Producing Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies

(Feng Li/Getty Images)

Aug 7, 2008

Four billion people will be watching. An Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games is the biggest live production of its kind. There's pressure to perform, pressure to be imaginative, and for the Host Country, the Opening Ceremony is like inviting the world into your living room.

At the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the world is eager see what Beijing and China will express culturally, and how they want to be perceived going forward. Australia's David Atkins knows how big that task can be.

Atkins was the producer for the Sydney 2000 Summer Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006 in Qatar. Presently, he is executive producer for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Ceremonies. Vancouver2010.com recently sat down with Atkins to discuss Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies.

A performer dances outside the National Stadium during the second dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. (Feng Li/Getty Images)
For a production of this magnitude, it takes two to three years of intensive conceiving and planning. Because ceremonies is often the last area of an Olympic Organizing Committee to come on board, the process is often an accelerated one. From what we can gather of Beijing's plans, it will likely be a massive ceremony somewhere in the order of 10,000 performers. So then imagine all of all the writers, choreographers, designers, costumes, dancers and singers that have to come together.  

A glimpse into a different culture 
For Atkins, who began his career as a performer, an Olympic Games Opening Ceremony is the ultimate expression of the ideals of Olympism.

Performers wait outside the National Stadium during the first dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. (China Photos/Getty Images)
"It's a brand that's global," said Atkins. "People are still inspirational about the world's youth coming together to celebrate excellence and is still, I think, a form that has great merit and great resonance for communities across the world. It's one of the few moments where we really, truly become a global village with the exchange of cultures, comradeship, companionship, and where international relations can be expanded, explored and enjoyed. All of those things are embedded."

In his world, there's no greater audience, no greater opportunities, and no greater pressure. It's a one-shot deal.

"If you open a play or a musical you can get 75 per cent of it right and then over the course of its life you can change it, adapt it and refine it," said Atkins. "[Ceremony producers] get one chance. So come rain, hell, high water or snow that ceremony has to happen on time. These one-off events are particularly addictive. That's part of the inspiration."

Working within protocol

A ski jumper prepares to descend with the Olympic Torch during the Opening Ceremony at the Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Winter Games. (Bob martin/Allsport)
Some elements of an Opening Ceremony are protocol mandated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) — that includes speeches, the athletes' parade and the cauldron lighting. An Olympic Winter Games like Vancouver will only have 3,500 athletes walking, but Beijing's 10,500 might be more of a challenge for capturing and holding people's attention.

As Atkins pointed out, some producers have made the cauldron lighting into a larger theatrical feature in recent years.
"They've now become, to some extent, the jewel in the crown," said Atkins of the cauldron lighting ceremony. "Some [Opening Ceremonies] are remembered and defined by the manner and form in which it's lit."

The cauldron lighting is also that climactic moment when we, the audience, discover who is selected to light the flame. It's also a time when producers like Atkins hold their breath just before it ignites. And it had better ignite.

Yes, when thinking back to Barcelona 1992, it's likely that we remember the archer and the arrow. Or Atlanta's cauldron lighting by Mohammad Ali in 1996. And let’s not forget the ski jumper in Lillehammer 1994 who delivered the torch into the stadium area, a last minute replacement for the original jumper.

Creative license
The ceremony’s theatrics and artistic expression provide a glimpse into the host culture.

Gymnasts and dancers perform during the Opening Ceremony of the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. (Getty Images)
Said Atkins: "The Opening Ceremonies that have been the most successful are the ones that either define or redefine the culture in way that brings pride to the national audience, and a greater understanding of the essential elements of the culture of the Host Country to the global audience."

Whether or not the producer is native to the Host Country, there are ways to step inside a life and culture that is not your own. Atkins, for instance, has developed such exercises with the local cultural community — hundreds of directors, designers, chorographers, writers, composers and dramatists, culture critics, and (with David Atkins Enterprises) has engaged hundreds of local experts. The idea is to tap into the traditions and the contemporary cultural essence of the country. It’s then up to the producer and his/her team to bring it to life theatrically.

Ceremonies of Games past
There are three types of Opening Ceremony: traditional and segmented, thematic and abstract. All ceremonies have their own balance of folklore and contemporary interpretation.

The traditional format hasn't been used in recent Games. This style takes a segmented approach rather than having a narrative strand throughout. Take Atlanta 1996 or Nagano 1998 for instance. Often these ceremonies have themes of folklore such as the traditional Georgian dancers from the Moscow 1980 Games.

Nikki Webster and Aborigine dancer Djakapurra Munyarryan perform in the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. (Jamie Squire /Allsport)
The thematic approach is often narrative driven and the cultural element has more of an ongoing story. In Sydney, for instance, the narrative was of a young girl who fell asleep on a bench and had a dream. In the dream she met an elder who took her on a journey that explored Australian culture. Athens 2004 explored the journey of man — from Greek philosophers to the discovery of DNA.

As Atkins put it, the abstract or esoteric type of ceremony is often a European approach — best exemplified at the Albertville 1992 Opening Ceremony in France.
"It was very much design driven and incredibly beautiful," said Atkins. "Maybe not as engaging but it certainly was a visual feast. Everything that was done there was essentially French in every frame."

Coming together
No two ceremonies are alike. All take years of preparations that boil down to one day, but by then, most of the work is done.

"How do I handle my nerves? That depends how well things are going," laughed Atkins. "I guess I don't have a real strategy for it other than being completely engaged in it. But also, when you get to that night, it's all done and you just have to watch it unfold and hope to god that nothing goes wrong!"

For Beijing, the Opening Ceremony is an invitation into a unique and beautiful culture that’s evolving rapidly. Perhaps the viewing audience will have gained a better understanding of China, a new perspective or maybe even a glimpse at their future. One sure thing is that we're in for a treat.