The ESC is one of the world's biggest TV events. That makes it a great stage for guest appearances by international stars such as Justin Timberlake.
ESC: Spectacular Stage Design For The Mega Event
200 million viewers every year: The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the world’s biggest TV events. Spectacular stage designs are always an integral part of the performance.
The times when singers had to perform between papier mâché elements at the European Song Contest (ESC) are long gone. TV stations are outdoing each other with their stage concepts as hosts of the global mega event. For example, at the ESC in Kiev, Ukraine, a circular-shaped stage with lots of moving elements creates an exceptional setting for each artist. Or at the ESC in Stockholm, Sweden, massive LED walls provided optical illusions. But what does a stage really need for such a huge TV production? A look behind the scenes at the Song Contest, whose stage provides a perfect example of what is made possible by the combination of video technology, light and projections – and all thanks to ACRYLITE® LED color-changing back lit acrylic.
"It has to be spectacular, it’s in showbiz DNA!"
- Per Andersson
Head of Workshop at SVT, the Swedish public service broadcaster
Variety instead of monotony
Light flashes, mystic landscapes, spark explosions – the Eurovision Song Contest stage design is just as versatile as the songs presented on it. The stage need not only showcase the individual songs but must also provide variety. “The presentation of the songs takes over two hours. And the audience wants to be entertained the whole time. This is why we need a very dynamic stage,” says Per Andersson, who was responsible for the stage construction as Head of Workshop 2016 of the public service broadcasting SVT.
The ESC 2016 was the biggest ever TV production in the Scandinavian country. “The whole ESC productions have escalated and so have the stages. Huge arenas, high costs,” says Andersson. “But it just has to be spectacular, it’s in showbiz DNA! The audience wants to be amazed!”
Stand out at all costs
At the ESC, performances must stand out quickly to before the live vote. Performances that set themselves apart from the others often have a good chance to win. Creative elements—like dancing stick men on Måns Zelmerlöw’s stage or Sergey Lazarev walking up virtual stairs—showcase the cutting edge of light, video, and projection technology.
SVT chose a stage design by the experienced designers Frida Arvidsson and Viktor Brattström, who had already implemented their ideas in Malmö in 2013. “Back then we focused on a softer expression with no pixels and projections. This year we are trying to play with the room and create optical illusions,” said Frida Arvidsson when presenting the concept. The stage must therefore provide various options for customizing space, expanse and appearance.
Not one, but many
SVT’s stage and set project manager, Per Andersson, and his team then had to transfer the designers’ vision onto a real stage, ensuring that safety aspects and economic requirements were also met. The result was 154 feet wide, 126 feet deep and comprised all possibilities of modern stage design, like computer controlled lighting and 600 square meters of LED screens on the walls and a further 750 square feet on the floor. “The LED video walls are one of the special features of the stage,” explains Andersson. “Usually, an LED wall is a flat background at the rear end of the stage. In our case, however, it consisted of twelve individual screens,” with the front pair positioned ten meters apart from the pair at the very end. Singers and their dancers were able to move around on ramps between them.
Invisible pixels
“For the best possible visual experience, we required material for the LED walls that would allow the pixels to disappear. That was a huge issue, how to ‘blur’ 500 sqm with millions of LED pixel,” Andersson recalls. At the same time, the material should have a high-gloss black look when the LEDs are turned off and also a great clean deep black when the LED was on.
After a series of tests with a variety of materials, the choice fell on AACRYLITE® LED color-changing back lit acrylic supplied by our distribution partner in Sweden, gop – Glasfiber & Plastprodukter AB. “It was better than anything else that we tested”, says the designer of the stage, Frida Arvidsson. Andersson adds: “The diffusing effect was as close as perfect, the video was sharp but no pixels visible, and no moiré.” The interplay of light and the LED walls then produced the visual illusions the designers had anticipated. A high-performance stage for a spectacular show.
