseen technology emerging that could wow the audience but nothing happened...lol Additionally, it doesn't have something that people around the world can easily associate with like Mario, Doraemon. With Tokyo, you see the anthem being played in a very simple yet dramatic way that already set it apart from other hosts, followed by a creative greeting video with a lot of familiar characters and then the prime minister which is a cool surprise and the last part was very simple, modern, and futuristic. Tokyo's handover just feels unique, unexpected, cool, and authentic while China didn't quite nail it this time.

 

 

[SkiFreak]

I enjoyed it. Maybe a little more than the opening. I still have to go back and rewatch the opening. It is on CBC's VR app so I'll maybe pop my phone into my Google Cardboard and watch again. I'm assuming the closing will be on there too later today.

[Ikarus360]

As it happens sometimes, there were parts of the closing I liked more than the Opening. It felt more futuristic than the opening itself, and it was nice to see K-Pop. Probably some in Korea might feel K-Pop was a bit underrepresented with just two groups, though, but to be fair, EXO is probably the most known band outside of SK. 

Beijing 2022 handover wasn't bad. I like Yimou went for something more modern. China already gave us the history lesson in 2008, so it's time now to show up a futuristic vision of China (those pandas were unsettling though). Some say it was similar to Tokyo handover but to be honest, I think Gateway to the Future segment from the Opening was much more similar. 

Extinction of the cauldron was emotive, though not as much as Sochi (as much as we retrospectively hate these games now for good reasons, we can't say their ceremonies were awesome, and I liked the reference to Misha tears from 1980). It was glad to see more emotion from the crowd this time. Dunno if it was because of the K-Pop presence and/or the weather not being as harsh as in the opening.

Overall the weather in both ceremonies wasn't apocalyptic like some predicted, but it did kind of forced producers to lower the lenght. On a second thought, i think it was something positive as to prevent the show from becoming too long-tedious. 

[Shadowriver]

I think it had a lot less content then opening at least i feel that way, those ceremonies definitely been cheapest since long time. I like how they used Seoul 1988 mascot, also drone mascot was pretty cool too. When i was looking Twitter durring ceremony everyone was hyping EXO kpop band, don't know why in in Poland trending there always kpop stuff poping out time to time so i kind of not suppriced that for them it was key event of the ceremony ;p

[JMarkSnow2012]

4 hours ago, Ikarus360 said:

Some say it was similar to Tokyo handover but to be honest, I think Gateway to the Future segment from the Opening was much more similar.

I think the similarity may have been deliberate, to emphasise the difference: "Look, no handlers!"

[JMarkSnow2012]

5 hours ago, nowuniverse said:

Tokyo's handover just feels unique, unexpected, cool, and authentic while China didn't quite nail it this time.

Yes, I think China has a heck of a challenge for 2022 (particularly if Tokyo does something mega-impressive with technology, yet still incorporates cultural touchstones like Hokusai). China's isolationism means it doesn't really have "world icons" much more recent than the Great Wall- unlike even Sochi which made brilliant use of Russia's music, art and literature.

[olympiaki-agones]

My overall impression was great! I absolutely loved the way PyeongChang used Soohorang most of the time. Lovely touch  that the 1988 & 2018 mascots escorted the athletes. It reminded me also how Sochi mascots were sending their regards to Misha.

The fluency of the ceremonies were something to be learnt in coming Olympic editions. On the other hand, the consistent cosmogony of Korean culture regarding  harmony across the Universe has been giving to the Olympics a great way to show the local culture from all over the peninsula.

 

The only thing which pissed me off was the fact to listening to the Olympic anthem sung in English. They were so stupid to have chosen that. Better to play the anthem voiceless, but I'm against the usage of foreign languages in the host countries. If not in Korean, at least in Greek like the Chinese did.

About Beijing 2022 handover, it wa breath-taking. I'm going to enjoy these HI-TECH battle these coming 6 years. Asians are fashion freaks and love to compete with this. So, hope they please the world with their new gadgets.

[olympiaki-agones]

BTW, were those pandas the following mascots? 'Cuz I liked them. They are as appealing as the Korean Tigers.

