OT: Opening Ceremonies, Wow Wow Wow!

[David Roth weiss]

I really thought I would hate it, as pagaents are not dusally my favorite art form, but it was really good this time. Having Tivo to skip the 10.5 zillion commercials helped immensely. However, I did really like the Budweiser “Rocky” spot, and I’m very glad I didn’t high-speed past it.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

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[Dylan Reeve]

You had ads in the opening ceremony? I’m fairly sure there were no ads in the TVNZ coverage between the beginning of the ceremony proper and when I gave up and went to sleep (it started at about midnight local time).

[Walter Biscardi]

Ok, just gotta update now that I’ve had a chance to see the entire thing and sleep on it a bit, I’ve never seen anything so incredibly well staged. From the artistic design to the technology and even down to the lighting of the torch.

Usually the ceremonies have one particular element I take away such as the use of video or animation, or maybe a particular scene with choreography. But this show was just incredible from go. If you have not seen it, you owe it to yourself to watch this and then try to figure out just how in the heck they were about to use the video elements both on the floor and around the stadium the way they did.

That LCD scroll on the floor was beautifully used where not only was it an amazing technological element, but it was presented in a way that completely fit the design of the live presentation. Not just a blatant large screen TV and the action would happen in front of it. It just made me keep thinking about the time spent to ensure that each section that scroll was used in, they made sure the screen was an integral part of the scene, not just an add on.

The scrim around the stadium was beautiful in what appeared to be its simplicity. The projection was not visible in any of the shots I saw and the use of it, again, was an integral part of each scene it was used in.

The two big highlights for me were the big cubes that did all the patterns and they were operated completely by hand, and those guys running along the huge globe. Have no idea how they did that. Of course, the guy running torch was just nuts, I have never seen anything like that and again, the video was presented as an integral part of his run, with the scroll unwinding across the stadium revealing scenes from the torch run. Just beautifully done.

I honestly have no idea how you even begin to design a show on that scale but I can say that is without a doubt, the best live presentation I’ve ever seen. From the performers to the technology to the artistic staging of the event. All I can say is Wow!

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

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[Chris Poisson]

Hey Walter,

Have to agree, probably the best live show of all time. If their athletes are as well prepared, look out rest of the world.

Have a wonderful day.

[Mark Suszko]

I loved it too… but can’t STAND all the needless play-by-play audio by Bob Costas. He was a little more restrained than he was in the winter games, when he just talked all over the “child of light” pageant like a drunk in a movie theater. Maybe this is like audio watermarking all over the video, so you will want to buy the DVD later to see and hear it without the play by play.

[John Fishback]

It was amazing theater on every level: imagination,performance, technology and a 300 milllion dollar budget. This will probably be the benchmark for decades.