anno Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 I know it is a little bit to early but does anybody know some details. I only read about an chines arts director and Steven Spielberg who is involved in planning the Opening ceremony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattygs Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Yes, that's true, with Zhang Yimou being the director of ceremonies. I dont think there are too many details about the ceremonies so far. The other two key people involved in the ceremonies, who bring the real technical expertise in stadium theatre - is Ric Birch and Yves Pepin. Ric Birch who has played a part in the Olympic ceremonies of LA, Barcelona, Sydney and Torino. And Yves Pepin who is a specialist in the field of multimedia theatre, and created the ceremonies for the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, and produced the Paris NYE celebrations. I would guess Scott Givens of 5 Currents will have a part to play, as it appears he has been used by the IOC recently for ceremonies and branding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan90 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Rehearsals are starting in August this year, and the opening ceremony is expected to be the most expensive and largest opening ceremony ever produced. The ceremony is top secret, and with a nation like China, I expect it to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anno Posted June 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 I remember the time befor Athens 2004 Opening ceremony. I don´t remember the name but there was someone on this forum who I guess was an insider cause he always knew a lot of details and he also had a lot of pics from the inside of the stadium in Athens. This was very interesting. Perhaps this time we are lucky again and we have an insider for Beijing Opening ceremony. By the way: What do you think will be the main parts of the opening ceremony? Will it be like Bertoluccis Last Emperor or this new film from China showing the forbidden city in marvellous pictures(Sorry I can´t remember the name) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan90 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 I remember the time befor Athens 2004 Opening ceremony. I don´t remember the name but there was someone on this forum who I guess was an insider cause he always knew a lot of details and he also had a lot of pics from the inside of the stadium in Athens. This was very interesting.Perhaps this time we are lucky again and we have an insider for Beijing Opening ceremony. By the way: What do you think will be the main parts of the opening ceremony? Will it be like Bertoluccis Last Emperor or this new film from China showing the forbidden city in marvellous pictures(Sorry I can´t remember the name) No one but the creative directors know exactly what the ceremony will be like. Even the performers will probably be told only of their individual segment in the show and keep the rest secret from them. All I know is this will probably be a once in a lifetime ceremony. By far the most expensive and largest production to date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savas Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Well the most expensive and largest production dont impress me.. That is not a guarantee for a good ceremony... I just hope they go the same path Athens did and present china from a very new, artistic and thetralical view.... No big bang boooom show please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 No big bang boooom show please! I'm afraid that such a big bang boooom show is exactly what we have to expect of them. I expect something like the handover in Athens, with lots of dragons, dancers, large choreographies and so on. And remember: China is the country that invented fireworks. So we'll certainly have tons of those, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filipe_Golias Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Well the most expensive and largest production dont impress me.. That is not a guarantee for a good ceremony... I just hope they go the same path Athens did and present china from a very new, artistic and thetralical view.... No big bang boooom show please! They will do both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCD 2012 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 I expect it to be really RED , if you know what I mean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY20?? Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 ^They can't have too much red. Too much might bleed through the television. We don't want more seizures. I'm quite excited and interested in the cauldron and its lighting. Were excatly in the Bird Nest will it be placed, and whether or not the Chinese will try to outdo Sydney and Barcelona, or go cheap like Torino. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x Posted June 23, 2007 Report Share Posted June 23, 2007 I'm afraid that such a big bang boooom show is exactly what we have to expect of them. I expect something like the handover in Athens, with lots of dragons, dancers, large choreographies and so on. And remember: China is the country that invented fireworks. So we'll certainly have tons of those, too. Indeed, it'll big a big bang boom........just look at what they did for the TORCH RELAY UNVEILING: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk92boy Posted June 23, 2007 Report Share Posted June 23, 2007 Well...big bang boom is what they started the whole bid with. The venues are out-of-this-world and if you ever watch any of their major events (i.e. A good one would be one of there major television studio's (TVB) Anniversary and Awards Spectacular, or hte Miss Hong Kong pageantry) they're impressive! It's a fact after having to watch plenty of celebrations on the Chinese channels offered here...there going to be none-the-less top, mind blowing, just hope they don't use there "favorite" technique of lip-syncing (some of the biggest stars of China aren't exactly good at that ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan90 Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 Here's one detail that has come out. Looks like Beijing will outdo the Sydney Opening by creating a 2008 piece marching band to play in the Opening Ceremony, comprised of all five continents on Earth. 8 members larger than the Sydney Marching Band, which if you saw it, was quite a sight to see!!! So excited for this opening!! Article: http://www.dailymercury.com.au/localnews/s...condsubsection= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 Here's one detail that has come out. Looks like Beijing will outdo the Sydney Opening by creating a 2008 piece marching band to play in the Opening Ceremony, comprised of all five continents on Earth. 8 members larger than the Sydney Marching Band, which if you saw it, was quite a sight to see!!! So excited for this opening!! Article: http://www.dailymercury.com.au/localnews/s...condsubsection= Yes, Sydney's Marching Band was quite a sight to see -- but to copy exactly the same idea (even the concept of having as many musicians as the number of the year) is incredibly dull. What are they planning? Patchwork Games -- wholly consisting of ideas already practised at former Olympics? First, the senseless idea of repeating Athens' global torch relay, and now this. What's next? Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron with a flaming arrow, creating a huge dove barbecue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 The marching band sounds like Ric Birch's influence to me _ he was always the main driver behind the Sydney marching band (even though Australia doesn't have a tradition of such bands and putting the thing together was one of the big scandals in the lead up to the games when it was revealed that not many Australians were actually going to be in it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 (edited) Yeah, the Marching Band idea (actually, a hold-over from Birch's 1984 stint with LA -- remember ex-GB member LA84 was supposed to have been a member of that 800-piece 1984 McDonald's Olympic Marching Band?) was I think the lamest part of the Sydney opening. That sequence, wherein they formed the Sydney logo and then the map of Australia (was dropped by NBC's in its live US tv coverage) and which now looks like the 2008 members for the Beijing Marching Band will again be doing: forming the '08 logo and the map of China?? Oy!! 40 countries? As Sir Roltel said, even Australia doesn't have a "marching band" tradition -- so aside from the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, NZ, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Brazil, maybe South Africa (OK, maybe Italy, France and Spain) -- what are the other 25-odd countries where the BOCOG team will recruit for participants? Russia? The Ukraine? And they expect the kids to pay the $6.000 (per the report) or so to participate? The whole idea sounds suspicisouly like a springboard for the Band Musical Instrument manufacturers of China and their products (they're mass-producing everything, esp. very un-Chinese musical instruments like grand pianos and guitars). So, how about a sequence with 800 grand pianos? Now there's a very original Ceremonies idea!! And here's something else to think about: will the '08 kids from abroad be allowed to keep their instruments? The outfits for sure, but will the foreign kids pay to ship their bassoons and kettle drums home? Also, FYI, the Broadway musical THE MUSIC MAN was the second American musical in history to be translated and performed in Mandarin. Coincidence? Edited July 30, 2007 by baron-pierreIV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filipe_Golias Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron with a flaming arrow... Uh, I wouldn't like to be in the stadium during that moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm Jeremie Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 (edited) (was dropped by NBC's in its live US tv coverage) You mean Live coverage with almost a 24-hour delay (at least in California where I was living back in 2000) (they also dropped the Nature segment entirely, half of tin symphony, part of Eternity...) Edited July 30, 2007 by cfm Jeremie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan90 Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 You mean Live coverage with almost a 24-hour delay (at least in California where I was living back in 2000) (they also dropped the Nature segment entirely, half of tin symphony, part of Eternity...) Thats sucks, I don't know how you could cut any of that ceremony out, especially Nature. Well, at least NBC got most of the Athens ceremony, except for the Tree of Athena Sequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Thats sucks, I don't know how you could cut any of that ceremony out, especially Nature. Well, at least NBC got most of the Athens ceremony, except for the Tree of Athena Sequence. Well, it wasn't too bad after I saw the entire thing on the Sydney DVD. Those 'dry-za-bones' outfits the Marching Band wore were really among the UGLIEST costumes ever conceived for a Ceremony... and the Nature segment was...well, so airy-fairy. OK, I mis-spoke when I said 'live.' So, it was a 24-hour delay. It's not like I have to see it LIVE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Those 'dry-za-bones' outfits the Marching Band wore were really among the UGLIEST costumes ever conceived for a Ceremony Just wait _ with APEC coming up this year in Sydney, it's odds-on that Drizabones are going to be the local outfit for the traditional "Apec leaders in silly national custome" photo-op. I can't wait to see Bush next to Putin both dressed in their drizabones and Akubras! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan90 Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 "Meanwhile about 50,000 people will be participating in the Opening Ceremony on August 8, 2008. The four phases of the ceremony will involve 100,000 costumes and stage pieces, including more than 10,000 headsets, reports the Shanghai Daily." Are you kidding me?!? And I thought Sydney had a large cast at 4,000, but 50,000!!!!!!! This is going to be one FANTASTIC ceremony...I'm thinking closer to a mass games, but more dramatic and larger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 But one should also mention the not-so-good news in that GamesBids.com article: Zhang Yimou, general director of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, told CCTV Wednesday night that the entrance of the athletes will take up two thirds of the Opening Ceremony, while the performances will take about an hour. That means that we'll have a three hour ceremony (OK, that's the current limit for opening ceremonies), of which the parade of athletes will take up two hours??? Wasn't it at least 15 minutes shorter in Athens? Gosh, I guess I'll be fast asleep afterwards. I wish they could finally reduce the number of athletes in the parade -- or at least let them enter the stadium through two gates. The parade has reached a length that it really isn't very entertaining anymore. But on a lighter note, there's also the news that they'll use a lot of fireworks in the ceremony. Not very surprising since it's only natural for the country that invented fireworks -- but anyway, one can certainly look forward to how the "genuine fireworkers" will show their talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm Jeremie Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 The Athletes Commission has been consulted several times about the Athletes Parade for Opening / Closing Ceremonies. The athletes want to march in during the Opening Ceremony which can be understood since for most of them it might be one of the highlights of their olympic experience. The Olympics are first and formost for the athletes. Just let them enjoy their moment of glory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durban Sandshark Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 I actually like the Parade of Nations; Bob Costas never stops short of reminding us at every Olympics that for athletes who know have no shot at any medal whatsoever at the Olympics, this is their medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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