[nowuniverse]

40 minutes ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

Yes, I think China has a heck of a challenge for 2022 (particularly if Tokyo does something mega-impressive with technology, yet still incorporates cultural touchstones like Hokusai). China's isolationism means it doesn't really have "world icons" much more recent than the Great Wall- unlike even Sochi which made brilliant use of Russia's music, art and literature.

They will need to create a different voice for themselves that will emotionally engage the audience not just create catchy visuals to wow people anymore. We have seen a lot of spectacular things since 2008 and all other ceremonies. People dancing synchronously & forming something, light props, floor projection, all sort of fireworks, and even drones. Those things are so predicable already. How can a modern China be cool and unique when there's already a modern Korea and technologically advanced Japan. What will set them apart. This will be a much harder task than 2008. I hope that they will have old and new producers working together to offer different takes and fresh air not just using the old producer. I know Yimou loves doing things with big number and grand scale but he's not modernly cool to me. Although what he'd do in the future could still be beautiful and big but it might feel typical and cheesy.

So in 2022, I need something uniquely spectacular and authentically cool that will set the bar higher not just the modernity with light show, synchronous performances/drones, and lot of people with cheesy use of music or colors. 

[baron-pierreIV]

It was OK.  Great use of projections and live action.  At least K-pop isn't as grating and irritating as US rap or hip-hop; but it still gets boring after a few notes.

I think the Koreans put on a better show than Yang Zhimou's Beijing 22 segment.  The thing with this Oriental Olympic trifecta is that they will try to prove they are the cat's pyjamas in terms of cutting-edge technology, to the point that the finished product will all look alike.  Like, who is really Japanese?  Or Korean?  Or Chinese?   

[Mr Tickle]

Well I didn't enjoy the closing half as much as the opening. Didn't excite me at all.

The Beijing handover, I loved the Tron movement mixed with the projections but by the end it all looked so tacky. If they had used a smarter colour palette or at least more refined I think it could have looked really cool, it just all looked like they were throwing everything at it. I liked how they linked to past games though, that was a nice touch.

Im going to put this out there, Im starting to get bored with the projections on the floor. Its starting to feel lazy now. We've been there we've done it. I know it means high impact and low coast but I want something new now. 

[mattygs]

Well I'm glad I didn't stay up late to watch that feature length Samsung commercial. 

Just seemed like a tableau of half developed ideas. I liked where the turtle segment was going, and then it just trailed off into a cloud of nothingness. The drones..... fantastic. I noted that the commentators on our broadcast made a very big deal to convince the viewer that this was actually happening above their heads. It's a little sad that the art of *stadium theatre* has got to a point where we can't assume everything is happening for real,. Maybe we need to pull back on some technology (i.e. the star dome of the opening) until we can do it for real. I'd take an Athens 2004 opening Milky Way any day.

I have to say, and I hate using this word from my tween years - but what is it with Asian hosts being so damn *try hard* with trying to convince the world they do tech stuff. I'm sick of death of people trying to make microchips and fibre signals worthy of a segment in an opening ceremony. It lacks heart and it's just not interesting,. By all means use tech to help produce your show, but the Beijing handover did zilch for me. In fact, I'd say one of the worst I've seen. It was awful. The only good thing about it was the soundtrack. There was no story, no meaning. It made me feel like I was wandering around a Harvey Norman tv department. Just... nothing. Very disappointing. I hope the Chinese check themselves for the opening. Just because we've had a history show in Beijing 2008 doesn't mean they need to produce show focused on IT. The Americans have never felt to devote a ceremony on Apple, there's no need for the Koreans or Chinese to do either. 

[Dave]

Long time lurker here. I very much enjoy reading people's comments. Here are a few of my own:

Tradition vs. Internationalism/Genericism: This and other CC's are best when the focus of the culture of the home country. This one strayed a few times into international culture. As others have pointed out, why sing the Olympic anthem in English? Why must floor projection titles be in English? These give the feeling of the (big dollar paying US) audience being manipulated and pandered to, rather than the (US) audience being a witness to THEIR ceremony.

