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this is eurovision!
AS CAMP AS A ROW OF TENTS, THIS YEAR’S EUROVISION SONG CONTEST FEATURED THE MOST AMBITIOUS PRODUCTION OF ITS 52-YEAR HISTORY MARK CUNNINGHAM & LOUISE STICKLAND REPORT FROM HELSINKI Since 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest — or Le Grand-Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne, as it was originally known — has steadily grown in stature to become the most popular live television event in the world, second only to the Olympics. Famous for bringing important artists such as ABBA and Celine Dion to the fore, Eurovision's reputation for presentation quality is equalled only by its ability to deliver a healthy does of silliness, year after year! Anyone actually experiencing a Eurovision Final first hand soon realises that the ‘mixed’ press it receives at best in the UK is unjustified and unfair — and as we head to the tail end of the noughties, it’s also a little passé. Elsewhere in ‘newer’ Europe, it continues to grow in substance and credibility, while in the UK luckily the flag is largely kept flying with its elevation to iconic status on the gay calendar. Since the turn of the Millennium, when the technical production began to become more noticeably extravagant, Eurovision has earned world-class status and this year's show was arguably the best-looking to date. After Finnish monster metal band Lordi's record-breaking victory in Athens last year, Finland had the chance to host its very first Eurovision in 2007 and become the focal point for a massive worldwide television audience in excess of 200 million, including viewers in non-participating countries such as Australia and the United States. 24 TPi JUNE 07
Running with the theme 'True Fantasy', host broadcaster YLE — worked in conjunction with European Broadcast Union (EBU) — produced the event in 1080i HD and 5.1 Surround Sound. This was the first ever High Definition broadcast of the event, with both the BBC and Sweden's SVT showing the final on their respective HD channels. On the night of the May 12 Final, and indeed at the Semi-Final two nights earlier, the atmosphere amongst the 9,000-strong audience inside Helsinki's Hartwall Areena was electric. Following the national heats, a record 42 countries competed in the Semi-Final, from which 10 qualified to join 14 pre-qualified countries in the Final. With Lordi opening the Final to a wave of patriotic hysteria, the grungy theme was extended into the interval when Apocalyptica — famous for playing Metallica on cellos — were backed by fire-eaters and spectacular Cirque-like acrobatics. The Helsinki event broke several technical records including having the largest Barco MiTrix LED screen to date (300m2), over 500 Robe moving lights and over 100 tonnes of production equipment flown in the roof of the Hartwall Areena, along with over 1.7km of trussing and 286 lighting and video rigging points. Twenty-three trucks of lighting and video alone arrived on site from Sweden (co-ordinated by Stockholm-based lighting and video supplier Spectra Stage & Event Technologies AB), while the Robes were delivered separately, directly from the factory in the Czech
productionprofile Inside Helsinki’s Hartwall Areena Inset: Hosts Janna Pelkonen and Mikko Leppilampi
Republic. On the audio front, however, this year witnessed a major change. Sweden's DM Audio had been the main sound contractor for Eurovision since 2000, and now it was the turn of leading Finnish AV production company Akun Tehdas (translated as Akun Factory) to take the reins. Apparently, this move had nothing whatsoever to do with the notorious rivalry between the two countries! Supplied by Akun and powered by 12 touring racks of d&b audiotechnik's D12 amplifiers, the PA system was based around d&b’s flagship J-Series line array and its predecessor, the Q-Series. Closest to the stage were six flown J-Subs per side, with a main hang of 12 J8s and two J12s. For off-stage coverage, a third flown hang featured three Q-Subs at the top and nine Q1s beneath, all pointing 55° off-axis from the front edge of the stage. There were also four J-Subs on the floor, two per side, built into the set fascia. As it wasn't possible to place a centre front fill for the first few audience rows, they were covered entirely by the flown J12s. Working in conjunction with the event's overall audio designer, Pasi Vatunen, the venue sound system
was designed by Reima 'Reiska' Saarinen who was delighted when Akun Tehdas — his favourite rental company — won the competitive tender. Originally a drummer with leading Finnish band Peer Günt during the late '70s, Saarinen is a freelance sound designer and engineer who has specialised in installation projects and the occasional rock'n'roll tour. For Eurovision 2007, he
was contracted directly to YLE and set about building a system around the considerations of TV sightlines. As the audio consultant, it came down to Saarinen to choose the optimum system and he didn't hesitate in specifying d&b. He said: "The J-Series system came to Finland last November and was first used at the Hartwall Areena for a 50 Cent gig. Everybody was
really impressed with J-Series — it was like a new quality of sound and it's definitely my current favourite amongst all the systems out there." Opened in 1997, the Hartwall Areena was built into natural rock, and despite it normally operating as an ice hockey and skating venue, its acoustics are surprisingly friendly for live music. This factor, along with Saarinen's familiarity with the venue (he worked on the opening ceremony), gave the audio crew a good starting point during system set-up. Commented Saarinen: "I've actually done several events at the Hartwall, and I know the venue very well, so it's like second nature for me to set up a system here." SENNHEISER: A LONG ASSOCIATION Sennheiser has been involved since the very first contest and this was the 22nd time that the manufacturer had provided all of the miking and monitoring requirements, ensuring consistency. Supported by Pekka Paukku and his team at Sennheiser Nordic partner company IntoOy, Sennheiser's longtime wireless technology specialist Klaus Willemsen looked after the RF system and was the first-call troubleshooter. "Outside of possibly the Olympics
L-R: Ola Melzig with Robe’s Harry von den Stemmen
Stage One’s Steve Dolan and Rob Parkin fly the flag with Scooch! 07 JUNE TPi 11
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Modern Eurovision is all about the diversity of presentation style. Clockwise from top left: Spain’s D’Nash in rehearsal; Greece’s Sarbel; Sweden’s The Ark; Germany’s Roger Cicero; Romania’s Todomondo; and the UK’s Scooch.
