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Beijing 2022 Ceremonies


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I noticed that the flag pole for the official main Olympic flag in Beijing's stadium was placed very close to the one for the Chinese flag. I don't believe that is done at most summer/winter games. Not sure, however.

Regardless, it didn't look right. The main Olympic flag at any games should always stand alone, with the flags of the host nation and other flags several yards over in another location.

 

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59 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

I noticed that the flag pole for the official main Olympic flag in Beijing's stadium was placed very close to the one for the Chinese flag. I don't believe that is done at most summer/winter games. Not sure, however.

Regardless, it didn't look right. The main Olympic flag at any games should always stand alone, with the flags of the host nation and other flags several yards over in another location.

 

The Olympic and Host nation flags have always been flown side by side at the ceremonies (at least since Athens 2004)

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14 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

Personally, I think a minor detail like that diminishes the prestige of the vent. YMMV.

Oh, come on now! :blink: You’re really scraping the bottle of the barrel now. Can you find anything even more trivial to diss over multiple posts????

You can’t understand why things like Olympic Looks can generate passionate opinions and debates, yet in the next breath you consider your OCD about flagpole placement to be a sign of collapse of the prestige of the Olympics????? 

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53 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

You’re really scraping the bottle of the barrel now. Can you find anything even more trivial to diss over multiple posts????

Something about the recent games in Beijing made me want to really dig down into that barrel.  Seeing the flag of the People's Republic of China flying next to the Olympic flag was an unsettling image. But I now vaguely recall reacting somewhat the same way when the 2012 games occurred too. In that case, I believe the Olympic flag was on a fake hill flying from a pole next to the flag of Britain. Or something like that.

Either format made the event seem too localized. As Torchbearer posted, I don't believe that segment of the opening of the 2000 games occurred.

I don't mind the host nation's flag being presented. That's a major tradition of Olympic games. But a national flag should stand alone.

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6 hours ago, Olympics2028 said:

I noticed that the flag pole for the official main Olympic flag in Beijing's stadium was placed very close to the one for the Chinese flag. I don't believe that is done at most summer/winter games. Not sure, however.

Regardless, it didn't look right. The main Olympic flag at any games should always stand alone, with the flags of the host nation and other flags several yards over in another location.

 

Placing the two main flagpoles close together permits vertical-format photos (or indeed TikTok-style videos) :)

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1 hour ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

 (or indeed TikTok-style videos) :)

international-olympic-committee-reveals-

 

The Olympic games have become a social-media, selfie-culture event.

Although the geopolitics of Beijing are a bit more Orwellian than the geopolitics of London, I find myself not really liking the image above any more than the one that shows the Olympic flag flying next to the flag of the PRC.

BTW, that fake hill, fake grass and fake hill are why the 2012 games to me were sort of the Hollywood-backlot Olympics. I hope the 2028 OOC keeps that in mind.

Hey, LA committee, the "Hollywood" angle has already been done.

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i don't get the big issue here..... the host country flag flying next to the olympic flag.

Countries like china and russia are going to use the games for their propaganda regardless of where the flag flys plus i think the proximity of the flag during the opening ceremony is a minor thing in terms of the fact that dictatorships are hosting the games in the first place.

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^ My philosophy is "The devil is in the details." Meaning if you want to favor the good/excellent to the so-so/feh, you got to find ways of getting rid of [[[Satan!!!]]].

Which reminds me of how members of the main choir used in 1996 were dressed up in church-choir uniforms. Not sure, however, if that choir actually was from a church in Atlanta.

Regardless, to me, the look of that group wasn't good or ideal for an Olympics ceremony.

 

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19 hours ago, Olympics2028 said:

international-olympic-committee-reveals-

 

... that fake hill, fake grass and fake hill are why the 2012 games to me were sort of the Hollywood-backlot Olympics. I hope the 2028 OOC keeps that in mind.

 

2 hours ago, Olympics2028 said:

^ My philosophy is "The devil is in the details." ...

 

Leaving aside the duplicate hill, the grass on the hill was real.

https://lawncrew.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/CaseStudyOlympics2012.pdf

And fwiw, quite a lot of filming for the #2 and #3 movies of 2012 (Skyfall and The Dark Knight Rises) was done at British studios and locations.

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^ Very interesting. Learn something new everyday.

As for my duplicate, I obviously meant fake tree. Although maybe the tree was real too? If it was, it sure had a Disney-real look about it.

I'm sure all the dressing up of the stadium cost the 2012 OOC a pretty penny.

