Looking back at the Vancouver Olympic ceremonies, seven years later (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
It was seven years ago today that Vancouver put on its largest and most expensive theatrical productions ever: the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Opening and Closing ceremonies under the old dome of BC Place Stadium.
With a budget of $48.5-million and volunteer army of 5,000 cast members and stage crew, the Ceremonies were planned, produced, directed and executed by Australia’s David Atkins Enterprises (DAE) over a period of nearly 3-years.
DAE also delivered the Ceremonies for the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics and the Doha 2006 Asian Games. Following Vancouver, his team also staged the Opening Ceremonies for Expo 2010 at Shanghai, China and the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
Construction of the extensive set, technical equipment, projectors, sound and lighting at BC Place began in November 2009.
The Vancouver 2010 Ceremonies were known for several firsts as it was: the first indoor Olympic Opening Ceremony; the largest Winter Olympic Stadium for Ceremonies, with BC Place configured to 61,000 seats; and the first Olympic ceremony to use digital projection extensively.
The Opening Ceremony was based on the theme of a “Landscape of a Dream” that highlighted Canada’s diverse geography and people while the Closing Ceremony was a lighthearted ‘celebration’ that unleashed all Canadian stereotypes.
See below for photos and videos, including a BC Place interior time lapse video that was recorded from November 2009, when construction on the theatrical set inside the stadium began, right up through the Olympics with the Opening and Closing ceremonies on February 12 and 28, respectively.
The International Olympic Committee has also posted on YouTube both the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony in their 3 hour duration entirety.
Vancouver 2010 Ceremonies: Behind the Scenes
BC Place Time Lapse from November 2009 to February 28, 2010
Opening Ceremony: Friday, February 12, 2010
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Closing Ceremony: Sunday, February 28, 2010
Click on image to enlarge panorama.
Image: Carlos Mejia Greene
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: Carlos Mejia Greene
Image: Duncan Ralwlinson
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: Carlos Mejia Greene
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: Carlos Mejia Greene
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: Carlos Mejia Greene
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: Carlos Mejia Greene
Image: Carlos Mejia Greene
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: Duncan Ralwlinson
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: s.yume via Flickr
Image: Duncan Ralwlinson
Image: Duncan Ralwlinson
Image: Duncan Ralwlinson
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