Olympic Opening Ceremony’s Thomas Jolly On Lady Gaga, Rain, Seine

Thomas Jolly, who masterminded the distinctive Olympic opening ceremony in Paris, has been reflecting on how the dangerous climate on that day final July felt apt.

Diving deep into the ceremony six months on, Jolly advised a Collection Mania viewers that the rain “acted as a throughline in a method” to what the staff, which included Name My Agent! creator Fanny Herrero, had been attempting to do with the ceremony.

“The rain that fell on Girl Gaga additionally falls on the viewers watching from the riverbanks,” he stated. “It put us all on an equal footing and that was the important thing message we wished to share via the dwell occasion – sharing.”

The much-discussed dangerous climate struck a splashy ceremony that for the primary time didn’t happen in an area however was carried out with lots of of boats alongside the River Seine. Girl Gaga was one in every of a lot of high-profile performers together with Celine Dion and Aya Nakamura, and there have been many different performances all through, a few of which courted controversy.

“We had management of all the pieces however we’re not god-like ultimately and couldn’t do something in regards to the climate,” added Jolly. “However we didn’t surrender, we had Olympic spirit and Parisian spirit, so we didn’t drown within the rain and we gathered our power.”

“A geographic area”

Talking alongside Jolly this morning, Herrero stated she handled the ceremony as a “geographic area.”

“There was the concept of motion and this pure set that was given to us,” she added. “That is what we wished to inform – a rustic that by no means stops and an identification not set endlessly. It has components from right here and there, from the underground, from the bar. It was as if France was a personality. The wonder, the pleasure, the ache and sorrow, that was the way in which I checked out it.”

Jolly detailed how the River Seine “gave us a rhythm” with the once-in-a-lifetime ceremony.

“The Seine gave us for the primary time the chance to vary all the pieces,” he added. “We may take into consideration one other construction of the ceremony.”

The town of Paris, he went on to say, acted as “characters,” showcasing Paris in all its range.

The staff subsequently “tried to intersect” a wealth of various “inventive tastes” together with opera, metallic, city music and conventional. “We wished to ensure others may see these eclectic tastes,” he added. “It led to unity. Everybody was represented on display. My job was to signify individuals when it comes to narrative, when it comes to character.”

Jolly was not requested, nonetheless, in regards to the police grievance he filed on July 31 that stated he was the goal of dying threats, insults and defamation. He got here below explicit assault for a controversial scene entitled “festivity” that includes drag queens sitting round a desk. Earlier this month, seven individuals stood trial on prices of creating dying threats and cyberbullying towards Jolly.

Jolly and Herrero had been talking at Collection Mania in Lille, which ends Thursday. Different high-profile audio system embrace Charlie Brooker, James Norton and Sally Wainwright.