Australian director Ric Birch had worked on global ceremonies for over 10 years, including directing the 1984 and 1992 Olympic ceremonies, when he got the job of Director of Ceremonies in September 1993. The idea for the cauldron lighing was being planned by 1993, as they needed to consider requirements of the ceremony as part of the design of Stadium Australia, such as the waterproofing of the northern stand and extra supports for the cauldron. For the rest of the ceremony, Birch wanted a model where each segment was organised by a director, who had a designer and music composer to work with, and was given free artistic reign in their segment as long as it was telling its part of the story. The team of directors were assembled in 1997, with David Atkins as the head Artistic Director and Producer.