[opening ceremony], I cannot think of a live broadcast project that is as demanding as Eurovision,” he said. As well as Riedel's digital wireless intercom system, there were more than 70 wireless channels in use — 54 wireless mics (27 SKM 5200 hand-helds with Neumann KK 105 S capsules and 27 HSP 4 headsets with SK 5212 transmitters) and 16 in-ear monitoring systems (EK 3253 bodypack receivers with SK 3256 twin transmitters), plus six additional channels for interviewing in the Green Room. Some of the hand-helds were fitted with the brand new dynamic MD 5235 'Rockheiser' capsule, and this was also the first major field test of Sennheiser's new EM 3732 wireless receiver that was previewed at Frankfurt's ProLight+Sound expo in March. Eight in-ear monitoring mixes were generated for around 70% of the performers. Half of them were new to the technology and Sennheiser gave every assistance to familiarise them. "We had many rehearsals which made the singers very comfortable with the systems," said Willemsen, "and the only problems we had were with the fitting of the actual ear pieces. With those for whom it was a totally new experience, it took a little time to set the positioning of the monitors within their ears, but they soon got used to it." Even though frequency management in Helsinki was a more relaxed affair than in Athens a year ago, Willemsen still had his work cut out. The Sennheiser systems operated in three frequency ranges and each worked in conjunction with a separate active Sennheiser A12 selective antenna system which filtered out the environmental RF interference caused by the close proximity of the Barco LED screens. This was a problem encountered on tours such as Paul McCartney's 2005 US Tour and last year's 25 Live tour by George Michael. Sennheiser's experience on the latter proved to be a very useful reference point. "Personally, I'd like to burn those screens!" laughed Matti Helkamaa, audio technical manager, "but fortunately Klaus overcame the problems in a remarkable way. Our main compromise was that we've had to run all the IEM in mono because if we ran it in stereo the risk of radiation from the LED would be too high." Willemsen explained further: "I had to calculate a completely new frequency set-up, looking for the most user-friendly frequencies between 100MHz and 1GHz. 24 TPi JUNE 07
The LED radiation does not affect the microphones — our problem is limited to the IEM systems whose antennae are just one metre away from the LED tiling on the stage and they pick up more than 200 microvolts of energy, hence the risk of audio distortion. Fortunately, I was prepared for this!" Performers who passed on the IEM option were able to take advantage of six d&b M4 wedges which fired up from under the stage through discreet grilles. These were originally requested by Akun Tehdas, who wanted something that contained the attributes of both the d&b MAX and the M2. Akun then placed an initial order for 32 wedges. There were also three Q1 hi-mid cabinet sidefills per side with Q-Subs under the stage. This was the first time for years that a broadcaster had allowed sidefills to be visible. "That's probably my biggest victory!" laughed Reima Saarinen, who reported that everything had pretty much had gone like clockwork. "We have Klaus to thank for much of that," he said. "His technical support has been invaluable."
A backstage aide mémoire
CONTROL The music backing tracks were all provided in advance to the production team as final stereo mixes. Therefore, with just two channels of pre-recorded music on hard disk and a bunch of microphones to mix for the live sound, one might be forgiven for assuming this was not an arduous task for the FOH engineer. "Well yes!" said Saarinen, "but the hard work is in the preparation. We have six hand-held mics and six headset mics in Group A, and an identical situation for Group B. We then have a complete spare set of everything plus a whole kit of wired mics in case the wireless systems break down. So we have 42 channels of mics in total. The damage limitation factor is as high as you could possibly imagine! "The d&b amplifiers have the possibility to change inputs which is perfect because we are running two identical systems, and if we lose system A, we can quickly flip the inputs to system B, and this is all done seamlessly through the ROPE interface." Audio Broadcast Services (ABS) was appointed by YLE to equip the main music control room and the master control room. Signal distribution was handled by Tommi Tikkanen and Niklas Lindholm with a Lawo Nova 73 HD routing system, which supplied the master control room, and integrated four Lawo consoles. The main music control room was equipped with an MC 90, Lawo’s latest flagship console. This supplied a 5.1 surround mix to the HD-1 OB truck rented from Prisma, using a Lawo MC 66 console that added the atmosphere and presenter feeds. The production in HDTV and 5.1 surround was also uplinked in these formats. During the Semi-Final and Final, two further YLE-owned OB trucks were in place for radio broadcast and back-up; one fitted with a Lawo MC 80 and another with an MC 80. In the music room, after subtle adjustment via the main Lawo console, Teuvo Lentinen and Jyrki Saarinen sent out the final Pro Tools HD backing tracks to FOH/monitors for integrating with the live vocals, while the final 5.1 broadcast mix was engineered by Sauli Lindgren and Samuli Liikanen. The FOH position was equipped with two InnovaSon Sy48 digital consoles (one master, one slave, each capable of mixing 72 inputs into 40 busses) that were linked together to achieve precise, simultaneous switching between each act. Engineered by Kimmo Ahola (usually the FOH mixer for Finnish
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Above L-R: Wireless specialist Klaus Willemsen; Sennheiser’s Nigel Mann. Heinke Hahn, Paul Whiting and Phil Massey; Lawo console in the Music Room; Pro Tools playout department. Middle Row: Audio technical manager Matti Helkamaa in the OB truck; Reima Saarinen; Sennheiser antennae; Matthieu Le Failler from InnovaSon with a signal flow graphic. Above: Kimmo Ahola at FOH with the InnovaSon Sy48 consoles; next to him is Santtu Sipilä at a pair of Yamaha DM1000s for voiceover processing and mixing; Arto Nuppola in monitor world with an InnovaSon Sy80.
