2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony

[jerseyboi]

London will be diffrent

Organisers of London 2012 will not try to imitate the pageantry of the opening and closing ceremonies at the Beijing Games, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said.

Instead of holding the ceremonies inside the main Olympic Stadium, the London organising committee is looking at staging a series of events across the city, The Independent reported.

Jowell said: "We don't want to try to emulate Beijing. What we want is new ways of thinking about the opening ceremony. "

We want the whole of London to be involved, with different parts of London taking part in the ceremony. The London Games must be deeply democratic, with the city's citizens feeling they're intimately involved.

"I think what you will see is a very vivid sense of celebration right across the city at both the opening and closing ceremonies."

In contrast to the extravaganza put on by the Chinese at the closing ceremony in Beijing, the handover to London featured a tongue-in-cheek show with a red double-decker bus, footballer David Beckham and Led Zeppelin rocker Jimmy Page and pop star Leona Lewis.

Jowell told The Independent the Beijing Games were very impressive but London could improve on a number of areas when it hosts the Games.

"In terms of great organisation, fantastic facilities, and a welcoming attitude and pride among the people, Beijing was superb," she said.

"But there are things we can and will do better. I saw lots and lots of Chinese people standing outside stadiums, on the wrong part of a perimeter fence, as observers rather than participants. We must reverse that trend and make sure our Olympics are more accessible.

"I also want to minimise the number of empty seats in stadiums, which frustrate the public and keep them at a distance for no reason.

"And I want our volunteers to be trained better and given a more clearly defined role."

Among proposals being considered for 2012 is a ticketing system similar to that of Wimbledon where spectators who leave early hand back their tickets so they can be resold at knocked-down rates.

Ms Jowell said: "We want to create the expectation that seats will have people on them, You can't stop sponsors buying seats, nor should you - but we must maximise the public's chances of seeing the games first-hand."

[evilbish]

I think a parade of slaughtered lambs would be an improvement on the 'tongue-in-cheek' showing at the Beijing games!

[Gherkin]

We'd all love a diffrent opening ceremony. Why diffrunt you ask? Because other opening ceremonies aren't so difrunt fom each other and London's should be dif-front. A different opening ceremony is what's needed.

[JGG]

Originally Posted by jerseyboi

Organisers of London 2012 will not try to imitate the pageantry of the opening and closing ceremonies at the Beijing Games, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said.

Instead of holding the ceremonies inside the main Olympic Stadium, the London organising committee is looking at staging a series of events across the city, The Independent reported.

Jowell said: "We don't want to try to emulate Beijing. What we want is new ways of thinking about the opening ceremony. "

[...]

In contrast to the extravaganza put on by the Chinese at the closing ceremony in Beijing, the handover to London featured a tongue-in-cheek show with a red double-decker bus, footballer David Beckham and Led Zeppelin rocker Jimmy Page and pop star Leona Lewis.

Is it just me who is worried reading this?

[ferge]

It 'could' be a great idea (not for those who've forked out money to be in the stadium, mind). we'll have a great geographical playground to focus the world's eyes on for the ceremonies, it'd be great to use the water with special lighting shows and what not.

Could it be that they realise themselves the stadium 'aint all that' and so want to focus away from it? Still, I think from a televised point of view it'd look kinda good to have the aquatic centre, velodrome etc etc all being focused on within the ceremony to show the whole package..

..trouble is, that double decker handover was a DISASTER! so as long as its not the same eeediots planning the games themselves, there's a chance.

[the spliff fairy]

This sounds suspiciously like how 'different' they said the stadium would be (read: temporary) - "like no other stadium before!" (well, no), or how the Games itself would be 'different' by being more 'human' (read: smaller), or how 'different' the legacy aspect would last (read: knock it down, downsize it all). Only with this think tank can 'legacy' = demolishing most of it. Isn't destroying the thing a lack of legacy??

I was really hoping they would channel the savings into an opening ceremony spectacular...


Making the opening ceremony outside the stadium, for reasons of 'inclusivity', sounds scarily like we may be looking at shots of crowds lining some route or heaven forbid, watching some big screen and waving back. I can imagine it now... "And now in Haringey we go live to Girls Aloud! yes that's them! In the town square! My isn't it packed - Say hello everyone!"

To be honest my bullshit meter is full with every announcement they make about the Games so far. Their endless boosterism with every press release, to somehow mask the bad news and cutbacks, is grating.

"ok Elton John's just cancelled and the forecast says its going to piss it down".
"Right, lets say we're having a minimalist, spiritual ceremony, about the importance of nature's giving. About how we need water, like really need it..."

[delores]

Oh dear i have this horrible feeling that we will have a laclustre naff unorganised mess of an opening ceromony. What's precisely wrong with the beijing style of show? Too many cooks will spoil the broth....so to speak Ms Jowell.

[shoreditchpete]

I only managed to catch the closing ceremony of the Beijing games and whilst so many people comment that London's "handover" segment was embarrassing, no-one seems to also mention what immediately followed, which consisted of a bunch of Chinese girls badly miming along to europop-esque song which only consisted of one lyric ( "Beijng! Beijing!" ). That was far more cringe-worthy, surely??

Oh, and the fake fireworks too!

[JGG]

Originally Posted by shoreditchpete

I only managed to catch the closing ceremony of the Beijing games and whilst so many people comment that London's "handover" segment was embarrassing, no-one seems to also mention what immediately followed, which consisted of a bunch of Chinese girls badly miming along to europop-esque song which only consisted of one lyric ( "Beijng! Beijing!" ). That was far more cringe-worthy, surely??

