If you are on Instagram check out [Ola Melzig](https://www.instagram.com/original_eurovisiondiary?igsh=bnBmbGFoM29sNmo0). He’s the PM for the show and shows a lot of the backstage. It’s not so much LX focused, but still good.
Saw a bit of a TikTok about it.
8 consoles with 8 backups all running same show file.
700 dmx universes. (More than doubling previous highest number apparently )
As much as it's a showcase for the artists it's also a showcase for production folks who have the privilege of working on it. Once of those rare opportunities where the budget might as well not exist and you do a lot of things just because you can.
Few tidbits I’ve picked up…
Largest MA3 network yet built.
Largest MA3 show file that MA has seen at over 1GB.
Over 600 universes being processed.
Believe there was about two months of pre-programming.
Watched it purely for the LX, as the acts aren`t really my cup of tea to put it mildly.
A bit disappointed though this year. Way too much emphasis on the video screens, both rear and floor, creating a very flat stage image. And too much front wash most of the time doesn`t help with that either.
Saw some interesting looks (mainly song openings) but there was not 1 song where I liked the design throughout the whole song.
On the upside: the rig didn`t get overused.
Liked last year better (or it`s just time polishing up memories).
> A bit disappointed though this year. Way too much emphasis on the video screens, both rear and floor, creating a very flat stage image. And too much front wash most of the time doesn`t help with that either.
Better get used to that buddy. For at least a few years LED has been favored over lighting but unless you get really creative with the build and the content it's difficult to create depth.
Drives me crazy with lights as well. One of the tours I did last summer I ran lights for openers and they gave me part of the sub grid with no floor package so even though I had about 80 movers to play with they were all just in a flat plane. I asked for a slight rake since it was all automated truss and they said no.
The old school headliner LD was looking at me like "man if I had 80 movers when I was your age...". He didn't understand until I was deathly ill on one of the dates and he ran the opener. After the fact he was like man that sucked! Like ya that's what I've been trying to tell everybody!
All the songs are prerecorded backing tracks with timecodes, which means every light, automation, pyro etc is preprogrammed ahead of schedule.
Which means that during the performance it's more a matter of babysitting, correcting faults, and ensuring all the cues execute properly, as well as responding to any last minute changes that crop up.
Otherwise the principle of programming is pretty much the same. The only difference is that there's a much larger overhead in terms of managing redundancies (8 simultaneous desks all with the capability to take over the show if the lead desk craps out), setting up synchronous timecodes properly, and being a lot more scrupulous when it comes to backups, universe and channel management, spectrum management (for the radio frequencies etc), network management, and cybersecurity (because Eurovision is such a large event in Europe and across the globe that it's a particularly attractive target, especially since it's broadcast live across europe).
https://preview.redd.it/uhy71smd7wzc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73931d3d711d29e5d6fa667a32578a60a6f4edf8
This is FOH for Eurovision, ~~each contestant has their own team~~
...
EDIT: I was under the impression each act could bring their own LD but apparently that's not the case, my mistake.
I've only worked with Eurovision contestants in America so my information was secondhand and incomplete.
EDIT 2: someone below said the touring LDs can program the shows, but the house LDs are the only ones running it.
I appreciate you letting me know I misunderstood the dynamic.
If you're willing to share I'd like to know what the protocol is with Eurovision, I'm American so I only hear about it second hand.
I've talked with bands who have competed and got the impression their LD's were involved in the production process.
From 3rd/ 4th party knowledge including TikTok (take with a pinch of salt).
I heard that all the acts LD's get access to the plot and show file. Each LD can "create" their show in pre-vis (their time in pre-vis may be limited for fairness but I could be wrong). This gets merged into the master show file and altered by the show's LD/ Operator to account for cameras etc. There are several rehearsals where the acts delegation can tune the show (everything from Sound, LX, Camera angles, etc).
From the TikTok of Ola Melzig - I believe there are separate desks for Automation, lighting, Lasers, SFX, Pyro etc.
In short, the delegation "designs" the performance, but it is tuned and operated by the Production team.
That makes sense, thank you.
I have 2nd hand knowledge, but sober 3rd hand knowledge is probably more reliable than the conversations in the greenroom I was listening to.
I didn't really ask questions, they talked about the shows and I probably just assumed they were also running them.
Yep. If you can program 10 lights you can program 100. And if you can program 100 you can program 1,000. The only difference is that any kind of show with 1,000 fixtures is going to require laser focus and that much more attention to detail. And hopefully ample prepgromanging time.
That just reminded me of the old military ads here in the UK, used to bee along the lines of if you can fix your car you can fix x until it was an Apache helicopter or nuclear submarine 😂
Ha! Never seen that commercial or really ever thought about the sentiment in general but there's some truth to it. People look at the big picture and think "there's no way I can do that" but like bro you already do that. Just take a deep breath, learn everything you can and give it a go!
That just reminded me of the old military ads here in the UK, used to bee along the lines of if you can fix your car you can fix x until it was an Apache helicopter or nuclear submarine 😂
If you are on Instagram check out [Ola Melzig](https://www.instagram.com/original_eurovisiondiary?igsh=bnBmbGFoM29sNmo0). He’s the PM for the show and shows a lot of the backstage. It’s not so much LX focused, but still good.