rock band Nightwish), each console was connected to one of two separate EtherSound-enabled DioCore stage boxes. Also at FOH — interacting with Aviom modules — were two Yamaha DM1000 digital consoles (one as a back-up) which were similarly connected and used exclusively for engineer Santtu Sipilä's mixing of voice-overs, speeches, video soundtracks and various 'stings'. InnovaSon also had the distinction of being chosen for stage monitoring control, with a pair of Sy80s on duty, each capable of mixing 104 inputs into 48 busses. It was decided a few days before the Semi-Final to contain all the monitor mixes within just one desk rather than two, with the two engineers — Klas Granquist and Arto Nuppola — taking turns to handle the mix. The signals from monitor world were routed out through 24 separate monitor mixes, each of which was based on individually tailored, pre-programmed settings. Matthieu Le Failler was the InnovaSon technical field manager on site to support the mix engineers, although he admitted to spending most of the time with little to do — a possible testament to the stability of his company's wares. He said: "This is a dual redundant system, so we have two of everything. All the signals are going through an A and B analogue splitter system. At the point after the splitters where everything comes to FOH and monitors, it's analogue and from there on it's digital." DioCore uses a technology that enables daisychaining with other DioCore and other EtherSound devices. Said Le Failler: "With the EtherSound network
we can exchange up to 64 channels downstream and upstream. At more than 120m, the distance between the FOH and monitor positions is too long for a CAT 5 cable to handle without problems, so they converted to optical, because with optical fibre you can go up to 2km between two devices. EQ, compression and gating was all processed within each InnovaSon console, while the engineers relied on MIDI-synchronised outboard racks, loaded with Eventide H3000s and t.c. electronic TC4000s, for effects. Le Failler commented: "At the end of June, we'll be releasing the new UP-8PO output card which gives eight processed outputs with 31-band graphic EQ, full parametric EQ, compressors and gates. Later in the year, we aim to launch a new set of effects plug-ins that have been developed with VB Audio — who developed plugs for Pyramix — with more to follow next year in collaboration with Waves." So was Reima Saarinen happy with the results of his system design? "Overall, yes. But I think that some of the backing tracks could have been mixed in a more friendly manner. Because we receive them in a finished stereo format, we have no way of altering things to make them sound better in the arena environment. The SPL requirements of each song can vary immensely, from 85dB to 110dB, but the average level at FOH is around 97dB(A)." Sennheiser's Klaus Willemsen did, however, warn of difficult times ahead. He said: "The wireless position is still critical all over Europe, as long as the current discussions on the frequency range space for the socalled secondary users are not giving any results.
“Even if there currently are sufficient frequencies available in Finland, future perspectives for events such as the Eurovision Song Contest are dark and dreary if the frequency ranges needed for wireless microphones were to be actually taken away, as planned.” LIGHTING The spectacular results and abundance of visual 'wow' factors were due to some incredible teamwork, foresight and vision by many people — to name a few, lighting designer Mikki Kunttu, production designer Riikka Kytönen, production manager Ola Melzig of M&M Production Management (working on his sixth Eurovision), lighting crew chief Tobias Åberg, and production assistant Joan Lyman from Spectra. Working for Spectra, the flamboyant Melzig coordinated the supply of lighting, video and rigging for the event, and implementation of all the technical infrastructure involved in making it happen — from the get-in to the Final, in just under a month. With the aid of logistics managers Johan Blik and Mikael Lindstrom, Melzig also co-ordinated the getout. This left a mere 32-hour slot from the final wrap to remove the production that went in a month ahead the Final — making way for a three-week Mamma Mia show residency. Spectra’s ESC crew numbered between 70 and 100 people at different times, featuring nine different nationalities including 40 Finns. Many aspects united them, but noticeably it was the passion and determination to make Helsinki 2007 the most memorable Eurovision to date. Having the right team in place can make or break 07 JUNE TPi 11
productionprofile The combined lighting and video crew