Similarly, what's with K-pop? Too much of it sounded like bad African-American music, which isn't all that good to begin with. When those pieces had a Korean tinge to them they were more tolerable. The Eddie Van Halen wannabe was just as excruciating.  The sub-segment with the circle of traditional instrument players (I'm too lazy to look up the name of that instrument), arrayed around the rock-ish band that featured the chick playing the one-stringed instrument, was effective. You could say that it brought traditional Korean music into the modern world. I really don't know anything about this kind of music-- would have wanted to learn more-- so maybe an expert would say that I'm full of crap. A Korean music purist might say that it totally ruined it. To me, at least, it made a nice bridge to the outside world.

Floor projections: These are getting old, fast. I will say that the Beijing segment did a nice job integrating them with Real Live Humans. The coordination between the two was really impressive. The PC segment which was mostly black-and-white strands was similarly well-integrated with live performers.

Flag ceremonies: Wish NBC would have focused more of the honor guards that handled the flag-lowering duties. I would have wanted a better look at their traditional costumes and the movements and precision of their routine. The image of the flag teams at Beijing 08 is still vivid in my mind. Instead we got way too many close ups of the singer. Who really cares about his mug?

Chinese anthem: I'm sure that music is meaningful to the Chinese people and the test may be the apogee of Chinese poetry, but that tune is just plain terrible.

In Memoriam: Not sure who was being memorialized but I found it beautiful and moving is some sort of very general way, nonetheless. The grace and solemnity were palpable. And the way that the shell broke apart was meaningful. Meaningful of what, I'm not sure, but it struck a chord. I'd like to think that the segment was less about death than about the refinement of Korean culture. The last few moments of floor projection were a little much but I'll let it go. Bravo.

Symbolism: Are the elements in the ceremony really symbolic of all those lofty concepts or was NBC just making that stuff up? (Or reading out of a press booklet that made these random claims.) Bears are symbolic of this. Birds are symbolic of that. Hell, the potato siting on my dinner plate is symbolic of hope and virtue, no? When is a bird just a bird?

Grandstand LED's/pixel machines: OK, so they looked pretty nice on TV. However, I'd like to raise a point that I have yet to read on this board, and that is this: if you're sitting in a seat and all those lights from those devices in the rows behind you are shining on the back of the head of the guy siting in front of you, you would have a hard time seeing the action on the field well and an easy time being very distracted. And if you paid big won for to see the ceremony, to actually see the ceremony, you'd probably be pretty pissed. But then, what does it matter if that rummy gets screwed, it's all just a TV event anyway, right?

Once again, we the TV audience are no longer getting to witness, through the magic of, an actual event. We are being fed a series of images and episodes, even some of which were concocted at a Lucasfilm-type studio months prior,  and the 'live audience' is just there to enhance the image and living room experience, strictly for OUR benefit. To wit: all the consternation on this board about unfilled seats at PC events. Posters feel that this diminished the Olympics because they couldn't see live humans witnessing a given event. Maybe they are right to feel that way. Or, one could say, that as long as THEIR seat was occupied-- in front of the TV, that is-- why should it matter? I don't have an answer for that.

World Peace: I don't recall a segment devoted to the hope for world peace. And that's a good thing. Call me a cynic but those pie-in-sky fantasies are a eye-roll to me. The OOC got that out of the way with their (tired) rendition of "Imagine" and apparently didn't feel the need to get all self-righteous. So before I get slammed: yes, world peace is a worthy goal, I just think that it has to be blared out there just to show that the blarer is morally virtuous. More action about world peace, less talk. Nice self-restraint, Korea.

