The Opening of the London Olympics: A great spectacle

I must admit, at the beginning of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics, I really wondered what we were in for. The large green grass field with people wondering around? It looked like an over-budget school play gone horribly wrong.

But then Kenneth Branagh appeared and things started to get interesting. James Bond parachuted in with the Queen, a giant ring was forged and then raised into the sky joining four others with sparks streaming from them (how did they do that?) The Artic Monkeys played Come Together while winged cyclists circled the stadium, and the large bed pans the teams had brought in with them formed the petals of a large flower that formed into the Olympic torch. And then they had fireworks going off all over and around the stadium.

The show was an amazing combination of music, film, dancing and visual effects. And imagination. The more I think about it, the more impressed I am that they even pulled it off.

I may not watch much of the rest of the Olympics, but the opening was well worth catching.

And in recognition of the work of Danny Boyle for putting it together, here’s some comments from Danny’s twitter account:

There are always going to [be] people who will criticise what you do. You can't please everyone.

You will only get to where you want to be if you work hard and dedicate yourself.

What would this world be without creativity? A world without imagination.

Film will be the next decades black and white.

With digital video camera's and the internet combined, you can turn yourself into your very own writer, director and producer. Go for it!