an event of this stature, and it’s a skill that Melzig has honed to a fine art. He tendered for the production contract with Spectra as the main video and lighting suppliers, and was chosen as production manager for that element by Mikki Kunttu, Finland’s highest profile lighting designer, who had been appointed as LD by YLE. The two men had not worked together before, although they did know of each other. They gelled famously during the pressurised time capsule that is the ESC build up, and Helsinki 2007 looks sure to be the first of many Melzig/Kunttu collaborations. Kunttu had the unenviable task of creating 42 unique looks and scenes for each of the performers, and part of Melzig’s job was to cut deals with manufacturers to get a good selection of the best and most reliable technology available. With the viewing audiences that ESC pulls, it’s an ideal showcase for anyone’s products. He set up technical partnership deals with Robe Show Lighting for moving lights, Barco for LED screens, Green Hippo for media servers, Philips for the lamps, Beacon AB for the digital content production and Cyberhoist for motion control. Another significant deal was with MA Lighting who supplied all lighting control, contracted directly to YLE. Melzig also played a vital role in ensuring the
camaraderie stayed well above the parapet throughout the often stressed month-long build period, He ensured that everyone also had the chance for some fun alongside the intense work schedule. Camp behaviour — being synonymous with Eurovision and an extrovert culture embraced by civilised, open-minded individuals — offered the opportunity for lots of metaphorical laughter and leg-pulling among the crew. There was also a massive stash of used pink aerosols stashed backstage — you'll have to use your own imagination! Kunttu’s biggest challenge was to produce 42 unique and different lighting looks and sets encompassing a full breadth of music styles. As we've learned to accept, the outcome of ESC has little to do with the strength of the song or the performance, but that doesn’t make any different to the lighting and visuals department. He had to design omething traditionally ‘Eurovision-ary’ but also wanted something totally different and contemporary. Being a keen exponent of ‘integration’ between video and lighting sources in the pursuit of visual purity, he came up with the idea of having a giant ‘transparent’ video screen with clean and clear architectural lines. The creation of custom content for each artist would then offer huge scope and flexibility for dynamically different visuals.
Proud to be with their grandMAs: Mikael Sylvest, Pekka Martti, Joeri Swagemakers, Antti Rehtijärvi, Mikki Kunttu, Zok Sabijan, Mikko Linnavuori, Morgan Brown and Juha Mäkinen
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Melzig bought Pepe Tannemyr and Lennart Wahlin from Swedish digital gobo manufacturer Beacon AB onboard to head the content creation department on site. They were also involved in Melzig’s Eurovision 2005 foray in Kiev. Tannemyr worked closely with Kunttu, who was very specific about what he wanted for each of the different screen graphics. Some artists also had their own ideas, while others had some basic artwork that they wanted integrated into the system. All of this (Tannemyr’s final graphics file contained 250GB of information) was programmed into the Hippotizer digital media servers, while others left it entirely to Kunttu. Show graphics for each artist were initially produced almost ‘on the fly’, literally created from scratch during their first 40 minute rehearsal slot. Amazingly, about 60% of delegations were happy with Kunntu’s first-take concepts on the screen. "This was an incredibly stimulating way to work," explained Kunttu — with the intensity of the rehearsal schedule, they all really had to think on their feet to come up with sequences that would work and hit the right imaginative notes! Some artists material suggested really obvious visual themes. Although it’s fashionable to slate UK entry Scooch and their über-camp 'Flying The Flag', in
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Les Fatals Picards from France
Bluesy Hungarian Magdi Rúzsa Ireland’s Dervish
The Ukraine's foil-wrapped Verka Serduchka
terms of presentation and choreography, they were one of the most visually coherent of the show. Their colourful uniforms, kitsch dance routines and camp comments were co-ordinated seamlessly with fast moving graphics of swirling planes, deconstructed Union Jacks and pumping loudspeakers for the airline safety announcements — all perfectly timed. Obviously some were more fun to work with visually than others. The Ukraine's hilarious Verka Serduchka with 'Dancing Lasha Tumbai' — a dizzy slice of pop-lite by the seemingly Baco Foil-wrapped trannie love child of Christopher Biggins and Hi-De-Hi's Su Pollard — featured a series of mirror ball and PAR can graphics, adding to the general absurdity and chaos of