At least the audio worked

[Noostairz]

Originally Posted by the spliff fairy

This sounds suspiciously like how 'different' they said the stadium would be (read: temporary) - "like no other stadium before!" (well, no), or how the Games itself would be 'different' by being more 'human' (read: smaller), or how 'different' the legacy aspect would last (read: knock it down, downsize it all). Only with this think tank can 'legacy' = demolishing most of it. Isn't destroying the thing a lack of legacy??

I was really hoping they would channel the savings into an opening ceremony spectacular...


Making the opening ceremony outside the stadium, for reasons of 'inclusivity', sounds scarily like we may be looking at shots of crowds lining some route or heaven forbid, watching some big screen and waving back. I can imagine it now... "And now in Haringey we go live to Girls Aloud! yes that's them! In the town square! My isn't it packed - Say hello everyone!"

To be honest my bullshit meter is full with every announcement they make about the Games so far. Their endless boosterism with every press release, to somehow mask the bad news and cutbacks, is grating.

"ok Elton John's just cancelled and the forecast says its going to piss it down".
"Right, lets say we're having a minimalist, spiritual ceremony, about the importance of nature's giving. About how we need water, like really need it..."

[Republica]

I fully expect the opening cemerony to be shockingly bad, just like almost every opening ceremony bar the Beijing one.

That way i dont get my hopes up.

[annamaria4711]

No JGG you're not the only one who is worried.
I cringed at the end of Bejin games...our opening ceremony is going to be a public/national humiliation for UK...one thing our labour gov is good at and that is F*** things up....bring in the kids from the local community centre, give them some face paint and get them to dance around a bit and call it 'noveau'...ohhhh Christ...what an embarrasement.

What has happened to utilising some of our illustrious ARTIST in this ceremony and I don't just mean B rated celebrities.

The ceremony needs to be focused otherwise it will just be a damp squib..because local authorities will not be able to organise a national event...this is not just about London..its about the world looking onto London....oohhhhh

[the spliff fairy]

If we can get our act together, and do what we do every year - at the New Years Eve fireworks, the Edinburgh tattoo, the Notting Hill Carnival, the Brit Awards to name a few. There's quite a tradition, I hope they incorporate it:

Rihanna and the Klaxons




If there's one thing we do well, that's cutting edge MUSIC and presentation

[Onn]

I don't know, I think London should just keep it real. No one expects their opening and closing ceremonies to be as fancy as Beijing’s. They can do a lot of interesting things without doing too much. Britain has so much rich history, the last thing they need to do is put on some monochromatic concert. That's kind of the feeling I was getting from their preshow. Do they really need to star Beckham and other superstars? What about some old fashioned British history, with knights, Shakespeare, the Royal Navy, exploration of new worlds. You could put on quite a ceremony.

[high_flyer]

You cannot beat a good laser show!!! I read that the Klaxons were pretty foooked on mdma during that performance....

I personally found the Beijing ceremonies dull and pompous:

Wow look, we've shipped in a thousand peasants from the hinterland, dressed them in period costume and taught them a dance routine"

I would prefer we abandon the "story and theme" idea, and just have two big concerts with our greatest musicians, let the athletes avoid having to stand around for almost 3 hours aswell.

[Onn]

Originally Posted by high_flyer

You cannot beat a good laser show!!! I read that the Klaxons were pretty foooked on mdma during that performance....

I personally found the Beijing ceremonies dull and pompous:

Wow look, we've shipped in a thousand peasants from the hinterland, dressed them in period costume and taught them a dance routine"

I would prefer we abandon the "story and theme" idea, and just have two big concerts with our greatest musicians, let the athletes avoid having to stand around for almost 3 hours aswell.

Well they could still utilize lasers (and fire). I thought the Beijing Olympic ceremonies were quite stunning, they were visual entertainment. But still, that doesn’t mean London's couldn't be just as great, at half the budget. I guess it's not mine to comment on, and I'll still watch whatever they decide to do.

[deepblue01]

I think that the london opening ceremony won't be bad. The beijing olympics was the first complete opening ceremony that ive watched and many people said it was good, which it was. But if you rewatch the one in Athens and Sydney, they were also very classy and extravagant, even though they were done many years ago.

one issue with the beijing olympics was that they should have announced that the footprints fireworks were simulated because when i watched it, i personally thought that it was pulled out from one of those action movies.

The footprints shouldn't have been too big an issue because there were real ones shot on the night which was similar to the ones shown and that the segment of the footprints didn't look too real from my opinion, as said before, it looked like it was from a movie but it was the fact that they didn't announce that these were simulated ones of the real fireworks which allowed the media to cause the controvery

[delores]

Hopefully we will get a better bus too than that awful one that transformed into some sort of topiary diorama of London with the daft animation that looked like a kids cartoon that preceded it.
We can do so much better but I fear it will be a messy over democratised shambles of an affair,....welcome to the uk.

[the spliff fairy]

and NO modern ballet, please. Seriously who is taken with mimes and flinging arms. Grrr...

[JGG]

Originally Posted by Republica

I fully expect the opening cemerony to be shockingly bad, just like almost every opening ceremony bar the Beijing one.

Actually the Athens and Sydney opening ceremonies were fantastic too. For me the benchmark for the London opening ceremony is Athens and not Bejing. London has more means than Athens, so its opening ceremony has to be better.

I just hope that we do not get a ceremoney put together by social welfare advisors and local unelected policiticians. And Tessa Jowell should be kept as far away as possible. After all, they should have learnt from the millennium dome fiasco.

The openining ceremony is basically a 3 hour marketing clip for the UK. The ambition should be that people in the UK actually feel proud to be British and that foreigners want to come here. It is that simple.