Beijing 2022 Ceremonies

[Guilga]

18 minutes ago, Nacholympic said:

Getting 2026, in Milano - Cortina we may have an Opening Ceremony as they used to be, inside a stadium... but it will be ONLY de Opening, since the Closing won't be in the Milano Stadium....

Actually, the closing and the Paralympic ceremonies if i recall correctly, they will happen at a roman anfitheatre in Cortina! (Which is really cool!)

[PikyoK]

7 minutes ago, Guilga said:

Actually, the closing and the Paralympic ceremonies if i recall correctly, they will happen at a roman anfitheatre in Cortina! (Which is really cool!)

I agree. At least there's some Italian culture that will be displayed in those ceremonies.

[Chris_Mex]

4 hours ago, Anthony said:

I think it's an effort to attract new hosts and have a robust candidate pool. The monster budgets of the 2000s scared a lot of cities off from hosting, so I think the IOC is pushing host cities to make things cheaper to show future bidders that it can be done cheap.

Yeah sure, tokyo 2020 showed a cheap empty, non-profitable ceremony in a 1.4k million dollar stadium, but look how cheap olympics are becoming. Anyway I have to agree the cheap ceremony trick is the same reason why imagine and the lack of impressive cauldrons have became a thing, its just that is sad for an event like the olympics ceremony to loose all its spectacular significance. Earlier when I watched the superbowl, even thought I don like hip hop, I thought about how a 12 minute halftime show performance gave place to lots of expectations, and was an interest theme for almost the rest of the match, and told myself, that's what ceremonies should be, the place were you can say wow this performance was brilliant. Not comparing by any means the technical level of prepration of a 15 minute performance compared to a 4 hour ceremony, but trying to say that ceremonies aren't as entertaining as they should be. Just saying that as someone commented above, ceremonies arent the most impressive event, unique to the host city, expos ceremonies, fifa world cups or even NFL have far more impressive spectacles nowadays. Change is OK but as I commented in another thread, don't take out from the olympics what makes them THE olympics, how can the so called "greatest show on earth" not give the greatest show on earth?

[Circle]

21 hours ago, Olympics2028 said:

 

I'm not sure. It's kind of gimmicky, but it's also okay.

I recall one winter games years ago where the placard bearers came out dressed in big round plastic balls. They were like walking human snow bubbles, those glass globes that are shaken up to make the little flakes inside them move around the water. Now that was goofy. But this is fairly good.

I'm still a traditionalist, however, so I prefer the "Keep it Simple" concept of a simple banner. But YMMV.

 

npr

Thanks for the photo.  I've just realised, the placards in the Beijing 2022 OC are clear/see through.  The placards on the "cauldron" are not.  As in, they are not clear/see through, they are double sided and read the same on both sides. So I've just realised the placards brought in with each team aren't even the ones used for the "cauldron".

Also, the Olympic Winter Games placard holders you mention are from Albertville '92 and Philippe Decoufle's Opening ceremony.  The Dresses had large inflatable balls around the body.  The balls where filled with a few white feathers.  The wearers arms would move around in the inflated ball, agitating the white feathers to give an illusion of snow fall or being a snow globe.  They where marvellous, as was the whole ceremony.  

[Olympics2028]

1 minute ago, Circle said:

They where marvellous, as was the whole ceremony.  

 

Different tastes, different opinions.

I recall watching a few minutes of that event and went, "whoa, this is very gimmicky."

I get it. People have different likes, different dislikes.

Each organizing committee wants to push the envelope or not be accused of doing "same 'ol, same 'ol."

I just don't want the issue of money-budget to be focused on when judging why Format A occurred or why Decision B was made.

[Olympics2028]

12 hours ago, Chris_Mex said:

Yeah sure, tokyo 2020 showed a cheap empty, non-profitable ceremony in a 1.4k million dollar stadium, but look how cheap olympics are becoming. Anyway I have to agree the cheap ceremony trick is the same reason why imagine and the lack of impressive cauldrons have became a thing,

 

Not sure if it was in this thread or another one where the issue of 2016 was pointed to.

However, I recall people (in the media or online forums like this, etc) saying that the Rio OOC couldn't do a better job because, unlike London, they didn't have the money.

I referenced how the 2016 OOC (and their producer) put extra time and money into the way placard bearers were presented. MORE money, not less, was spent on that one feature. The 2016 OOC's producer had the placard bearers enter the stadium on adult-sized tricycles.

The name of each participating country spun around like on a revolving store sign. The tricycle's rear basket was full of stuff that reminded me of an aisle at the Dollar Store.