52 YEARS OF WINNERS...
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Russia’s camera-friendly Serebro
his glam performance! If points were awarded for campness, he would have scored 12 across the board. When Kunttu decided to go with Spectra as supplier of the lighting/video package, he knew that Melzig wanted Robe as the moving light partner again after his experience with them in Kiev in 2005. “Robe’s products are just so amazingly reliable,” confirmed Melzig. “So we just had to have them again. The attitude from Robe is also excellent — they were very enthusiastic about supporting the show, and the service and back-up has been brilliant. We couldn't ask for more. He cut the deal with Robe’s international sales manager Harry von den Stemmen, and the lights were
supplied brand new, complete with new Philips bulbs for consistent colour temperatures throughout the rig. Fixtures chosen included ColorSpot 2500E ATs, ColorWash 1200E ATs, ColorSpot 700E ATs and ColorWash 250E ATs — over 500 in total, all with electronic ballasts. These were all positioned on a series of multi-layered curved trusses snaking over the stage, a metallic architectural centrepiece which was designed to look good on camera. Kunttu had worked with Robe before, but not with a rig this large. He used ColorSpot and ColorWash 1200E ATs all over the main trusses, and ColorSpot 2500E ATs on a series of 4m trusses directly above the catwalk, stepping forwards into the arena,
2007 Serbia/Marija Serifoviç Molitva • 2006 Finland/Lordi Hard Rock Hallelujah • 2005 Greece/Helena Paparizou My Number One • 2004 Ukraine/Ruslana Wild Dances • 2003 Turkey/Sertab Erener Every Way That I Can • 2002 Latvia/Marie N I Wanna • 2001 Estonia/Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL Everybody • 2000 Denmark/Olsen Brothers Fly On The Wings Of Love • 1999 Sweden/Charlotte Nilsson Take Me To Your Heaven • 1998 Israel/Dana International Diva • 1997 UK/Katrina & The Waves Love Shine A Light • 1996 Ireland/Eimear Quinn The Voice • 1995 Norway/Secret Garden Nocturne • 1994 Ireland/Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan Rock'N'Roll Kids • 1993 Ireland/Niamh Kavanagh In Your Eyes • 1992 Ireland/Linda Martin Why Me? • 1991 Sweden/Carola Fångad Av En Stormvind • 1990 Italy/Toto Cutugno Insieme:1992 • 1989 Yugoslavia/Riva Rock Me • 1988 Switzerland/Céline Dion Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi • 1987 Ireland/Johnny Logan Hold Me Now • 1986 Belgium/Sandra Kim J'Aime La Vie • 1985 Norway/Bobbysocks La Det Swinge • 1984 Sweden/The Herreys Diggi Loo-Diggi Ley • 1983 Luxembourg/Corinne Hermes Si La Vie Est Cadeau • 1982 Germany/Nicole Ein Bisschen Frieden • 1981 UK/Bucks Fizz Making Your Mind Up • 1980 Ireland/Johnny Logan What's Another Year? • 1979 Israel/Milk & Honey Hallelujah • 1978 Israel/Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta A Ba Ni Bi • 1977 France/Marie Myriam L'Oiseau Et L'Enfant • 1976 UK/Brotherhood Of Man Save Your Kisses For Me • 1975 The Netherlands/Teach-In Ding Dinge Dong • 1974 Sweden/ABBA Waterloo • 1973 Luxembourg/Anne-Marie David Tu Te Reconnaitras • 1972 Luxembourg/Vicky Leandros Apres Toi • 1971 Monaco/Severine Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue • 1970 Ireland/Dana All Kinds Of Everything • 1969 (four joint winners) Spain/Salome Vivo Cantando + UK/Lulu Boom Bang-A-Bang + The Netherlands/Lennie Kuhr De Troubadour + France/Frida Boccara Un Jour, Un Enfant • 1968 Spain/Massiel La La La • 1967 UK/Sandie Shaw Puppet On A String • 1966 Austria/Udo Jurgens Merci Cherie • 1965 Luxembourg/France Gall Poupee De Cire, Poupee De Son • 1964 Italy/Gigliola Cinquetti No Ho L'Eta • 1963 Denmark/Grethe & Jorgen Ingmann Dansevise • 1962 France/Isabelle Aubret Un Premier Amour • 1961 Luxembourg/Jean-Claude Pascal Nous Les Amoureux • 1960 France/Jacqueline Boyer Tom Pillibi • 1959 The Netherlands/Teddy Scholten Een Beetje • 1958 France/Andre Claveau Dors Mon Amour • 1957 The Netherlands/Corry Brokken Net Als Toen • 1956 Switzerland/Lys Assia Refrain
productionprofile L-R: Finland’s own Hanna Pakarinen... and her fans outside Hartwall Areena; her fellow Finns, Lordi opened the event with their 2006 winning song, ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’.
mimicking its path. ColorSpot 2500s were also dotted all over the audience trussing structure — a circle with fingers, hung mid auditorium, which was also part of a clever disguise for the Arena’s Jumbotron scoreboard. Robe Media Spinner 100 ATs were used to suspend bars of Studio Due CS4 moving PARs over the audience, attached to the circular truss in the centre of the auditorium. Robe also supplied 48 of its new StageQube 324 LED panels, used for mood lighting and ambient effects in the Green Room — a fabulously inviting contemporary area designed area by YLE’s Teija Vilkkovaara. Sixteen moving truss pods were flown behind the MiTrix video screen, all of them rigged with ColorSpot 700E ATs along with ACLs, Syncrolite B52s, Studio Due CS4s and strobes. Data for these was supplied by radio DMX from a W-DMX system by Wireless Solution Sweden AB. A total of 37 W-DMX Generation 3 BlackBox units sent wireless DMX signals to moving trusses and other equipment during the show, eliminating the need for excess cable. W-DMX also controlled a 120cm large prism mirror ball suspended from the ceiling, custom-assembled mobile fog machines, and a Cyberhoist-rigged Fogscreen. The new W-DMX Generation 3 BlackBox has a high power radio output with up to 375mW and uses AFHSS and TDMA to avoid interference — even in a television broadcast environment loaded with 24 cameras and a hostile radio signal atmosphere. Despite the massive concentration of moving lights, Kunttu resisted the temptation to waggle them gratuitously, and in fact, although he really maximised their many features and flexibility, most of the obviously visible movement was achieved with video. In addition to the Robes, there were also large quantities of white lights, primarily ETC Source Fours, plus eight Vari*Lite VL3500s for front lighting (chosen because they needed a profile unit with shutters) and lots of Molefeys and PARs. The four follow spots were Robert Juliat 2.5kW HMIs.