Speaking of being a sprendthrift, the 2028 games are going to hold its opening/closing in costly SoFi Stadium. But it wasn't built for the summer games, but mainly for the NFL. But the same principle will apply.

SoFi is going to be another example of how a big budget - and 2012 spent way more money than most other games do - doesn't necessarily provide better results. Or will be worth it.

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4 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

And fwiw, quite a lot of filming for the #2 and #3 movies of 2012 (Skyfall and The Dark Knight Rises) was done at British studios and locations.

I consider the 2012 Olympics the "Hollywood" games. Although maybe I should use the word "Pinewood" instead. Or the name of the studios in London, probably a play on the word "Hollywood."

I want 2028 to stay as far away as possible from the theme of "Hollywood."

 

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57 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

I consider the 2012 Olympics the "Hollywood" games. Although maybe I should use the word "Pinewood" instead. Or the name of the studios in London, probably a play on the word "Hollywood."

I want 2028 to stay as far away as possible from the theme of "Hollywood."

 

Not to be rude but, gawd your vision of the 2028 olympics is the dullest olympics in history

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^ Not rude. Your reaction to what I'd prefer in an Olympic opening/closing likely would be "how boring!" I admit my tastes and preferences are different. They're not the same as those people into things like hipster rap, TikTok or movies full of CGI.

In the thread on choirs/music/performances at the Olympics, a video of a segment of the 2012 games is posted.

Whoa. Can you say "overdone"? 2012 makes me think of a person who thinks because a little perfume is nice, a whole bottle of it on her will be even better.

By contrast, the recent 2022 winter games in Beijing seemed to stick closer to what I prefer in "Olympics." YMMV.

 

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1 hour ago, Olympics2028 said:

^ Not rude. Your reaction to what I'd prefer in an Olympic opening/closing likely would be "how boring!" I admit my tastes and preferences are different. They're not the same as those people into things like hipster rap, TikTok or movies full of CGI.

In the thread on choirs/music/performances at the Olympics, a video of a segment of the 2012 games is posted.

Whoa. Can you say "overdone"? 2012 makes me think of a person who thinks because a little perfume is nice, a whole bottle of it on her will be even better.

By contrast, the recent 2022 winter games in Beijing seemed to stick closer to what I prefer in "Olympics." YMMV.

What we saw out of the 2022 ceremonies was likely a reflection of China's standing in the world following a once-in-a-century global pandemic which severely limited what they could offer up to the world in terms of their ceremonies.  That it was toned down does seem like it's up your alley.  If they didn't have to tone it down, it probably wouldn't have been as much in line of what your vision for the ceremonies are.

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15 hours ago, Olympics2028 said:

^ Very interesting. Learn something new everyday.

As for my duplicate, I obviously meant fake tree. Although maybe the tree was real too? If it was, it sure had a Disney-real look about it.

I'm sure all the dressing up of the stadium cost the 2012 OOC a pretty penny.

Speaking of being a sprendthrift, the 2028 games are going to hold its opening/closing in costly SoFi Stadium. But it wasn't built for the summer games, but mainly for the NFL. But the same principle will apply.

SoFi is going to be another example of how a big budget - and 2012 spent way more money than most other games do - doesn't necessarily provide better results. Or will be worth it.

Yes the tree was a fake, though the hedges in the main arena were real. And before I forget, you're right about "Pinewood" being a cheeky play on "Hollywood".

One element of the "dressing up" in 2012 was expensive: the installation of the LED panels by every seat, taking advantage of the limited roof coverage to permit spectacular aerial shots, in addition to wowing the stadium spectators (which is why the PyeongChang 2018 Winter ceremonies stadium was riskily built without a roof). Pretty much everything else was a response to the wastefulness of Athens 2004 and the grandiose formality of Beijing 2008, both of which were significantly more expensive than London's ceremonies (ditto Sochi 2014, to which PyeongChang was of course responding).

London's over-elaborate style was partly a result of eagerness to show the capabilities of British live show production; look closely and you'll see all sorts of crazy details, like a Vertigo/Jaws-style reverse-zoom shot of Kenneth Branagh, done live among a crowd of performers.

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1 hour ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

Pretty much everything else was a response to the wastefulness of Athens 2004 and the grandiose formality of Beijing 2008, both of which were significantly more expensive than London's ceremonies (ditto Sochi 2014, to which PyeongChang was of course responding).

There was nothing about 2012 (or 2004, 2008, 2014, etc) that to me necessarily yelled "Expensive!!!" If anything, 2012 looked like they were trying to bust their budget as much as what other games have done.

2022 opening/closing may have had a less large budget than previous games have had. It certainly must have cost less than 2012. But it seemed more in tune with "Olympics" than what occurred in London.

