London 2012 Fireworks

Soni
Soni Posts: 1,217
edited January 2012 in The bottom bracket
Any opinions on the fireworks in London tonight?

Was going to make the effort to drive 30 minutes into town to watch but we decided in the end to watch on the tv, good choice as wasn't impressed by what was broadcasted.....

Bearing in mind all the hype about the fireworks being something really special this year to mark the Olympic Games, I thought it looked pretty basic, especially when you look at the likes of Sydney and Dubai!!

Maybe it looked better in the flesh.....

BTW Happy New Year to all :)

Comments

  • Rigga
    Rigga Posts: 939
    Soni wrote:
    Any opinions on the fireworks in London tonight?

    Was going to make the effort to drive 30 minutes into town to watch but we decided in the end to watch on the tv, good choice as wasn't impressed by what was broadcasted.....

    Bearing in mind all the hype about the fireworks being something really special this year to mark the Olympic Games, I thought it looked pretty basic, especially when you look at the likes of Sydney and Dubai!!

    Maybe it looked better in the flesh.....

    BTW Happy New Year to all :)

    You must have been watching different ones to me then, i thought they were fecking awesome!
  • Rigga
    Rigga Posts: 939
    Happy new year by the way!!
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Funnily enough, fecking awesome is exactly what I thought. Amazing. :o
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  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    We watched it on ITV, only about the first 10 mins, although there were a lot of fireworks, they didn't seem to be arranged or look as well choreographed as the displays in Sydney and Dubai.
  • Just saw the summarised version on the BBC News - the Big Ben synchronised fireworks looked great.
    All the gear, but no idea...
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    joe2008 wrote:
    In the current economic climate this complete waste of public money could have been cut and the money saved (millions) put to 'good' causes. A missed opportunity.

    +1 Although it's Boris' bunch's money.

    In London it's different. :twisted:
  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    Absolutely have always agreed and think about the money being burnt everytime a firework goes up in the sky even on guy folks night.

    Did anybody here about Bangkok? Or was it Beijing? They didn't have fireworks due to not being environmentally friendly? Looks like the rest of the world will follow and the end will be near for fireworks....
  • RDB66
    RDB66 Posts: 492
    How much did they cost Us anyway ??

    I thought they were great...
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  • McBain_v1
    McBain_v1 Posts: 5,237
    After the fireworks last night around our house (which woke up my little 'un) and the chore of picking up the remains from our drive this morning, I for one wont shed a tear if they get legislated out of existence (and that's before we enter the murky claim and counter-claim about fireworks showering us all with dioxins). I rather watch a bunch of top-heavy southern slappers shaking their pompoms at me!

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  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    Oh if it wasn't for this thread, I'm on the north downs in the middle of pitch black fields and my male and female border collies have decided to test their kit (she has obviously come on heat) and are tied together, ill have to play the waiting game for the next half hour until they seperate....at least I have bike radar..
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    There are tourists from all over the world world to London because of spectacles like last nights' fireworks. So I think they provide vfm.
    I thought they synchronised really well with the music too.
    You miserable buggers!
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  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 3,949
    I must admit when I was young and stupid fireworks were great for blowing up phone boxes but after that I don't quite get the fascination with them as an adult.
  • RideOnTime
    RideOnTime Posts: 4,712
    Soni wrote:
    Any opinions on the fireworks in London tonight?

    I thought it looked pretty basic, especially when you look at the likes of Sydney and Dubai!!

    Maybe it looked better in the flesh.....

    BTW Happy New Year to all :)[/quote

    Better than mine... Good start to Olympic year for London...
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,236
    Doubt the firework industry is complaining :P

    At least they're spending cash somewhere.

    Anyway, they were quality.
  • Velonutter
    Velonutter Posts: 2,437
    NapoleonD wrote:
    Funnily enough, fecking awesome is exactly what I thought. Amazing. :o


    Yep just got a new Sony TV and could not believe how good the display was, still undecided if it was the picture or the TV!
  • Soni wrote:
    Absolutely have always agreed and think about the money being burnt everytime a firework goes up in the sky even on guy folks night.

    Did anybody here about Bangkok? Or was it Beijing? They didn't have fireworks due to not being environmentally friendly? Looks like the rest of the world will follow and the end will be near for fireworks....

    If it was Beijing the irony, when you consider the amount of crap being pumped into the air by Chinese industry on a daily basis. A few fire works on NYD is a wee-wee in the ocean.

    As for the London display I didn't see them.
    Tail end Charlie

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  • Rigga wrote:
    BTW Happy New Year to all :)

    You must have been watching different ones to me then, i thought they were fecking awesome![/quote]

    ^^ this.

    The missus and I thought they were fantastic, though I must say some of the camera work was dodgy and some really bad cuts to different cameras didn't do them any favours.

    I'd say it was a safe bet what they spent for that display will be gained back in tourism and other money spinning things generated by that display.
  • islwyn
    islwyn Posts: 650
    Soni, maybe you should watch them again on YouTube, they were timed beautifully to the music & lasted a total of 12 minutes, they were simply brilliant - a good starting point for the olympic opening.
  • finchy
    finchy Posts: 6,686
    I wasn't too keen on the music (why do fireworks need music?), but the display itself was spectacular.
  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    Islwyn wrote:
    Soni, maybe you should watch them again on YouTube, they were timed beautifully to the music & lasted a total of 12 minutes, they were simply brilliant - a good starting point for the olympic opening.

    Maybe it was the Magners Pear Cider I was drinking that put them out of sinc :)
  • finchy
    finchy Posts: 6,686
    Soni wrote:
    Islwyn wrote:
    Soni, maybe you should watch them again on YouTube, they were timed beautifully to the music & lasted a total of 12 minutes, they were simply brilliant - a good starting point for the olympic opening.

    Maybe it was the Magners Pear Cider I was drinking that put them out of sinc :)

    Drink something more manly. Magners is cider for tarts.
  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    johnfinch wrote:
    Soni wrote:
    Islwyn wrote:
    Soni, maybe you should watch them again on YouTube, they were timed beautifully to the music & lasted a total of 12 minutes, they were simply brilliant - a good starting point for the olympic opening.

    Maybe it was the Magners Pear Cider I was drinking that put them out of sinc :)

    Drink something more manly. Magners is cider for tarts.

    I had some Bulmers but it was about a month out if date so binned that as I read it can give u bad guts...
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,215
    johnfinch wrote:
    I wasn't too keen on the music (why do fireworks need music?), but the display itself was spectacular.

    +1 music with fireworks is a pet hate. Also +1 to NapD's comment about you miserable lot. As for the costs, people come to see things like that or the money wouldn't be spent. There would also be a lot of people out of work if the likes of Black Cat had to shut due to a ban not to mention all the small companies that carry out displays.
  • I love fireworks and my main complaint with the London ones (watched on TV, not in person), and it's the same every year, is that they try and cram too much into a small space and it all gets frequently swamped with smoke making them difficult to see.

    Having said that, I was well impressed with the synchronised ground and air-bursts which co-incided with the sudden music changes. Love to be there one day, best I've seen in person was Orlando Disneyworld on NYE 2008, wonderful stuff.
  • Best way to see fireworks is from the top of a big hill with a good pan shot of a city/town. This way you get to see a pan wide screen type effect of ALL the fireworks being let off everywhere! This is what i & hundreds of others did at Alexandra Palace in London. Awesome view at night anyway, made miles better by a pan shot of fireworks miles around - including the ones in Westminster - which looked incredible!

    Try it out next year. Take a bottle of bubbly, a blanket & the Mrs & you're sorted...