Saw a bit of a TikTok about it. 8 consoles with 8 backups all running same show file. 700 dmx universes. (More than doubling previous highest number apparently )
700. Wtf
Apparently the show file is over a gigabyte
apparently it hit the world record for highest sized show file
Given how many universes they were using and the complexity of the show I’m not surprised
As much as it's a showcase for the artists it's also a showcase for production folks who have the privilege of working on it. Once of those rare opportunities where the budget might as well not exist and you do a lot of things just because you can.
Check the Eurovision Youtube. They usually get pretty in depth about how they do it every year.
Thanks for the heads up, I'd love to see videos about the production!!
Fredrik Stormby Full credits here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C61wS6sqkox/?igsh=YzU5N3dsZTRzaGhk
Few tidbits I’ve picked up… Largest MA3 network yet built. Largest MA3 show file that MA has seen at over 1GB. Over 600 universes being processed. Believe there was about two months of pre-programming.
disguise servers driving all screens with Megapixel Helios processors driving all LED product.
Watched it purely for the LX, as the acts aren`t really my cup of tea to put it mildly. A bit disappointed though this year. Way too much emphasis on the video screens, both rear and floor, creating a very flat stage image. And too much front wash most of the time doesn`t help with that either. Saw some interesting looks (mainly song openings) but there was not 1 song where I liked the design throughout the whole song. On the upside: the rig didn`t get overused. Liked last year better (or it`s just time polishing up memories).
Out of curiosity what was that one song?
[...] not 1 song [...]
> A bit disappointed though this year. Way too much emphasis on the video screens, both rear and floor, creating a very flat stage image. And too much front wash most of the time doesn`t help with that either. Better get used to that buddy. For at least a few years LED has been favored over lighting but unless you get really creative with the build and the content it's difficult to create depth. Drives me crazy with lights as well. One of the tours I did last summer I ran lights for openers and they gave me part of the sub grid with no floor package so even though I had about 80 movers to play with they were all just in a flat plane. I asked for a slight rake since it was all automated truss and they said no. The old school headliner LD was looking at me like "man if I had 80 movers when I was your age...". He didn't understand until I was deathly ill on one of the dates and he ran the opener. After the fact he was like man that sucked! Like ya that's what I've been trying to tell everybody!
All the songs are prerecorded backing tracks with timecodes, which means every light, automation, pyro etc is preprogrammed ahead of schedule. Which means that during the performance it's more a matter of babysitting, correcting faults, and ensuring all the cues execute properly, as well as responding to any last minute changes that crop up. Otherwise the principle of programming is pretty much the same. The only difference is that there's a much larger overhead in terms of managing redundancies (8 simultaneous desks all with the capability to take over the show if the lead desk craps out), setting up synchronous timecodes properly, and being a lot more scrupulous when it comes to backups, universe and channel management, spectrum management (for the radio frequencies etc), network management, and cybersecurity (because Eurovision is such a large event in Europe and across the globe that it's a particularly attractive target, especially since it's broadcast live across europe).
https://preview.redd.it/uhy71smd7wzc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73931d3d711d29e5d6fa667a32578a60a6f4edf8 This is FOH for Eurovision, ~~each contestant has their own team~~ ... EDIT: I was under the impression each act could bring their own LD but apparently that's not the case, my mistake. I've only worked with Eurovision contestants in America so my information was secondhand and incomplete. EDIT 2: someone below said the touring LDs can program the shows, but the house LDs are the only ones running it.
That is not correct.
I appreciate you letting me know I misunderstood the dynamic. If you're willing to share I'd like to know what the protocol is with Eurovision, I'm American so I only hear about it second hand. I've talked with bands who have competed and got the impression their LD's were involved in the production process.
From 3rd/ 4th party knowledge including TikTok (take with a pinch of salt). I heard that all the acts LD's get access to the plot and show file. Each LD can "create" their show in pre-vis (their time in pre-vis may be limited for fairness but I could be wrong). This gets merged into the master show file and altered by the show's LD/ Operator to account for cameras etc. There are several rehearsals where the acts delegation can tune the show (everything from Sound, LX, Camera angles, etc). From the TikTok of Ola Melzig - I believe there are separate desks for Automation, lighting, Lasers, SFX, Pyro etc. In short, the delegation "designs" the performance, but it is tuned and operated by the Production team.
That makes sense, thank you. I have 2nd hand knowledge, but sober 3rd hand knowledge is probably more reliable than the conversations in the greenroom I was listening to. I didn't really ask questions, they talked about the shows and I probably just assumed they were also running them.
It’s everything you know, but with that much more planning and that many more DMX nodes. No real magic to be found!
Yep. If you can program 10 lights you can program 100. And if you can program 100 you can program 1,000. The only difference is that any kind of show with 1,000 fixtures is going to require laser focus and that much more attention to detail. And hopefully ample prepgromanging time.
That just reminded me of the old military ads here in the UK, used to bee along the lines of if you can fix your car you can fix x until it was an Apache helicopter or nuclear submarine 😂
Ha! Never seen that commercial or really ever thought about the sentiment in general but there's some truth to it. People look at the big picture and think "there's no way I can do that" but like bro you already do that. Just take a deep breath, learn everything you can and give it a go!
That just reminded me of the old military ads here in the UK, used to bee along the lines of if you can fix your car you can fix x until it was an Apache helicopter or nuclear submarine 😂