2012 to me came off more like a salute to British pop music and UK celebrities. Which is why I think of 2012 as the "Hollywood games." Or the "UK TV/movie/music industry" games.

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2 hours ago, Quaker2001 said:

What we saw out of the 2022 ceremonies was likely a reflection of China's standing in the world following a once-in-a-century global pandemic which severely limited what they could offer up to the world in terms of their ceremonies.  That it was toned down does seem like it's up your alley.  If they didn't have to tone it down, it probably wouldn't have been as much in line of what your vision for the ceremonies are.

If the pandemic made the producer tone down the overdone nature of previous ceremonies, than, yep, for me that's a positive.

But the 2008 games didn't have any such restraints.  Yet the second Olympics in Beijing seemed closer to the theme and spirit (minus the politics) of "Olympics."

If 2012 was too British-fied, 2008 was to China-fied.

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22 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

If the pandemic made the producer tone down the overdone nature of previous ceremonies, than, yep, for me that's a positive.

But the 2008 games didn't have any such restraints.  Yet the second Olympics in Beijing seemed closer to the theme and spirit (minus the politics) of "Olympics."

If 2012 was too British-fied, 2008 was to China-fied.

What do you expect, that the hosts don´t show too much of their country and culture to the world? If this is your point, so why bother hosting the olympic games in first place?

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29 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

There was nothing about 2012 (or 2004, 2008, 2014, etc) that to me necessarily yelled "Expensive!!!" If anything, 2012 looked like they were trying to bust their budget as much as what other games have done.

2022 opening/closing may have had a less large budget than previous games have had. It certainly must have cost less than 2012. But it seemed more in tune with "Olympics" than what occurred in London.

2012 to me came off more like a salute to British pop music and UK celebrities. Which is why I think of 2012 as the "Hollywood games." Or the "UK TV/movie/music industry" games.

Nonetheless, the 2004, 2008 and 2014 ceremonies were all remarkably expensive; 2012 aimed to look expensive by using efficiency (e.g. inflatable factory chimneys emerging from a slightly raised floor rather than solid structures emerging from enormous basements).

As for the overall "2012 too British / 2008 too Chinese" criticism- have you read the 2005 edition of the Olympic Technical Manual on Ceremonies, which was in force for 2008 & 2012?

Quote

In addition to preserving continuity between Games, the Opening Ceremony should also capture the flavour and culture of the host nation. The Opening Ceremony is the one true, global beginning of the Games, and a chance to highlight the people and traditions of a city, region and nation. The Opening Ceremony is often the first worldwide presentation of a particular Olympic Games in a particular city, and may be the first indicator of the success of a Games in the view of the world. A successful Opening Ceremony often sets the tone of the Games in the media, and shows the world the face of a nation, its people, and its culture, setting the stage for the drama, inspiration and celebration of humanity that is the celebration of the Olympic Games.

http://www.gamesmonitor.org.uk/files/Technical_Manual_on_Ceremonies.pdf

If anything, London 2012 followed that brief more faithfully than Beijing 2008, and certainly more faithfully than the 2020-22 openings, with their surrender to European cultural references.

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16 minutes ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

Nonetheless, the 2004, 2008 and 2014 ceremonies were all remarkably expensive; 2012 aimed to look expensive by using efficiency (e.g. inflatable factory chimneys emerging from a slightly raised floor rather than solid structures emerging from enormous basements).

If anything, London 2012 followed that brief more faithfully than Beijing 2008, and certainly more faithfully than the 2020-22 openings, with their surrender to European cultural references.

 

For one thing, my account doesn't have a re-editing function. So screw-ups get through and I go "d'oh!"

My post obviously should have read, "There was nothing about 2004..." Or I meant to say that all Olympic games for several years to me look generally no more way costlier or not way less costly than their predecessors or successors did.

Yea, Rio 2016 didn't have as many bells and whistles as 2012 did. But 2016 wasn't as effective as they could have been for creative reasons, not financial reasons.

Operating committees, if they really insist, apparently can get the IOC to change their by-laws. That's probably even more the case when it comes to creative matters.

When I watch replays of 1984, I notice its opening/closing, possibly for the only time in Olympic history, didn't have the stadium announcer using both the required English and French.

 

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42 minutes ago, Guilga said:

If this is your point, so why bother hosting the olympic games in first place?

The issue is similar to whether a person is or isn't going on a bit too much about his income, job, house, car, travels, etc.

It's like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. There's Papa bear, Mama bear and Baby bear. The trick is in finding the "just right."

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