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2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

2012 Summer Olympics
opening ceremony
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony (11).jpg
Final rehearsal on 25 July
Time 21:00 – 00:46 BST (UTC+1)
Date 27 July 2012 (2012-07-27)
Location London, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°32′19″N 0°01′00″W / 51.53861°N 0.01667°W / 51.53861; -0.01667Coordinates: 51°32′19″N 0°01′00″W / 51.53861°N 0.01667°W / 51.53861; -0.01667
Also known as Isles of Wonder
Filmed by
Footage The ceremony on the IOC YouTube channel on YouTube
External media
Images
London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony in pictures, Independent Newspaper
Video
Opening Ceremony – London 2012 Olympic Games, IOC's Official Channel
"Words of Wonder: The books that inspired the London 2012 opening ceremony"
Clips from the computerised pre-visualisation, information on filming and production etc.
Technical aspects of the ceremony
Hamish Hamilton on filming the ceremony, 4:47-7:40
Filming the opening ceremony, with input from Danny Boyle and Hamish Hamilton, 7:33-9:06

The opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games took place on the evening of Friday 27 July in the Olympic Stadium, London. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the formal ceremonial opening of this international sporting event (including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes) with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation's culture. The 2012 Games were formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The spectacle was entitled Isles of Wonder and directed by Academy Award-winning British film director Danny Boyle.

Prior to London 2012 there had been considerable apprehension about Britain's ability to stage an opening ceremony that could reach the standard set at the Beijing Summer Games of 2008. The 2008 ceremony had been noted for its scale, extravagance and expense, hailed as the "greatest ever", and had cost £65m. In contrast, London spent an estimated £27m (out of £80m budgeted for its four ceremonies), which was nevertheless about twice the original budget. Nonetheless, the London opening ceremony was immediately seen as a tremendous success, widely praised as a "masterpiece" and "a love letter to Britain".

The ceremony began at 21:00 BST and lasted almost four hours. It was watched by an estimated worldwide television audience of 900 million, becoming the most-viewed Olympic opening ceremony in both the UK and US. The content had largely been kept secret before the performance, despite involving thousands of volunteers and two public rehearsals. The principal sections of the artistic display represented Britain's Industrial Revolution, National Health Service, literary heritage, popular music and culture, and were noted for their vibrant storytelling and use of music. Two shorter sections drew particular comment, involving a filmed cameo appearance of the Queen, and a live performance by the London Symphony Orchestra joined by comedian Rowan Atkinson. These were widely ascribed to Britain's sense of humour. The ceremony featured children and young people in most of its segments, reflecting the 'inspire a generation' aspiration of London's original bid for the Games.


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Wikipedia

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