That one detail - all by itself - took a lot more time and money to create.

Sorry, but I think the dollars (or Brazilian currency) for that that were wasted. So to me, the 2016 OOC had too much money for their ceremonies, not too little.

[Sir Rols]

2 hours ago, Olympics2028 said:

Sorry, but I think the dollars (or Brazilian currency) for that that were wasted. So to me, the 2016 OOC had too much money for their ceremonies, not too little.

Reals is the currency. Those bikes would hardly have broken the banks, they wouldn’t have been too expensive to produce. The models driving them probably cost more to hire, and Giselle Bundchen making one catwalk stroll probably cost more than the entire bike fleet and more (actually, while on that, can anybody, perhaps @baron-pierreIV, enlighten me if big “star” performers - like Giselle, or Bjork or Sarah Brightman, John Legend etc - get paid to perform in OCs? Or are they volunteers too?)

Anyway, the bikes were to provide some fun local colour - like typical Rio street vendors. And I think they succeeded well in that.

One of the best I liked doing the local favour to placards was the Scotty dogs used as placard bearers in the Glasgow CWGs.

Edited February 14, 2022 by Sir Rols

[Bear]

22 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

One of the best I liked doing the local favour to placards was the Scotty dogs used as placard bearers in the Glasgow CWGs.

Wasn't there some controversy though regarding them?

3 hours ago, Circle said:

Thanks for the photo.  I've just realised, the placards in the Beijing 2022 OC are clear/see through.  The placards on the "cauldron" are not.  As in, they are not clear/see through, they are double sided and read the same on both sides. So I've just realised the placards brought in with each team aren't even the ones used for the "cauldron".

I believe the ceremony cauldron inside the stadium did have see-through placards -

- But I don't think it's the placards used in the parade, as assembling 90+ placards in the 5 minute span of the first snowflakes segment would be very difficult if not impossible

[Sir Rols]

1 minute ago, Bear said:

Wasn't there some controversy though regarding them?

Some of the Muslim countries didn’t like their teams marching in behind a dog. Most everyone else loved them.

[baron-pierreIV]

26 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

The models driving them probably cost more to hire, and Giselle Bundchen making one catwalk stroll probably cost more than the entire bike fleet and more (actually, while on that, can anybody, perhaps @baron-pierreIV, enlighten me if big “star” performers - like Giselle, or Bjork or Sarah Brightman, John Legend etc - get paid to perform in OCs? Or are they volunteers too?)

 

 

Actually, Rols, it depends -- who wants whom more.  For the most part, many performers consider it an honor to be asked to perform in a major ceremony -- and all they ask -- or are given, for example, are -- flights to the city; a night or 2 in a first -class presidential suite for themselves and their entourage.  That would take place of any compensation.  Gladys Knight, for example, felt very privileged to sing GEORGIA ON MY MIND, in her native Atlanta. 

I think Sarah Brightman got something small for her appearance at Beijing 2008 Opening.  (She doesn't seem like greedy type, too.) 

However, Lady Gaga got a $2 million fee for singing at the inaugural Euro Games in Baku in 2015. So, it all depends.

I did like the Scotties -- but as I expected, some of the muslim countries felt insulted -- following in a canine's footsteps.  Now, if those were cats, I would feel differently.    The Rio bikes were pretty but too much -- just to announce the countries.  I mean, why not throw in a GIANT float to precede each country??? 

[Sir Rols]

19 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

I mean, why not throw in a GIANT float to precede each country??? 

I was disappointed Rio didn’t get more Carnevale into its ceremonies. It needed more bare breasts and sequins. 

At least Carmen Miranda got a nod in the closing.

[Bear]

Don't have a link on me right now, but BOCOG is now saying that the closing ceremony will be as simple as the opening, and will have segments highlighting the fact that Beijing is the first "Dual Olympic City".

This fits with what Zhang Yimou had stated last month, that there would be a segment recreating something from the 2008 ceremonies (but still no word on what that could be)

[baron-pierreIV]

18 minutes ago, Bear said:

g the fact that Beijing is the first "Dual Olympic City".

FAKE Fact!  While indeed Beijing is the first ANCHOR city to host both Games, it is Karuizawa in JAPAN which is the TRUE and HONEST, FIRST Dual Olympic Host City/town (in my book).

Karuizawa, Nagano - Wikipedia

[Bear]

It's going to be a rather short ceremony, Peacock has the closing ceremony broadcast length at 1h25m...

[Brekkie Boy]

So we'll call it 2 hours then.

