The long awaited London Olympics got off to an inspiring start with a very successful opening ceremony under the direction of British film director and producer, Danny Boyle, known for films such as Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting.
Instead of trying to compete with previous Olympics, Boyle turned this into a uniquely British production, virtually producing a movie using the British people as his cast.
Introduced as “Isles of Wonder” and starting in the green and pleasant rural past, the storyline moved through the industrial capitalism that tore up the tranquility and the earth and its people and raised steel mills and generations of miners and migrants. It told the story of how the Olympic Rings were forged and how the cauldron was created and lit, while telling the story of the people themselves. The design of the torch or cauldron was a reminder that the two threads are inseparable.
The show took 284 rehearsals by 7,500 people who each put in 150 hours… and the energy of Danny Boyle and his ability to forge relationships with everyone from Sebastian Coe to the volunteer meant it all paid off in an amazing production.
Rehearsals took place during some of the worst summer weather in living memory – which often made complex changes of scenery impossible and saw volunteers wringing out the water from drenched hoodies
Boyle made a point of making this a true British production all levels and of the 737 manufacturers and suppliers used, 96% were British.
The rich multi-media production managed to draw in threads from all parts of the fabric of British life, from favourite soap operas to the Beatles and Mr Bean, from inspired dance and music to James Bond and the Queen, paying tribute to some of the great contributions the British have made, including a special tribute the man who enabled a quantum leap in cultural evolution and could have become one of the richest people in the world. Fortunately for all of us Tim Berners Lee, inventor of the internet chose to give his invention to the citizens of the world for free.
Choosing a combination of British childrens literature and the NHS as two main themes was very appropriate as these games are all about inspiring future generations, and British writers are a priceless mine of creative wealth, and it is the imagination that opens doors to the future. In a similar vein, the NHS is a beacon of inspiration of what a nation can achieve if it works together for the greater good and believes in higher gods than that of money.
Having the Nationl Health Service as a major theme at this point in time was a stoke of genius. It is Britain’s largest employer, provides free healthcare to all and is one of the greatest public institutions ever forged in the UK. It is also under real threat at present of being privatised which would eventually make its services only available to the wealthy.
Boyle did not use actors to portray the NHS, but invited NHS workers to represent themselves. Betsy Lau-Robinson, 59, a senior nurse at London’s University College Hospital was one of them and said “Danny reached out to us, we got an email asking NHS volunteers to audition. When we first started, most of us had two left feet. By the end of it, my children said they had no idea I could dance like that.”
Writer on the project, Frank Cottrell Boyce said Boyle’s team could throw out ideas unencumbered by practicalities “Some were easy, sending rings into space is just cameras on balloons and the cycling doves are straightforward. But the chimneys? Yes, I still don’t know how they pulled that one off. The Queen was easy.”
Sebastian Coe was sent to Buckingham Palace to get permission for the scenes with James Bond and the Queen. They expected to be using a double to play the Queen, but she proved she had a good sense of humour and was happy to deliver the immortal line “Good evening, Mr Bond” herself and even brought along her own corgies to the filming which took place earlier this year at the palace.
It was far less easly to get permission to fly and film the helicopter along the Thames and through Tower Bridge, and the biggest headache was getting permission fror everything – from extracts of poetry and plays to music – not because the artists were unwilling to participate but because of the amount of time it required.
One of the many impressive things about the production was the fact that it was such a well kept secret. In a time of Wikileaks, telephone tapping and kiss and tell stories, 10,000 people were sworn to silence – and all kept it.
It was kept so well that 18 year old Jordan Duckitt, one of the young people who lit the cauldron came to the ceremony alone, as his parents had flown off on holiday, unaware that he was involved in any way.
One of the secrets that stayed intact was what the Olympic Cauldron would look like. Over the years it had been getting bigger, higher and taller with each new Olympics Ceremony. Thomas Heatherwick, the designer of “Betty” as the British cauldron was codenamed decided to take a different approach.
Secrecy wasn’t easy and testing was done at 3am when all volunteers had left and there were no helicopters over London. “We’re normally designing buildings,” Heatherwick said. “It is like the biggest gadget that anyone can make in a shed but this shed is the most sophisticated shed in Harrogate. It was like the Bond gadget workshop.
Cottrell Boyce said it did not surprise him that 10,000 people had managed to keep the secret “Those volunteers redefined the nation for me,” he said. “We’re told people need to be paid great sums to get results, but those who are motivated by money cock up. Because they’re crap. People who are motivated by things like love, family, friendship and humanity are the ones who have something to offer.”