The Cyberhoist system was supplied by Flashlight Holland and operated by Joeri Swagemakers, who was an important part of the visual control team. A total of 18 objects were moved by Cyberhoist motion control including the 16 aforementioned trusses upstage of the MiTrix, Fogscreen and mirror ball. All of these axes of movement were programmed and played back using Cyberhoist’s proprietary Hoist Manager software, which is set up and executed similarly to a lighting cue. They used two different types of Cyberhoist motor on the project — the 250kg 40m/min on the Fogscreen (a Finnish product) and the 500kg 20m/min version, which were used for everything else. Swagemakers worked in tandem with lighting operator Pekka Martti in particular, as he had control of all the fixtures on the moving truss pods. The 46 universes of DMX were Ethernet controlled via 10 full-size MA Lighting grandMA consoles (including hot back-ups), while a pair of grandMA light desks and 20 MA NSPs were also on duty. “We’ve gathered a lot of experience during the last Eurovision in Athens,” said MA programmer Marcus Krömer. “What was special this year was the use of Timecode in a multiuser session. Timecode, which is integrated into every grandMA console, gives you the huge advantage that you can concentrate on the essentials, while everything is run by the console automatically. Additionally it was possible for the programmers to run the rehearsals and simultaneously do changes. Sometimes the changes were done before the actor on stage had finished his song.” The multiuser functionality of the grandMA enabled the programmers to split the huge system of moving lights on stage and work on the songs in parallel and therefore much faster. During pre-programming, grandMA 3D and six MA mediaPCs helped to prepare the show. “The operators were working with grandMA 3D to help them with the programming. Additionally we used ESP Vision as a designers reference. It all ran like a dream,”
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explained Kunttu. Ola Melzig commented: "We chose grandMA for a number of reasons. The network and back-up aspects are fantastic; it's a system that all the operators knew by heart, it gave us the flexibility needed for this show, and the support given to us by MA has been brilliant. "We also knew that the system is extremely stable, and since we are depending on a set-up that works at all times, this was an obvious choice. Since grandMA is the most used brand in Finland, the local market could benefit from us using it, and that's very important to me." Kunttu’s main operating team of five were Pekka Martti, Antti Rehtjärvi, Juha ‘Mäksä’ Mäkinen, Mikko Linnavuori, Mikael Sylvest and Morgan Brown. MOVING IMAGERY Spectra's supply of lighting equipment was assisted locally by Eastway Oy — it also provided the Barco R12s for side/delay screen projection — while Swedish firm Massteknik supported Spectra by supplying all the exotic screen surfaces, including the 2808 panels of 24mm pixel pitch MiTrix (giving a resolution of 1920 x 272 pixels) and the 190 panels of 10mm pixel pitch Barco O-Lite for the catwalk, the stage ‘pool’ and the ‘cobra’ that split the MiTrix in half at the back. Eurovision 2007 saw the largest and widest MiTrix screen to date, and also the first time its 75% transparency was really maximised as a show feature, with Kunttu blasting a selection of fixtures through it at different heights and positions, particularly those on the Cyberhoist pods. Forty panels of O-Lite were used in the circular stage, 66 in the catwalk thrust/runway and 84 in the ‘cobra’ which curved stylishly up at the rear of the stage, dividing the Mitrix, for which Massteknik built a special curved steel frame and developed the 'O-Flex' steel mounting module. This was the biggest project that Massteknik’s Jan Carlsson had ever undertaken. Three 3-phase 63A power feeds alone were needed for video, which was
productionprofile
Top row L-R: LD Mikki Kunttu; production designer Riikka Kytönen; Eastway production manager Jussi Kallioinen; Johan West of West Lighting; Jan Carlsson of Massteknik; moving light technician Dik Welland; head rigger Oz Marsh; Cyberhoist operator Joeri Swagemakers; Ossian Kryklund, technical broadcast manager; production assistant Joan Lyman. Above L-R: Energyst’s Jimmy Olausson, Bill Parkes and Rob van Herk; Team Pyroman; Andy Peat (far right) with stage production assistant Nina Valtonen, stage manager Aapo Lahti and backline manager Arto Miettinen; the Stage One boys at work; the Green Room; lighting the set. Below: Follow spot ops Petri Sarkkila, Juha Koskipää, Katja Loponen and Jukka Niiranen get in the party mood!
