Yesterday I watched the Closing Ceremony on iPlayer. Though I was there in person I wanted to see what it had looked like on TV. As I sat in the sofa and watched the zoomed out view of the stadium, it reminded me of the importance of balancing the bigger picture with the small details.
It’s a cliche but an important one, paying attention to the details whilst still looking at the bigger picture. Without that the light displays of the opening and closing ceremony would never have been possible. Had they not paid immaculate attention to every little light, when it went off, in what colour and for how long as well as the intensity, creating those amazing light displays would never have been possible. It was fascinating to sit in the stadium and watch the 9 little lights on both sides of you on the LED modules go off. It didn’t look of much but as you moved your focus to the other side of the stadium you saw what all those lights created together.
When you’re in the middle of something there are certain things you cannot see. Focusing primarily and a little bit too much on the details means you forget the bigger picture. Maintaining the right balance often means shifting from the detail to the broader view, to verify and check that it’s all still on track. That it all works independently of each other but more importantly together. I love the small details and firmly believe that without paying close attention to them you won’t be creating excellent experiences. But having said that there’s nothing more satisfying in my books than seeing all the little pieces come together, just like in the closing ceremony.
Image: Light display of Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue during the closing ceremony
