Paris 2024 Ceremonies - Verdict

[AustralianFan]

56 minutes ago, Ikarus360 said:

I agree with some of the things he said. At least he was respectful and passive with his review. Shame that ever since Rio (on which i recall he quit at last minute for creative differences) he seems to have totally stopped participating in olympic ceremonies (or hasn't been called again).

Then again most of the old guard in ceremonies have been replaced as of recently except for Marco Balich.

Well the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony may well have just opened the door wider for ceremony maestros Ric Burch and David Atkins from those future Games organisers who favour a return to grand, inclusive stadium blockbuster Ceremonies

[PikyoK]

1 hour ago, Ikarus360 said:

I agree with some of the things he said. At least he was respectful and passive with his review. Shame that ever since Rio (on which i recall he quit at last minute for creative differences) he seems to have totally stopped participating in olympic ceremonies (or hasn't been called again).

Then again most of the old guard in ceremonies have been replaced as of recently except for Marco Balich.

Bring back the greats! 

[sebastien1214]

I find it quite depressing that we are at a stage where we want the return of people who have already done hundreds of ceremonies. Respect for their work, but there are dozens of talented people in many countries around the world who would be totally capable of doing very beautiful ceremonies in stadiums. Why continue to call on the same people and not want to trust local talent? There must be Italians for 2026 who would know how to hold superb ceremonies.

[Rob2012]

Sebastien mate, you've been the best new member we've had on this forum for a while. Get yourself an avatar!

[PikyoK]

2 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

I find it quite depressing that we are at a stage where we want the return of people who have already done hundreds of ceremonies. Respect for their work, but there are dozens of talented people in many countries around the world who would be totally capable of doing very beautiful ceremonies in stadiums. Why continue to call on the same people and not want to trust local talent? There must be Italians for 2026 who would know how to hold superb ceremonies.

Italians are creative and I'm sure there are some really great ones out there...with the exception of Marco Balich. The other Italian director I can think of now is Paolo Sorrentino but looking at his work, his creative concepts and styles might be a little too serious for Olympic ceremonies. He could perhaps direct one artistic segment for the MC2026 ceremonies. His famous films and series include The Young Pope, its sequel The New Pope and Loro.

Another director who would be perfect for the 2026 ceremonies would be Enrico Casarosa. His works are imaginative and optimistic. His famous work is the Pixar film 'Luca'. 

Cristian Biondani and Duccio Forzano are also great choices for directors as they have had experience delivering live shows. One of their recent works includes directing the Semi-Finals and Grand Final of Eurovision 2022 held in Turin, Italy.

[Sir Rols]

3 minutes ago, Rob2012 said:

Sebastien mate, you've been the best new member we've had on this forum for a while. Get yourself an avatar!

Seconded

[PikyoK]

3 minutes ago, PikyoK said:

Cristian Biondani and Duccio Forzano are also great choices for directors as they have had experience delivering live shows. One of their recent works includes directing the Semi-Finals and Grand Final of Eurovision 2022 held in Turin, Italy.

The other director involved in Eurovision 2022 in Turin was Emanuele Cristofoli. He was in charge of the opening and interval acts of all three shows. 

[sebastien1214]

6 minutes ago, Rob2012 said:

Sebastien mate, you've been the best new member we've had on this forum for a while. Get yourself an avatar!

Ahaha, I'm already not very inspired to find a username so imagine for an avatar it's even worse

[Rob2012]

Your username is fine, get yourself an avatar though!

[PikyoK]

35 minutes ago, Rob2012 said:

Your username is fine, get yourself an avatar though!

interesting to see which one he chooses. 

[yoshi]

There must be a suitable picture of the BBC One balloon cauldron he can use, if nothing else lol 

[sebastien1214]

The impression that some people seem to be afraid of what I'm going to put and it would still be a shame if I paid homage to Leonardo da Vinci.... he's Tuscan, it wouldn't make sense for a French person to pay homage to him......
 

Spoiler

Breathe, there was more than just "the Last Supper" from de Vinci (well, it wasn't really that) at the Ceremony.

 

[baron-pierreIV]

4 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

I find it quite depressing that we are at a stage where we want the return of people who have already done hundreds of ceremonies. Respect for their work, but there are dozens of talented people in many countries around the world who would be totally capable of doing very beautiful ceremonies in stadiums. Why continue to call on the same people and not want to trust local talent? There must be Italians for 2026 who would know how to hold superb ceremonies.

