The NDR converts the Eurovision Festival into a unique show

For the realization of the Eurovision Festival, held on Saturday 14 at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf (Germany), the NDR used a total of 25 cameras, including four hot heads, two Steadycam, a robotic on rails around the circular scenario and a Towercam. For an overview of the entire stadium under the deck, a Spider -Cam was deployed that, masterfully removed, offered unique sequence planes.

An estimated audience of 125 million viewers followed on Saturday night 14 from the Esprit Arena de Dusseldorf one of the biggest audiovisual shows in the old continent: the Eurovision Festival.

For the occasion, the organization dismantled the grass of the stadium by having platforms throughout the surface to house the more than 35,000 spectators who went to Esprit Arena.

El broadcaster anfitrión, la alemana NDR, encargó a Florian Wieder un espectacular escenario de 13 metros de diámetro, conectado a un set adicional, cuyo fondo estaba presidido por una pantalla de LED gigante de 60 metros de ancho y 18 de alto (1.080 metros cuadrados) con un total de 520 paneles LED. Una vez finalizadas las actuaciones, la pantalla gigante se abrió dejando ver una curiosa “green-room” en la que en una especie de colmena los representantes de cada país aguardaban nerviosos la votación de los diferentes jurados.

Un total de 35 kilómetros de cableado y ocho generadores diésel eléctricos permitieron alimentar 6 megawatios.

In lighting, the staging was carried out by the designer Jerry Appelt, who masterfully distributed 2,200 points of light, with a large deployment of more than a thousand robotized mobile heads, installed on seven kilometers of Truss.

The lighting, together with the Giant LED screen, offered a unique light show and personalized images for each performance.

Accomplishment

For the realization of the show, a total of 25 cameras were used, including four hot heads, two Steadycam, a robotics on rails around the circular scenario and a towerm. For an overview of the entire stadium under the deck, the NDR deployed a Spider-Master that, masterfully removed, offered unique sequence-sequence.

For highlightight and repetitions of the most stellar moments, NDR used the technology of EVS. In Eurovision production, a total of eight XT2 servers were used, one of them has been an XT2+ with external storage. This machine was reserved exclusively for artists and their managers being able to check in the pre-production and semifinal phases the sound, light and staging with the help of HD monitoring and sound 5.1. The other seven machines were reserved for the recording of the program and ISO Fuentes, distributing the signal to different broadcasters and the editors responsible for preparing the highlights. On the other hand, an ipdirector was used for the simultaneous playout to the different screens through different XT2 mains and the management of content of the recorded material (for example, to order the different trials).

As for Audio, this huge assembly deployed more than 350,000 watts, using a total of 90 Microphones Sennheiser hand and headband. Among other equipment 50 SKM 5200-II Handsender were used with Neumann KK 105, 72 SK 5212-II, 40 Em 3732-II, and 15 SR 2050 capsules.

In communications and signal distribution, the technology of Riedel Communications, a company that implemented a versatile system that included Mediornet, Rocknet, Artist and performer. Thanks to these Riedel solutions, the NDR converted a 15,000 -square -meter football stadium on a large television set.

Four Stagetec Aurus consoles with 48 faders, three of them installed in the mobiles deployed by NDD and a fourth on the HD mobile, carried out all sound mixtures. One of the consoles was used for music mix and a second for international sound. The third and fourth were used with backup before the forecast of any failure.

Each control room had its own Nexus network so that it could work independently of the others and can exchange audio data through Madi to form a single audio network. The production was carried out in sound in 5.1 and stereo simultaneously.

For informative coverage by the 2,500 accredited journalists, the UUR-EBU ordered a 7,000 square meter press center.

Jon-Ola Sand, como represenante de la UER-EBU, Thomas Schreiber, por parte de la NDR, y Dieter Thiessen, al frente de la ingeniería pueden estar más que satisfechos porque, pese a las dificultades técnicas que supone un montaje de este tipo, en la gran noche de Eurovisión saliera todo a la perfección en un impecable festival que ganó Azerbaiján con el dúo Ell&Nikki y la canción Running Scared.