Hosting a summer Olympic games

[jje1000]

While I'm not typically a fan of the Olympics circus, the use of the Seine, Eiffel Tower and Jardins du Trocadéro for the Paris Opening Ceremony was certainly innovative. Does Toronto have any existing parks or corridors that could accommodate such a presentation?

I personally thought the Seine stretched the energy too thinly & any installation/stage was ultimately dwarfed by the surroundings. Ironically in a stretched-out parade-like setting like this, I think the best seat was in front of the television as opposed to the stands.

Also there was somehow no weather contingency planning because this sort of spectacle clearly did not pan out lol

If anything, IMO the opening events should have taken place entirely within the Trocodero and Champs des Mars area, with the Eiffel Tower being the main backdrop/canvas for the tableaus- which as Celine Dion demonstrated, was spectacular with the right treatment.

 

[micheal_can]

I personally thought the Seine stretched the energy too thinly & any installation/stage was ultimately dwarfed by the surroundings. Ironically in a stretched-out parade-like setting like this, I think the best seat was in front of the television as opposed to the stands.

Also there was somehow no weather contingency planning because this sort of spectacle clearly did not pan out lol

View attachment 584167

If anything, IMO the opening events should have taken place entirely within the Trocodero and Champs des Mars area, with the Eiffel Tower being the main backdrop/canvas for the tableaus- which as Celine Dion demonstrated, was spectacular with the right treatment.

In this day and age, is there a sporting event that being there, in the stands gives you a better vantage than tv broadcasters give you? Of course there is the prestige of saying you were there, but that no longer matters to most people these days.

 

[jje1000]

In this day and age, is there a sporting event that being there, in the stands gives you a better vantage than tv broadcasters give you? Of course there is the prestige of saying you were there, but that no longer matters to most people these days.

I think in a typical stadium setting, a tv perspective does present a curated, abbreviated view as viewed through a periscope, and loses out on the panorama and enveloping energy one might sense viewing a singular spectacle while being in a massive crowd.

In the case of Paris, the Seine setting meant that television had the advantage because the cameras could be exactly where the tableaus were & film them with a more dramatic flair, while cutting out all the waiting.

I.e. they could zoom into the lady singing on the Grand Palais, while splicing the rather dull Parade of Nations scene with the dancing and fashion walk.