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grandMA for Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Hartwall Arena, Finland's largest ice hockey arena, was chosen to host the biggest live TV-show in Europe - the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. A record number of 42 countries participated in Helsinki.
Lighting and screen designer Mikki Kunttu presented to the estimated 100 million viewers on TV a visual voyage into mythology as well as rock and pop culture: “My goal was to create an exciting, powerful and organic show architecture based on LED screens and moving lights. As the physical set was based on ideas originating from Finnish mythology, it actually was general enough to give me a lot of freedom to create my own ‘show mythology’, if you like, outside of that,” said Kunttu.
To control about 430 moving lights, consisting mostly Robe fixtures plus a few VL3500Q spots, and nearly 400 square meters of LEDs 10 grandMA full-size, two grandMA light and 20 MA NSPs, including backups, were used. “The grandMA system worked like a clock,” commented Kunttu.
“We’ve gathered a lot of experience during the last Eurovision Song Contest in Athens,” recounted MA programmer Marcus Krömer. “What was special this year was the use of Timecode in a multiuser session. Timecode, which is integrated into every grandMA console, gives you the huge advantage that you can concentrate on the essential, while everything is run by the console automatically. Additionally it was possible for the programmers to run the rehearsals and simultaneously do changes. Sometimes the changes were done before the actor on stage had finished his song.” The multiuser functionality of the grandMA enabled the programmers to split the huge system of moving lights on stage and work on the songs in parallel and therefore much faster.
During the pre-programming in Helsinki, grandMA 3D and six MA mediaPCs helped to prepare this unique show. “The operators were working with grandMA 3D to help them with the programming. Additionally we used ESP Vision as a designers reference,” said Kunttu.
Thirty-seven W-DMX Generation 3 BlackBox units, manufactured by Wireless Solution Sweden AB, were used to send wireless DMX signal to moving trusses and other equipment during the show, eliminating the need for excess cable. W-DMX controlled a total of six universes of wireless DMX, including moving trusses containing Syncrolite B-52s and the Robe moving lights. It was also used on a 120cm large prism mirror ball suspended from the ceiling, custom assembled mobile fog machines, and a Cyberhoist-rigged fogscreen that descended from above the stage during the interval act.
Spectra Stage & Event Technologies AB, Sweden, and Eastway Sound & Lighting, Finland, were the technical suppliers for lighting and video technology solutions. Finnish public service broadcasting station Yleisradio Oy (YLE) worked in conjunction with European Broadcast Union (EBU) to produce and transmit this year’s edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Ola Melzig of M&M Production Management from Sweden was the production manager: “It’s been a great pleasure to work with MA. The support was fantastic and the results were stunning.” Tobias Åberg was crew chief, Jussi Kallioinen local production manager. Desk operators were Pekka Martti, Antti Rehtjärvi, Juha “Mäksä” Mäkinen, Mikko Linnavuori, Mikael Sylvest and Morgan Brown.
photos Louise Stickland and Ralph Larmann.
25th May 2007
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