What a morning. Finally, after 18 months of quiet work in the background and hundreds of conversations, we have made our first major announcements on the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the London 2012 Games.
Two of the announcements may have got lost within the more high-profile ones, but they are no less important: Firstly that our home over the next year is to be 3 Mills Studios.
Set in the heart of London's East End, it's an historic and beautiful location that for some years now has been film and TV studios. It feels right to be working in the heart of the part of London we are regenerating, and we will all be able to see the Olympic Stadium from our office windows.
Secondly, we announced that we have created a standalone production company to produce the four Ceremonies, with the help of our partners FiveCurrents, Unspun and Arcadis. Between them they've got vast experience of producing very large shows and will also make sure we keep to time and budget.
Finally, there's our creative team. Catherine Ugwu, Hamish Hamilton, Mark Fisher and Stephen Daldry – all world-class leaders in their fields and, while I feel lucky to have them on the team, I can tell you it wasn't a hard sell. All of them wanted to be part of this unique experience and knew that without the best we couldn't be the best.
Then there is Danny Boyle, our Creative Director of the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Danny is here because he sees it as his civic duty, because he just couldn't imagine not doing it and has an irrepressible desire to make this country proud.
There will be more announcements to come, including the appointment of artistic directors for the other Ceremonies and then literally hundreds of production staff, crew and artists.
If the first people through the door are anything to go by, lunchtime in the café at 3 Mills Studios is going to look like an Oscars party – and so it should! It seems people are already, quite rightly, positive about the appointments - what do you think?
Please don't underestimate the importance of the main opening ceremony. Impress even almost as much as at the last games and the mood will be set. Make it look like a school fête and the organisers will never be forgiven. I wonder how many people make sure they see the opening ceremony and then only dip in and out for the sports. People expect spectacle nowadays.
I think one idea would be to include a section like the middle section of the last Eurovision Sing contest. It used technology and involved people at home. Very much in tune with our times. Not expensive either, I would bet.
Another idea of relatively cheap spectacle could involve inflatables which float over the stadium, maybe enclosing the roof. Please don't rely on bands and dance acts, as these look so small when viewed from home.
Yes , the opening ceremony is a great opportunity for us to boast of Britains achievements in literature, music, science etc, etc. However I feel that above all it should be spectacular and appeal to a worldwide audience. For this reason I would like to see a theme on "magic". We have probably the 3 greatest literary magical works in Peter Pan, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. These could be weaved into a fantastic pageant which would hold the attention of everybody.
PLEASE would you seriously consider the comments made by Amanda Holden after Britain's Got Talent show..? She indicated that the group(gymnastics)Spellbound would make a fantastic choice to perform during the Olympic opening ceremony. I have seen their act too, and OH MY WORD they are absolutely professional and impressive.
Another suggestion from myself is to consider the ROCKCHOIRs (rockchoir.com), their founder being Caroline Redman Lusher. They are made up of a huge group ordinary citizens and represent the aspirations of many people in this country.
Please let me know what you think!
Sincerely,
Julia