NBC: The play-by-play teams were generally outstanding. Getting rid of those Today Show half-wits for the ceremonies was a big step up. The AA main host guy did a very good job, too; I didn't miss Costas (good as he is) at all. I don't get why they had a British chic do the afternoon segments but she was OK, too. It seems they cut most of the cultural, local, travelogue segments, certainly in comparison to past broadcasts. This is too bad as I really do like to get a feel for the locale. Maybe these were relegated to an alternate channel (I only watched the main broadcast). I also noticed what I believe to be less homerism, U-S-A flag waving, and jingoism. That, too, is a very good thing. Or maybe it was a function of this being the winter vs. summer games, or maybe I've just gotten used to it after all these years. I do know that I was getting less mad at the TV this time around. I also noticed fewer and more diminished sob-stories. There seemed to be less of the She-grew-up-sleeping-under-a-bridge-while-caring-for-a-dog-with-lyme-disease-type stories than they harped on in the past. Except for the umpteen interview and mentions of this or that US champ, they pretty much just got on with it. NBC appears to be improving. The commercials were mostly pretty poor. Having to see the same one 5-10x per night almost sent me over to "Victoria" repeats. For all the money the sponsors pay they really need to produce a wider range (and quality) of ads.

Onward to Tokyo!

 

[thatsnotmypuppy]

1 hour ago, mattygs said:

It made me feel like I was wandering around a Harvey Norman tv department. Just... nothing. Very disappointing. 

I said the exact thing. Ha!

 

And yes - enough with the projections.

[JMarkSnow2012]

5 hours ago, daveypodmore said:

Im going to put this out there, Im starting to get bored with the projections on the floor. Its starting to feel lazy now. We've been there we've done it. I know it means high impact and low coast but I want something new now. 

Agreed- and with a much larger area to cover in the new Tokyo stadium, 2020 might be quite sparing with the technique.

5 hours ago, mattygs said:

The drones..... fantastic. I noted that the commentators on our broadcast made a very big deal to convince the viewer that this was actually happening above their heads. It's a little sad that the art of *stadium theatre* has got to a point where we can't assume everything is happening for real,. Maybe we need to pull back on some technology (i.e. the star dome of the opening) until we can do it for real. I'd take an Athens 2004 opening Milky Way any day.

I'm sick of death of people trying to make microchips and fibre signals worthy of a segment in an opening ceremony. It lacks heart and it's just not interesting,.  ... The Americans have never felt to devote a ceremony on Apple, there's no need for the Koreans or Chinese to do either. 

Using both prerecorded drones and Augmented Reality in the OC was a huge mistake. As for the emphasis on new technologies: that's just what SK, Japan and China happen to specialise in these days- it's the reality of their modern cultures.

4 hours ago, Dave said:

Floor projections: These are getting old, fast. I will say that the Beijing segment did a nice job integrating them with Real Live Humans. The coordination between the two was really impressive. The PC segment which was mostly black-and-white strands was similarly well-integrated with live performers.

Grandstand LED's/pixel machines: OK, so they looked pretty nice on TV. However, I'd like to raise a point that I have yet to read on this board, and that is this: if you're sitting in a seat and all those lights from those devices in the rows behind you are shining on the back of the head of the guy siting in front of you, you would have a hard time seeing the action on the field well and an easy time being very distracted. And if you paid big won for to see the ceremony, to actually see the ceremony, you'd probably be pretty pissed.

The fact that nobody seems to have complained about the audience pixels on forums like this (or anywhere else as far as I can see) probably indicates that they are less of a problem for spectators than you might suppose. Certainly, in spectator videos from London 2012, they didn't seem terribly intrusive.

[baron-pierreIV]

7 hours ago, mattygs said:

Well I'm glad I didn't stay up late to watch that feature length Samsung commercial. 

Just seemed like a tableau of half developed ideas. I liked where the turtle segment was going, and then it just trailed off into a cloud of nothingness. The drones..... fantastic. I noted that the commentators on our broadcast made a very big deal to convince the viewer that this was actually happening above their heads. It's a little sad that the art of *stadium theatre* has got to a point where we can't assume everything is happening for real,. Maybe we need to pull back on some technology (i.e. the star dome of the opening) until we can do it for real. I'd take an Athens 2004 opening Milky Way any day.