run pretty constantly day and night as the run-up to the Final intensified. Massteknik dispatched a crew of 10 for the build/get out which dropped down to four to run the show. Kunttu decided he wanted to use Green Hippo Hippotizer media servers and that he really wanted to push the system to its limits. Under severe time pressure to get everyone’s set looking good, he needed a system that was as fast and flexible to use as possible in terms of image manipulation. Melzig approached Hippotizer’s Finnish distributor West Lighting and cut a deal to supply 12 Hippotizers, all High Definition-configured, with live outputs running on five servers, and the remainder for hot redundancy and control. West Lighting owner Johan West said of Kunttu: “He’s extremely good at seeing all aspects of the visual picture, and knows exactly what he wants — which makes the task both quite easy on one hand, but really challenging on the other as everything has to be spot on.” With six HD layers playing back simultaneously on the MiTrix, the Hippotizer system was really tested to its limits, and West and his team created several customisations specially for this show. They were running a 'heavy Beta' version of the new, soon to be released Version 3 software. “I could not have imagined doing anything this complex a year ago," said West, who consulted closely with the Green Hippo creators back in the UK. "The system has really developed enormously in that time.” New V3 functions used at the ESC included separate timecode facilities allowing each Hippotizer server to run simultaneously on its own timeline and via DMX from a lighting desk (in this case from their own dedicated grandMA). This made the system extremely safe in the event of one system going down. Media synchronisation is another new feature on V3, which allowed them to upload media files on to one server, which were then automatically copied and distributed wherever needed across the five live outputs. Due to the cabling distances involved and the speed of transmission needed, the Hippotizer system was connected via a fibre network. The biggest challenge on the Hippo front, explained West, was the long days and nights of programming — a task shared by Hippotizer operators Mikko Limnavuo (running the system through his grandMA) and timeline programmer Zok Sabijan. STAGE & SCENERY The abstract stage set was the subject of much discussion in terms of its meaning. Infused with a natural and understated elegance and in great contrast 24 TPi JUNE 07
to the sheer amount of visual information coming off the MiTrix, it sat stunningly and teasingly anomalous. The stage idea was conceived by four stage design students (Jenni Viitanen, Kalle Ahonen, Samuli Laine and Kristian Schmidt) from Helsinki University and was based on a pike’s jaw. According to Finnish mythology the jaw bone was used for making a ancient musical instrument, the kantele. YLE production designer Riikka Kytönen worked with the students on the concept reaslisation. She explained that the pike jaw was designed for the stage
as an elevated bone like construction on stage left, with a low spine-like barrier (under-lit with Robe ColorWash 250E ATs which fitted in there perfectly) on stage right. The central ‘pond’ area of the stage linked the stage to the surrounding LED panels in the runway and the back spine (‘cobra’) changing with transparent imagery. YLE contacted UK-based Stage One to build and then look after the stage and scenic elements, including overseeing construction of the steel structure housing the O-Lite ‘cobra’ and some elements of Apocalyptica’s performer flying. The company also subbed-in an LED starcloth from Blackout. Stage One's team of up to 35 at the peak periods was led on site by Steve Dolan and Rob Green, with Jim Almond undertaking the technical project management. That the 14 metre diameter stage and 15 metre runway should be made from glass was specified by Ola Melzig and Mikki Kunntu. Stage One then worked with Kytönen on all the major stage design decisions
and sourced the 10mm toughened and laminated glass, complete with a 1.5mm interlayer that was good for the job. Stage One has plenty of experience working in the specialist realms of glass staging, and on to the back of the panels it bonded custom rear projection material sourced from Belgium which diffused the O-Lite LED output beautifully. The pike jaw proved a real challenge, according to Dolan. It was made from steel and PetG (Polyethylene Terephtalate Glycol) — a polyester material. Stage One also constructed 312 clear polycarbonate ‘fish scales’ measuring approximately 600 x 600mm that were attached to seven purpose-built trusses which flew in on one of its Q-Motion automation systems, powered by nine 22kW winches. The trusses contained 75 actuators (small motorised push-pull mechanisms) pre-programmed with four different positions. This was done by adding extra internal limit switches that sent position triggers to 39 Stage One QPos motion controllers running specially modified firmware. All of this was controlled by Stage One’s NextQ automation software. Stage One also flew a man on a bike up into the ceiling for Apocalyptica’s interval performance using two axes of Q-Motion, added to the seven used for the fish-scale trusses. The Q-Motion system was operated by Andy Smith, head of show operations and chief technician, and there were three other operators on site: Paul Hamlin, Dale Mounsey and Rob Cicala. Andy Peat of UK-based Andy Peat Associates was recommended by Stage One to work as stage manager for the event. Working alongside YLE’s floor manager Aapo Lahti, production assistant Nina Valtonen and backline manager Arto Miettinen, Peat's job was to keep the show, artists and heavy rehearsal schedule rolling on time and to co-ordinate between Melzig and the Spectra crew, Stage One, the backline crew and all the artists. Peat had to deal with 42 sets of assorted props and/or backline in a very tight backstage area, all of which had to be kept intact, right up to the Semi-Finals. Like everyone working on this Eurovision, Peat was really enjoying himself despite the obvious pressures, tight schedule and often testing environment for diplomatic skills. He said: “None of our team had worked together before, so that was interesting, and luckily we all gelled pretty much immediately.” The experience has also really changed his opinion about Eurovision. In the UK generally, it’s still regarded as a bit of a joke, but anyone visiting the show today and seeing the energy and commitment that goes into it on all fronts would go away with a much different impression.
