5 pillars that made the production of Eurovision 2021 possible

The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the main television events in Europe. Every year, he achieves audiences millionaires throughout the entire old continent. Its production involves a great effort in both planning and execution, always accompanied by numerous cutting-edge technologies. Thurid Wagenknecht, Programme Manager Global Events y Yung-Min Lee, Senior Project Manager, the Riedel, share with the readers of Panorama Audiovisual 5 pillars of the technical execution of Eurovision through a video conference from Rotterdam Ahoy itself, headquarters of the 2021 edition of the festival.

Possibly, this latest Eurovision gala has been one of the most celebrated in a long time. With the impulse of NPO, NOS, Avrotros y UER United y NEP They were responsible for the technical coordination of the event. Both companies decided to trust Riedel for multiple tasks, such as radio communications, the audiovisual signal management for the emission and distribution of images within the Ahoy Arena; or the development of a complex accreditation system, directly conditioned by the result of the 26,000 Covid-19 tests made to all the staff.

24 cameras were part of the production: seven surrounding the stage, a rail in front of the stage, a rail on the ceiling, two cranes, a double dolly, a single dolly, a 2D cable cam, a 1d cable cam, two steadicams, 1 fixed head and two shoulder camcorders. These capture devices, linked to 130 video signals, 140 intercom panels, 75 microphones, 1800 luminaires, five mobile units, a technical operations center, three support vehicles y 60 canales of EVS, served to shape a signal that could be seen throughout Europe, Australia and the US (via Peacock); and that had incoming connections from 40 different countries. Carrying it out has not been an easy task, as they tell us. Thurid Wagenknecht y Yung-Min Lee.

1. 365 days of preparation

Eurovision It is not done overnight. In fact, Yung-Min Lee dares to affirm that it is a work of “more than 365 days“There is a planning exhaustive which involves thinking about what kind of solutions the format may need, including before coordination with production companies. These conversations usually take place around October, eight months before the event.

This year's process has been even longer, as the 2020 edition was postponed due to the global situation caused by the pandemic. It has involved health and prevention challenges that have led to transform technical planning initially planned for Rotterdam Ahoy itself. In this way, the installation, assembly and testing process has ended up being extended month and a half. “Production at Ahoy began on April 6,” he specifies. Thurid Wagenknecht.

Upon arrival at the pavilion, the team installed different parts of production depending on the needs that arose in each phase of the project. Wagenknecht details that the first requirement was to implement the accreditation system and radio communications, via TETRA. Shortly after, the fiber cabling installation to create the entire infrastructure signal distribution. The last big step was carried out by the intercom system, which usually waits shortly before the different delegations arrive to finish executing the actions that will be seen in the semifinals and the grand final. In short, the installation takes between three and four weeks; essays, others two weeks.

2. Equipment used for the first time

Eurovision 2021 production evolves year by year. As he comments Wagenknecht laughing, changes come “as you get older and wiser.” work in Eurovision, In his words, it involves an “infinite learning curve” that makes each production different. There are elements that remain, but others who reconsider in order to offer the best possible show to European audiences.

Lee He tells us that, compared to the edition of Tel Aviv (2019) in which the intercom panels were connected through AES3 (“just as it had been done for the last 15 years”), on this occasion a network has been established AES67. To continue using old panels, network adapters were integrated NSA of Riedel.

Other key elements used were the new 32 key panels RSP-1232, “an improvement over the RCP-1028” due to its new buttons, colors and rings; nodes Artist-1024 y 60 intercom Bolero that, between laughs, Wagenknecht recognizes that they constituted a status symbol for the crew members (the more buttons and intercoms, the more responsibilities and higher status); and a wide range of MediorNet IP products, such as MuOn for commentator audio lines or FusiOn for video distribution in the control room for commentators.

Riedel He has also been responsible for the complete equipment of the commentators' positions, as well as the communication with the production controls of each of the countries that have personalized the broadcast of UER.

3. 48-hour accreditations

A crucial point that has been managed by the team led by Wagenknecht has been that of accreditations. Specifically, Riedel has signed the front-end of the entire management system, based on RFID (radio frequency identification).

Due to the pandemic and the protective measures implemented, access had a 48 hour time limitation. This implies that after 48 hours, if there was no new test Covid-19 that would certify a result negative, the technician, member of a delegation or artist He could not access the enclosure bubble again.

One of the most complex workflows was enabling that, once a person enters the Covid-19 test center, they are will completely deactivate all your accreditation. In this way, he remains in preventive quarantine until the expected negative result. According to Wagenknecht, these processes involve numerous software and hardware elements, so the coordination was “complex.”

4. The challenge of Covid-19

The creation of a bubble has not implied that there is normality in the day-to-day production. As detailed Wagenknecht, inside the venue each and every one of the measures recommended by the authorities regarding distancing are respected.

There is a meter and a half separation between each of the positions, the masks FFP2 are mandatory, a wide safety equipment is dedicated exclusively to ensuring that the measures are being followed and throughout the operations center there are positions with disinfectant and PPE; or rather, as it says Wagenknecht, “every three meters.” These extraordinary measures have expanded the space allocated for production, which in turn has meant that the communication equipment intended to cover the entire area had to be reinforced.

Likewise, the UER, host broadcasters and production teams have had to face several positives, which fortunately have occurred outside the bubble. This circumstance affected part of the delegation of Iceland the a Duncan Laurence, winner of the 2019 edition. Fortunately, they were able to record a shot of their rehearsals, which was broadcast live during the grand finale. There were also positives among the live production team, he says Wagenknecht, although both NEP and United anticipated this possibility and had up to two people to replace each position from the beginning.

The distancing and prevention measures within the bubble have been exceptional, but also effective. Of the 26.000 tests carried out, only the 0.06% were positive results.

5. Production in continuous evolution

The one that is for Wagenknecht one of the “most difficult productions” on television, given the number of people involved and the complexity of its organization, finds several ways to improve every year. On Riedel's part, Lee details that new improvements could possibly be integrated such as MicroN UHD In the event that it was decided to opt for a dissemination for UHD (although it is not clear to him given that “many broadcasters are not ready to broadcast under this format”); or new extension panels for the RSP of Riedel.

Even so, it is too early to know what the technical implementation of 2021 will be like. Italia, country that will organize Eurovision 2021 after the victory of Moonlight, you will have to decide what type of production to build and what type of equipment you decide to employ. In any case, Lee you feel confident: you are sure that they will be able to adapt to all the signal distribution or communication needs that may arise in the future.

A report by Sergio Julián Gómez