I have to say, and I hate using this word from my tween years - but what is it with Asian hosts being so damn *try hard* with trying to convince the world they do tech stuff. I'm sick of death of people trying to make microchips and fibre signals worthy of a segment in an opening ceremony. It lacks heart and it's just not interesting,. By all means use tech to help produce your show, but the Beijing handover did zilch for me. In fact, I'd say one of the worst I've seen. It was awful. The only good thing about it was the soundtrack. There was no story, no meaning. It made me feel like I was wandering around a Harvey Norman tv department. Just... nothing. Very disappointing. I hope the Chinese check themselves for the opening. Just because we've had a history show in Beijing 2008 doesn't mean they need to produce show focused on IT. The Americans have never felt to devote a ceremony on Apple, there's no need for the Koreans or Chinese to do either. 

Great review, Matty; very original perspective.  

Just to add to my earlier review.  I didn't expect much from the Koreans, thus I was highly surprised and pleased by their show.  Was truly and greatly surprised by the music used for most of the segments.  It didn't sound all Asian; and the Western-symphonic sounds and arrangements worked very well with the Korean motifs -- and even chords from "The Olympic Anthem" were very deftly integrated into Beijing's segment.  

Additional notes: the ramp up the cauldron was rather awkward (the shows and projections they tried on that) and forced.  Am surprised they didn't do anything with the bulbous white cauldron.  To me, the white space was just screaming "Projections and LED lights needed here!" 

Drones will get old fast.  They won't work @ Birds Nest Stadium.  I wonder what 2022 cauldron "scheme" Zimou and his troops will use the 2nd time around??

Anyway, they turned out to be enjoyable Games for me -- and at least the South Koreans didn't embarrass themselves with the totally unsportsmanlike show they put on in Seoul 1988 when their boxer lost.  At least they didn't hurl those curling stones @ the Swedish gals who beat their excellent So. Korean Curling belles.  

Edited February 26, 2018 by baron-pierreIV

[Ikarus360]

12 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

It was OK.  Great use of projections and live action.  At least K-pop isn't as grating and irritating as US rap or hip-hop; but it still gets boring after a few notes.

I think the Koreans put on a better show than Yang Zhimou's Beijing 22 segment.  The thing with this Oriental Olympic trifecta is that they will try to prove they are the cat's pyjamas in terms of cutting-edge technology, to the point that the finished product will all look alike.  Like, who is really Japanese?  Or Korean?  Or Chinese?   

Glad to see I'm not alone in this  while I have no problems with Korea, Japan and China going all out with technology, knowing the long standing rivalry they have with each other, it often gives a vibe of a measuring contest if you ask me. The handover felt a bit like this, with the automatic moving OLED screens to try surpassing Tokyo's LED cubes from 2016. 

[baron-pierreIV]

12 minutes ago, Ikarus360 said:

Glad to see I'm not alone in this  while I have no problems with Korea, Japan and China going all out with technology, knowing the long standing rivalry they have with each other, it often gives a vibe of a measuring contest if you ask me. The handover felt a bit like this, with the automatic moving OLED screens to try surpassing Tokyo's LED cubes from 2016. 

Last night's was the LAST "Tron"-Asian Handover segment in a while.  I hope Paris does not fall into that trap.  But I can see a return to a Fashion show, baguettes & berets, and the Can-Can for Paris 2024!   

P.S.  I like projections -- but ENUF with the bells and "Imagine"!  I don't really see what the bells (London and PC) do.  

Who wants to attend Beijing 2022 Opening?  Am willing to go.  

Edited February 26, 2018 by baron-pierreIV

[Ikarus360]

1 minute ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Last night's was the LAST "Tron"-Asian Handover segment in a while.  I hope Paris does not fall into that trap.  But I can see a return to a Fashion show, baguettes & berets, and the Can-Can for Paris 2024!   

I hope Paris does something similar to London's and tries doing a more innovative stage than only projections .Don't get me wrong, I like them but, it's been a huge been there-done that. Like, literally anyone can use floor projections now. Take that away and the actors performance is not as good. 

Tokyo should really, really try to do something never seen before for their ceremonies, both in terms of technology and stage design (last stage design which I truly consider original was that of London and to some extent, the "slums" of Rio 2016 opening). Japan always shown us to be years ahead of us and of being big innovators over the last half century, right? Well, now it's their chance to prove it and not being embarrassed of it, just like in their 2016 segment. 