productionprofile Heavy metal meets classical... Apocalyptica gave a stunning interval performance with plenty of pyro action
In no small part, it’s revival since the Millennium has been due to the influence of eastern European and Baltic countries, who see it as a gateway to the world stage for their countries. Peat has also enjoyed working in Finland for the first time, although like most visitors, he found the language hard to get his head (or tongue) around! He said of Melzig: “Ola is definitely one of the industry’s characters. He knows how to pick and drive an exceptionally good team and it’s been great working with him and all the rest of the Spectra crew.” PYROMANIA Pyro was supplied by Finnish company Pyroman. Markku Aalto led a team of six technicians, and all the effects were purchased from and supplied by Le Maitre in the UK. At first one could be forgiven for thinking that there was not much pyro, but when all the very precise cues for 13 of the delegations were added, plus Lordi and Apocalyptica, and multiply that by the amount of rehearsals, the figures soon start to stack up! As we spoke to Aalto, they had had started running low on their original order of 4,000 effects, and an emergency package of an additional 2,000 had just arrived from Le Maitre. Pyroman used a Swedish PC-based control system from Unique Pyrotechnics and a Le Maitre wireless system for some of the smaller effects like Armenia’s exploding blood bag and Denmark’s glorious crown. [Despite the infectious, up-tempo disco pumper 'Drama Queen', the spectacularly-attired Danish cross-dresser DQ failed to make the Final!] The pyro department also looked after three Jem Glaciator heavy foggers, four snow machines in the roof and two wind machines either side of the runaway. For the Winners Walk, they fired 100kg of confetti from eight cannons dotted around the arena.
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RIGGING & POWER Oz Marsh once again came onboard the Spectra team to head the production rigging operation along with his YLE counterpart Jaska Erkinheimo and Swedish rigger Lars Jadermark. It was Marsh’s fifth ESC working with Spectra, so he’s very much part of the family. All the kit was supplied through Spectra which included nearly 300 motors — a combination of double braked Verlinde StageMakers and Chainmasters, CM Lodestars and the 40 Cyberhoists from Flashlight. This was used to suspend all the lighting trusses — an impressive total of 1.7 kilometres — over stage and auditorium. They increased the size of the house mother grid with an additional 12 two tonne points, also boosting the width by 8m and the depth by 20m. Early on in the build, they also had to bolt the trussing legs of the Spidercam to the Arena’s roof structure. The get in commenced on April 17, leaving just over three weeks before the Final, and everything went very smoothly. It was easily the largest load Hartwall Areena had ever experienced, and as they were taking it to the limits, they had to address the potential impact of snow — still a strong possibility in Helsinki in May — and have the right equipment on hand to blow it off. They would possibly also have had to start de-rigging, but luckily the weather held! 07 JUNE TPi 11
productionprofile Power was supplied by Dutch-based Energyst, 007-themed Belarus entry, 'Work Your Magic', 'Frauen A victorious Marija Serifoviç engaged by YLE after working with the broadcaster on Regier'n Die Welt' by Germany's Roger Cicero (Will flies the Serbian flag an athletics World Championship in 2005. This Young meets Michael Bublé), 'Song No.1' by Russia's department was led by Bill Parkes, who oversaw the 12 Serebro (three gorgeous would-be Sugababes), and 40ft artics of gear transported to the site. These were Spain's 'I Love You Mi Vida' by D'Nash, which deserves lifted off the road bridge beside the venue into the a mention if only for shamefully ripping off Ricky Martin gennie park area with a 200ft reach crane. Space was without anyone batting an eyelid. so tight that each piece had to be fitted in like a jigsaw. Arguably the classiest of the lot was 'Unsubstantial Energyst supplied 6000 kVA of lighting power and Blues' by Magdi Rúzsa of Hungary — a sultry, Elkie 2000 kVA of technical power encompassing all other Brooks-flavoured song which should never been departments including the TV broadcast facilities, audio allowed to dignify an otherwise disposable selection. and video, plus dedicated switchboards for both. All of That Serbia came out victorious with a massive this entailed running some 15 kilometres of mains cable 268 points for the downbeat 'Molitva' ('Prayer') by and burning about 4.5 tonnes of diesel a day. Phew! Marija Serifoviç — the daughter of a famous Romany The power was distributed locally throughout the singer — was indicative of the increasing trend for building via local points and break-outs as specified by countries to vote for their neighbours in an apparently the various departments. They deployed 12 people on pre-organised pact, regardless of the quality of the song. the in, 15 on the out and three engineers during the It was therefore no surprise that the UK and Ireland running phase. Parkes commented: “This is one of the came bottom of the pile, and that 14 of the top 16 better organised jobs I’ve worked on for a long time, countries were from the eastern side of Europe. and thanks to YLE’s attention to detail the atmosphere Of course, this is far too analytical of an event has also been excellent.” that, on a musical level, should rarely be taken seriously. Talking of atmosphere... that’s one of the essential The production values, however, are as good as they elements to sustain team camaraderie during a long installation such as this. Apart get anywhere in the world, and it's on that note that we leave the crisp, clean air of from excelling at amassing a world class production team, Ola Melzig is also adept at Helsinki, and say a hearty 'Onnittelu!'* to everyone in the crew for a mission very ensuring that everyone has a good social experience whilst working with him. well accomplished. “People are really what make this show rock,” he concluded. “And this year, we have The 2008 Eurovision Song Contest Final will be held at Belgrade Arena in Serbia certainly done that!” on May 24 2008, hosted by broadcaster RTS. TPi AFTERMATH That's the technology dealt with but — as it says on the tin — this is a song contest, Photography by Louise Stickland, Ralph Larmann, so what of the 24 songs that competed in the Final? Alain Douit and Mark Cunningham Amongst the few genuinely enjoyable numbers were Sweden's 'The Worrying Kind' by glam rockers The Ark, 'Youssou Maria' by Greece's Sarbel, Koldun with the *Onnittelu! = Finnish for 'Congratulations!'
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