[SPECIAL] Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest

Due to the win of Duncan Lawrence in 2019, the annual Eurovision Song Contest was organized this year in Rotterdam Ahoy.

“It was an unparalleled show, proving that the Dutch events industry is world-class. To be able to live up to expectations during the pandemic is truly an achievement that makes us proud,” says CEO Cees-Jan Faber.

Stage

Faber was responsible for all video display technology, providing the video hardware, and the team of technicians who installed and operated the equipment. All 39 participating countries were able to list their specific video requirements to the ESC creative team for integrate into the overall show design. The most eye-catching part of the set designed by Florian Wieder (also known from the Emmy’s and MTV Music Awards) was the LED backdrop 52 meters wide and 12 meters high.

850 m² LED screens

Faber supplied a total of 850 square meters of LED and 100 LCD screens in Ahoy. And in addition to the construction and breaking crew, ten Faber executive technicians were active on site. “The integration of all kinds of techniques and the expertise of our people to make everything possible was of a special level,” says Sales Director Jeroen Jongenelen. “But extraordinary, of course, is what effect this had on the audience, in the hall, and at home.”

Eurovision Song Contest

Client: NOS/NPO/AVROTROS
Location: Rotterdam Ahoy
Products:
- 508 m2 LED-wall (ROE BQ4 on Megapixel VR’s HELIOS Processing Platform) with 360 degrees spin possibility center panels
- 127 m2 LED-floor and 27 m2 LED-floor (ROE Black Marble BM4)
- 110 m2 runaway transparent LED-screen (ROE Vanish8)
- Additional technique: HF network (5 simultaneous signals) with more than 100 LCD-screens, various laser projections and 8 IMAG screens.

© Photos: Nathan Reinds/ NPO/ NOS/ AVROTROS

LED screens and media servers

This 508 m2 LED wall was constructed from ROE Visual’s latest in/outdoor product, BQ4, and controlled by the Megapixel VR’s HELIOS LED Processing Platform. Furthermore, this wall contained two 12 meter high LED doors in the middle, acting as the entrance to the stage for the performers. The doors visually shaped the theme ‘Open Up.’ Because they were able to rotate 360 degrees live, they created different looks and additional depth for the performances. Also included in the design were 2 ROE BM4 LED floors, one in the main 127m2 stage and one in the 27m2 B-Stage, fitted with dark glossy glass panels, for the ‘top shots’ during live broadcasts.
A 110m2 transparent ‘runway’ LED screen by ROE Vanish8 in the center of the venue created an extra dimension as a backdrop for the B-Stage.

For video content control, the team used 12 Disguise media servers, 4x VX4 and 8x GX2c, all with 24/24h support from Disguise in London. And for pre-programming of video content and light, and for programming and operating in Ahoy, Jo Pauly of Visual Solutions and Lex ter Heurne of By-Lex were added to the Faber team. Ter Heurne also took care of the content network. The crew used the Barco Event Controller platform for video switching.

Technical production Eurovision Song Contest

Head of Production Erwin Rintjema of Sightline Productions was responsible for the technical production of the ESC; video production was in the hands of Head of Video Hans Cromheecke.

Erwin Rintjema

“The scale and scope of the ESC are unlike any other. This year, we managed to step up in quality again with Faber responsible for LED and controls. Faber delivered and controlled this flawlessly from A to Z, thus delivering a truly world-class performance. From the very first preparation to the live shows, the Faber team was in complete control. They remained enormously flexible and able to process the enormous amount of changes and updates constantly. In that, they are unique!”

Hans Cromheecke

“The LED screen used was certainly unusual with its 11252 x 2592 pixels. By implementing the new HELIOS processors, Faber was able to achieve this increase in scale without any shrinkage, with 10-bit processing, 100% redundancy, all while remaining super user-friendly. The ROE BQ4 Black Quartz LED screen and BM4 floor are of the same high quality. Faber also won the video part because they had the right attitude for this project from day 1. Faber was granted the tender partly because of its balanced team, tremendous experience and drive to give it a 100%. Their passion for the job was visible.”

Aftermovie

Watch the aftermovie above and discover how the Eurovision Song Contest is build.
Curious about audiovisual solutions for your live event? Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Faber Audiovisuals: Creator of live experiences