[baron-pierreIV]

3 minutes ago, Ikarus360 said:

I hope Paris does something similar to London's and tries doing a more innovative stage than only projections .Don't get me wrong, I like them but, it's been a huge been there-done that. Like, literally anyone can use floor projections now. Take that away and the actors performance is not as good. 

Tokyo should really, really try to do something never seen before for their ceremonies, both in terms of technology and stage design (last stage design which I truly consider original was that of London and to some extent, the "slums" of Rio 2016 opening). Japan always shown us to be years ahead of us and of being big innovators over the last half century, right? Well, now it's their chance to prove it and not being embarrassed of it, just like in their 2016 segment. 

Paris' Handover segment will depend on what stage Tokyo will give them.  But because it's going to be in a T&F stadium, and unless Paris employs 500 or so performers, they will have to rely on projections to fill out that big space.  

For Toky's 2020 Opening, I don't think there's much they can do, since it's going to be the T&F stadium, other than a small, raised platform, with perhaps some risers.  Remember, Agenda 2020 is in effect, so the IOC will also be asking hosts to cut down their Ceremonial budgets (not unless everything, Ceremonies-wise services, will be volunteered free.)  . 

[Ikarus360]

17 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Paris' Handover segment will depend on what stage Tokyo will give them.  But because it's going to be in a T&F stadium, and unless Paris employs 500 or so performers, they will have to rely on projections to fill out that big space.  

For Toky's 2020 Opening, I don't think there's much they can do, since it's going to be the T&F stadium, other than a small, raised platform, with perhaps some risers.  Remember, Agenda 2020 is in effect, so the IOC will also be asking hosts to cut down their Ceremonial budgets (not unless everything, Ceremonies-wise services, will be volunteered free.)  . 

Are we sure Agenda 2020 also includes ceremonies? (I'm not sure of it myself so I would need to re-read). I thought they wanted to do originally something much bigger for Rio 2016, then they had to tone it down progressively because of the Brazil economic crisis. Pyeongchang also kind of restrained as shown by the simple design of the stadium but that was long before the Candle Revolution /ousting of Park happened. Still though, the budget seemed to be somewhere in the middle between Rio and London.

They could still build a small circular raised stage, as you mentioned, on a similar fashion to PC, or maybe some kind of stage at one of the stadium sides a la London/Sydney, even if they can't dig much underground. But if they want to improve the movement of performers, I think at least one underground tunnel is very much needed. 

As far as i know they still haven't selected the Team who will make the Tokyo ceremonies, but I assume that will happen during the year. 

[baron-pierreIV]

10 minutes ago, Ikarus360 said:

As far as i know they still haven't selected the Team who will make the Tokyo ceremonies, but I assume that will happen during the year. 

What happened to Jack Morton-Worldwide?  After Melbourne 2005, they seem to have disappeared.  They weren't even bidding for things like Vancouver 2010 and even for London, their home city, it seems they weren't a factor.  (They recently resurfaced for Glasgow 2014, but otherwise, no other Ceremonies.)  Givens' Five Currents and Ballich's firm seem to be the only active ones these days.  

Edited February 26, 2018 by baron-pierreIV

[Ikarus360]

25 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

What happened to Jack Morton-Worldwide?  After Melbourne 2005, they seem to have disappeared.  They weren't even bidding for things like Vancouver 2010 and even for London, their home city, it seems they weren't a factor.  (They recently resurfaced for Glasgow 2014, but otherwise, no other Ceremonies.)  Givens' Five Currents and Ballich's firm seem to be the only active ones these days.  

They're working for the Gold Coast 2018 ceremonies. A controversial decision given many in Australia preferred someone like David Atkins or Ric Birch to work on them. 

[baron-pierreIV]

8 minutes ago, Ikarus360 said:

They're working for the Gold Coast 2018 ceremonies. A controversial decision given many in Australia preferred someone like David Atkins or Ric Birch to work on them. 

So they seem to have an inside track with the CWGs (Manchester 2002, Melbourne '06, stayed away from Delhi, then Glasgow '14; now Gold Coast '18).  Probably will do Birmingham 2022 then.  Somebody @ CWG obviously likes them.