WHy would you be depressed?  Disagree with you.  There aren't that many people who would know how stage proper ceremonies.  This opening OC indeed broke a lot of records, etc., etc, but from what's been unwritten and unsaid,  if you know how to read Olympic tea leaves -- the IOC will put a crimp, rightly so -- and just have Ceremonies which don't break the bank or are so super-ambitious that when indeed something beyond their control--like the weather comes around   My estimation is that the 2024 OC lost maybe 35%-40% of its full potential and glory because of the rain.  But if you had veterans planning July 26, they would have had better Plan B arrangements.  That's the difference between pros and amateurs. 

The IOC just gave France a pass in this case because of extenuating circumstances.  But it's something that the IOC would like not to have repeated because it sets a precedence and ultimately, it's the IOC that has to live with and shoulder the brunt of criticism for being an irresponsible (in terms of spending) and extravagant host -- and all the other controversy and criticisms coming in--which just keeps putting a bigger and bigger carbon footprint on the planet.  

You pick people who had done it before because you're NOT reinventing the wheel every time.  They know where they went wrong the first time; what to avoid, what to do better, what to improve from the last go-around -- and come in under a specified, sane budget.  I don't think you really know what you are saying. Just wait till the final bill comes in -- and like with the fallout from Tokyo 2020/1, it ultimately impacted Sapporo's 2030 chances.  What do they say?  Lighting strikes twice.  

[sebastien1214]

22 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

WHy would you be depressed?  Disagree with you.  There aren't that many people who would know how stage proper ceremonies.  This opening OC indeed broke a lot of records, etc., etc, but from what's been unwritten and unsaid,  if you know how to read Olympic tea leaves -- the IOC will put a crimp, rightly so -- and just have Ceremonies which don't break the bank or are so super-ambitious that when indeed something beyond their control--like the weather comes around   My estimation is that the 2024 OC lost maybe 35%-40% of its full potential and glory because of the rain.  But if you had veterans planning July 26, they would have had better Plan B arrangements.  That's the difference between pros and amateurs. 

The IOC just gave France a pass in this case because of extenuating circumstances.  But it's something that the IOC would like not to have repeated because it sets a precedence and ultimately, it's the IOC that has to live with and shoulder the brunt of criticism for being an irresponsible (in terms of spending) and extravagant host -- and all the other controversy and criticisms coming in--which just keeps putting a bigger and bigger carbon footprint on the planet.  

You pick people who had done it before because you're NOT reinventing the wheel every time.  They know where they went wrong the first time; what to avoid, what to do better, what to improve from the last go-around -- and come in under a specified, sane budget.  I don't think you really know what you are saying. Just wait till the final bill comes in -- and like with the fallout from Tokyo 2020/1, it ultimately impacted Sapporo's 2030 chances.  What do they say?  Lighting strikes twice.  

But there are plenty of talented directors who would be capable of doing great things in stadiums. Look at Beijing 2008. It wasn't the usual names that make up 50% of the ceremonies, and everyone says it's the best ceremony (or the second best) in history. This is not a question of pleading to continue leaving the stadium, we can very well return to the stadium without necessarily having to entrust the ceremonies to people who have already done dozens of them.

[olympiaki-agones]

Hello to everyone! By the way, a special hello to Baron, because now I'm back from Bohol 😉.

In my opinion, the idea of having held the ceremony in the streets and river was ok, because I watched it tight during the Filipino night, but I expected more from the traditional protocol. Also, I didn't see much of Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the editions of 1900 and 1924 instead of spending, wasting valuable time on the sleazy fat blue guy that picking on enraged mobs around the world and sponsors sh***ing on their pants due to the wokism exposed. They could've focused on more interesting French symbols such as the rooster, France sports history throughout time, pandemics that Parisian had beaten and their resilience and the athletes emotions closed up in TV.

Fortunately, LA is the next host city with a lot of experience and I'm sure that would not deceive anybody to see the Colosseum host for the third time an athletes parade.

I hope that the closing ceremony be something remarkable enough to forget certain episodes from the opening ceremony and stop bothering neighbours and local from getting into their normal lives. I think the IOC will ban any woke expression from this bitter experience that having and focus more into sports. After all that's why we all are here, aren't we?

[krow]

6 hours ago, PikyoK said:

Italians are creative and I'm sure there are some really great ones out there...with the exception of Marco Balich. The other Italian director I can think of now is Paolo Sorrentino but looking at his work, his creative concepts and styles might be a little too serious for Olympic ceremonies. He could perhaps direct one artistic segment for the MC2026 ceremonies. His famous films and series include The Young Pope, its sequel The New Pope and Loro.

Another director who would be perfect for the 2026 ceremonies would be Enrico Casarosa. His works are imaginative and optimistic. His famous work is the Pixar film 'Luca'. 

