The British countryside is being taken to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.
The opening scenes of the three-hour long opening ceremony on the night of 27th July sees the 80,000 capacity stadium in Stratford, east London, turned into a meadow, complete with real grass and real animals, to make it look a like a little piece of rural British life.
Real ducks will swim in a pond (they have been given permission to fly away if they want to); real shire horses will pull ploughs in a field and perform other tasks; real sheep will graze in a field.
Great British landmarks such as the mystical Glastonbury Tor will be reproduced and, in a light-hearted did at the great British weather, fake rainclouds will produce rain. Cricketers will be playing on a cricket pitch and there will be a mosh-pit in tribute to the Glastonbury Festival and a 'posh-pit’ summoning the spirit of the Last Night of the Proms.
The mosh pit will be in front of Glastonbury Tor (which, probably for PC reasons, will have an oak tree on top of it rather than a chapel) - near where the real Glastonbury Festival is held - where up to 100 members of the public will be allowed to stand.
On four sides will stand four maypoles, each styled as the national flower of the home nations - a rose, a thistle, a daffodil and flax.
The scene, called "Green and Pleasant Mind", is the creation of Bury-born director Danny Boyle, who made films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and Trainspotting.
The ceremony, which will cost £27 million, will begin at 9pm with the tolling of the 27-tonne bell, the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world, and is scheduled to end around midnight on Friday 27th July.
Countryside comes to the capital as director Boyle reveals Opening Ceremony plans
By Sportsmail Reporter
12 June 2012
Daily Mail
Details about the London 2012 Games' opening ceremony have been revealed, with the Olympic Stadium set to be transformed 'into the British countryside'.
Director Danny Boyle has announced that the opening scene will be called 'Green and Pleasant' and explained more about the £27million (before cast expenses) show which takes place on July 27.
Ten thousand volunteers will participate in the show which aims to recreate country views and even landmarks, such as Glastonbury Tor.
Model: A minute version of what the inside of the stadium will look like
It will be turned into a meadow, complete with real animals, grass and clouds that will rain down for the opening ceremony.
'The best way to tell that story is through working with real people,' Boyle told the BBC.
'I’ve been astounded by the selfless dedication of the volunteers, they are the pure embodiment of the Olympic spirit and represent the best of who we are as a nation.'
He has reserved a role for NHS nurses in the show and there have already been 157 cast rehearsals, showing the scale of the work.
Over one billion people are expected to tune in to watch the curtain go up on the Games.
Viewers will see farmers tilling soil while animals graze. These include 12 horses, three cows, two goats, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, nine geese, 70 sheep and three sheep dogs.
Stage: Supporters at a test event at the Olympic Stadium
Lord Sebastion Coe, Locog (London Organisign Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) chief was sure it would be a successful opening night.
'I'm sure [it] will be a fantastic celebration that will welcome the 10,500 athletes from around the world and make our nation proud,' he said.
Closer look: It will be countryside themed
There is also a Shakespearean element to proceedings and Boyle said the show was influenced by 'The Tempest', and is about a land recovering from its industrial legacy.
Europe's largest bell will ring inside the stadium to begin the show and it is inscribed with a quote from Caliban, a character in the play.
'Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises', it reads. The 27-tonne bell was cast at London's Whitechapel Foundry - where Big Ben's was also cast in 1856.
Getting ready: The big day will soon be upon us
It might not be the noisiest thing in the stadium tough - there will be a million-watt sound system in place.
The fans should be pretty loud too - a full 80,000 of them will watch a full dress rehearsal before the day itself.
Around 23,000 costumes are being created for the event and nearly 3,000 props will be used.
Read more: London 2012 Olympics: Opening ceremony revealed | Mail Online
The opening scenes of the three-hour long opening ceremony on the night of 27th July sees the 80,000 capacity stadium in Stratford, east London, turned into a meadow, complete with real grass and real animals, to make it look a like a little piece of rural British life.
Real ducks will swim in a pond (they have been given permission to fly away if they want to); real shire horses will pull ploughs in a field and perform other tasks; real sheep will graze in a field.
Great British landmarks such as the mystical Glastonbury Tor will be reproduced and, in a light-hearted did at the great British weather, fake rainclouds will produce rain. Cricketers will be playing on a cricket pitch and there will be a mosh-pit in tribute to the Glastonbury Festival and a 'posh-pit’ summoning the spirit of the Last Night of the Proms.
The mosh pit will be in front of Glastonbury Tor (which, probably for PC reasons, will have an oak tree on top of it rather than a chapel) - near where the real Glastonbury Festival is held - where up to 100 members of the public will be allowed to stand.
On four sides will stand four maypoles, each styled as the national flower of the home nations - a rose, a thistle, a daffodil and flax.
The scene, called "Green and Pleasant Mind", is the creation of Bury-born director Danny Boyle, who made films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and Trainspotting.
The ceremony, which will cost £27 million, will begin at 9pm with the tolling of the 27-tonne bell, the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world, and is scheduled to end around midnight on Friday 27th July.
Countryside comes to the capital as director Boyle reveals Opening Ceremony plans
By Sportsmail Reporter
12 June 2012
Daily Mail
Details about the London 2012 Games' opening ceremony have been revealed, with the Olympic Stadium set to be transformed 'into the British countryside'.
Director Danny Boyle has announced that the opening scene will be called 'Green and Pleasant' and explained more about the £27million (before cast expenses) show which takes place on July 27.
Ten thousand volunteers will participate in the show which aims to recreate country views and even landmarks, such as Glastonbury Tor.
Model: A minute version of what the inside of the stadium will look like
It will be turned into a meadow, complete with real animals, grass and clouds that will rain down for the opening ceremony.
'The best way to tell that story is through working with real people,' Boyle told the BBC.
'I’ve been astounded by the selfless dedication of the volunteers, they are the pure embodiment of the Olympic spirit and represent the best of who we are as a nation.'
He has reserved a role for NHS nurses in the show and there have already been 157 cast rehearsals, showing the scale of the work.
Over one billion people are expected to tune in to watch the curtain go up on the Games.
Viewers will see farmers tilling soil while animals graze. These include 12 horses, three cows, two goats, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, nine geese, 70 sheep and three sheep dogs.
Stage: Supporters at a test event at the Olympic Stadium
Lord Sebastion Coe, Locog (London Organisign Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) chief was sure it would be a successful opening night.
'I'm sure [it] will be a fantastic celebration that will welcome the 10,500 athletes from around the world and make our nation proud,' he said.
Closer look: It will be countryside themed
There is also a Shakespearean element to proceedings and Boyle said the show was influenced by 'The Tempest', and is about a land recovering from its industrial legacy.
Europe's largest bell will ring inside the stadium to begin the show and it is inscribed with a quote from Caliban, a character in the play.
'Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises', it reads. The 27-tonne bell was cast at London's Whitechapel Foundry - where Big Ben's was also cast in 1856.
Getting ready: The big day will soon be upon us
It might not be the noisiest thing in the stadium tough - there will be a million-watt sound system in place.
The fans should be pretty loud too - a full 80,000 of them will watch a full dress rehearsal before the day itself.
Around 23,000 costumes are being created for the event and nearly 3,000 props will be used.
Read more: London 2012 Olympics: Opening ceremony revealed | Mail Online