I knew then that this ceremony would be different from others because, for the first time, it takes place in an indoor venue. BC Place has an inflated roof, held in place partly by the air pressure in the stadium.
This had its challenges - how do you light the cauldron, how do you hang a light on a roof that rises and falls by up to a metre at any given point?
But I know it would also bring many benefits. The ability to control the atmosphere, in terms of sound, light, staging, but also in terms of wind, of daylight and darkness. At times I was minded to be jealous but our stadium is a beauty and will bring a unique atmosphere of its own.
David Atkins, the executive producer and his team of Canadian and international artists had embraced this fact to the max. They had clearly decided early on not to ape previous ceremonies and try and produce an open air experience. Instead this was a theatre show, with an audience of ‘just’ 60,000, that would embrace intimacy and accuracy.
Indeed for me the two most effective and moving moments were those featuring just one performer. The aerial journey through the golden Canadian prairies, complemented by the honeyed tones of Joni Mitchell and the show stopping performance of Hallelujah by KD Lang bought a tear to the eye.
Others set pieces, the entrance of the snowboarder through the Olympic rings and the journey of the whales complete with blow holes showed how a more modest ceremony budget can still be employed to create spectacle. Over 70 projectors created environments against which the cast threw themselves into more up tempo numbers with gusto.
Over all it was a country filled with confidence that took to the stage, proud of its heritage and yet unafraid to embrace the new. I certainly never thought I’d see a slam poet take centre stage at an Olympic Ceremony, but when Shane Koyczan celebrated Canada as 'an experiment going right for a change' it bought the crowd to its feet.
And thus to us. The great work begins. In a couple of months time we will have assembled our creative team, employed our production company and found a production base from which to work.
Like Canada we will want to be confident and brave. We will want to relish our history and celebrate who and what we have become.
In 2012, the whole of the UK and the rest of the world will tune in with expectation. On behalf of the team here, I promise, we will not let them or you down.