Cristian Biondani and Duccio Forzano are also great choices for directors as they have had experience delivering live shows. One of their recent works includes directing the Semi-Finals and Grand Final of Eurovision 2022 held in Turin, Italy.

you write like chatGPT.

[JMarkSnow2012]

4 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

The impression that some people seem to be afraid of what I'm going to put and it would still be a shame if I paid homage to Leonardo da Vinci.... he's Tuscan, it wouldn't make sense for a French person to pay homage to him......
 

Besides, it seems likely that the relevant Leonardo most recently under discussion has left France

[JMarkSnow2012]

Some goss from industry insider / mystery author Richard Osman, in conversation with The Guardian's Marina Hyde (timestamp is the most useful bit of their chat, and only the last third of the video concerns the Olympics at all):

 

[Rob2012]

^^ 33:46 for the longer chat too. I don't think I've actually seen or heard Marina Hyde before, normally just read her columns

[Rob2012]

And it's good to have confirmed what I thought when watching it live - that the commentators were kept so far out of the loop by the organisers that they were basically reacting on the hoof like we were at home. That's not ideal.

[guilherme b]

 

The press was more concerned with hiding from the water. The coverage in that area should have been a higher priority than for the authorities?

 

 

 

[JMarkSnow2012]

22 minutes ago, guilherme b said:

The press was more concerned with hiding from the water. The coverage in that area should have been a higher priority than for the authorities?

Yes, those plastic sheets explain why the BBC coverage was unable to avoid the sound of raindrops (Discovery, having paid top dollar for the main rights, may have been better sheltered).

[Olympics2028]

5 hours ago, olympiaki-agones said:

Fortunately, LA is the next host city with a lot of experience

Not necessarily any more than Paris does, which attracts more tourists per year than any other city in the world. Catering to guests has been a part of the DNA of France's capital for generations.

What's really occurring is poor decisionmaking from the IOC and the 2024 OOC. A lot of that is international too. Everyone is in a big race to see who's able to "virtue signal" the most. LA in 2028 will be just as bad, if not worse.

The 2024 Olympic village is reportedly not providing meals that athletes want or need. Plant-based foods are promoted as being more eco friendly. Same reason for why each bedroom doesn't have AC. The cardboard beds are possibly another feature of being (quote, unquote) carbon neutral. Or they're at least less expensive for the 2024 OOC.

The opening ceremony was affected by variations of the same things. Or ideology over common sense, & politics over creative logic.

Regardless, the 2024 Olympics are attracting lots of spectators, the budget may be the tightest in over 30 years, and Paris is Paris. Or it doesn't need the Olympics. The Olympics need cities like Paris.

 

[FYI]

35 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

What's really occurring is poor decisionmaking from the IOC and the 2024 OOC. A lot of that is international too. Everyone is in a big race to see who's able to "virtue signal" the most. LA in 2028 will be just as bad, if not worse. 

Oh, it'll be worse, for sure. If some of these whiners are saying that Paris 2024 is "woke", just they wait 'til L.A. 2028 then!  Can't wait!! 

38 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

Same reason for why each bedroom doesn't have AC.

Or apparently not enough bathrooms for ten female athletes.

39 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

Or it doesn't need the Olympics. The Olympics need cities like Paris.

Paris, & L.A., are actually doing the IOC a huge favor by taking on the IOC's humongous extravagance. I'd say that Paris' Brand is more popular globally than even the Olympics. Paris, in particular, absolutely didn't need the Olympics in order to prove themselves to the world. 

[guilherme b]

49 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

Not necessarily any more than Paris does, which attracts more tourists per year than any other city in the world. Catering to guests has been a part of the DNA of France's capital for generations.

What's really occurring is poor decisionmaking from the IOC and the 2024 OOC. A lot of that is international too. Everyone is in a big race to see who's able to "virtue signal" the most. LA in 2028 will be just as bad, if not worse.

The 2024 Olympic village is reportedly not providing meals that athletes want or need. Plant-based foods are promoted as being more eco friendly. Same reason for why each bedroom doesn't have AC. The cardboard beds are possibly another feature of being (quote, unquote) carbon neutral. Or they're at least less expensive for the 2024 OOC.

The opening ceremony was affected by variations of the same things. Or ideology over common sense, & politics over creative logic.

Regardless, the 2024 Olympics are attracting lots of spectators, the budget may be the tightest in over 30 years, and Paris is Paris. Or it doesn't need the Olympics. The Olympics need cities like Paris.

 

I think we can really expect more than just a Village People performance