[Palette86]

Quote

Olympics' director Zhang Yimou says 2008 and 2022 ceremonies linked

Acclaimed Chinese film director Zhang Yimou said that the Beijing Winter Games' closing ceremony, to be held Sunday, will reflect and be tied to the 2008 Summer Olympics, for which he also orchestrated the ceremonies.

The closing ceremony of the 17-day athletic event will retain the values of "simple, safe and splendid" of this year's games while also being "simple, beautiful and romantic," he told Kyodo News in a recent written interview.

He added that "no popular singers will appear," and the ceremony will highlight "everyday people."

This year's Olympic torch was carried by Dinigeer Yilamujiang, a Uyghur cross-country skier from the far-western Xinjiang region, where the United States claims the Chinese government is waging "genocide" and conducting human rights abuses.

The renowned filmmaker did not respond to Kyodo's question about the reasons for choosing Yilamujiang as one of the two final torchbearers, which critics called a move by Beijing to detract attention from the human rights issue.

Zhang also refused to answer questions about the "diplomatic boycott" organized by the United States not to send officials to the event.

The opening event's lighting ceremony forewent tradition, with Zhang discarding the large torch cauldron. Instead, it was replaced with a large snowflake composed of smaller ones bearing the names of participating countries.

"It expressed the hope for a humanity where everyone is united as if to protect a small flame, while in a world with drastic changes and hardships," he explained of the creation.

"I didn't think that a large torch fit with the value of environmental protection, so I challenged myself to something new," he added.

He also said that he was inspired by the idea of unity emphasized during the 2020 Summer Olympics hosted by Tokyo, which was pushed back by one year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Zhang said that it took some time to gain permission from the International Olympic Committee to change the usual format as it had never been done before.

The opening ceremony still held onto some tradition as it featured "Imagine" by John Lennon, just as for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. Zhang said he was asked by the IOC to do so.

"I don't know much about its background since I am Chinese, but I thought it was a good song about humanity's hope," he said.

The director of acclaimed films such as "Red Sorghum," "Raise the Red Lantern" and "House of Flying Daggers" has won several international film awards, even offending Chinese censors in the past.

"One can make movies all your life, but it's only once that you can oversee two Olympics ceremonies in succession," he said about his unique position of being the first to do so for both the summer and winter events.

Date:2/19/2022

News source:The Mainichi

Link tho this article:https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220219/p2g/00m/0sp/044000c

[zigzag]

27 minutes ago, Palette86 said:

The opening ceremony still held onto some tradition as it featured "Imagine" by John Lennon, just as for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. Zhang said he was asked by the IOC to do so.

 

I knew it, freaking tone deaf bastards, why??? Just seriously why???

[munichfan]

14 minutes ago, zigzag said:

I knew it, freaking tone deaf bastards, why??? Just seriously why???

"No hell below us" must seem like a most exciting option when waging their chances for what their afterlives may bring.

[Ikarus360]

On 2/18/2022 at 6:10 AM, Bear said:

The opening ceremony still held onto some tradition as it featured "Imagine" by John Lennon, just as for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. Zhang said he was asked by the IOC to do so.

Color me shocked. So we're going to see this stupid song again in Paris now. 

Like I said in another post, further proof one main reason Olympic ceremonies have been trash after 2014 is because of Olympic Champion in Fencing 1976 meddling. Guess they couldn't meddle with Sochi because Thomas was elected into office shortly before those games began, when all the ceremonies plan were already laid. 

I kinda forgave it in Pyeongchang since it was the first time in a while and it kinda fit the situation with the host country still being technically at war with their neighbour and everything, but it became super cringe statint from Tokyo, and after seeing it in Beijing I knew this was just something enforced. 

I don't think I wanna watch more olympic ceremonies until this self praising moron is gone from presidency or until the IOC finally allows creative freedom again to the hosts. Thankfully the International Paralympic Committee is not doing any of this yet. Figures why the Paralympics openers have been much better ever since a good while. 

[Palette86]

 

Quote

 

 

[Palette86]

Interesting article about "snowflake" and other designs for beijing 2022.

http://www.china.org.cn/sports/2022-02/15/content_78049759.htm

Date:2022/2/15

News source:chinas.org.cn.

[Nacholympic]

The song "Snowflakes" of the ceremonies with lyrics...

Probably the most important "ceremony legacy" of this Olympics...

 

[Nacholympic]

Versions:

 

 

 

[Nacholympic]

Studio version:

 

[Nacholympic]

Milano Cortina handover music.