Mark Savage
Music correspondent
Getty Images
Icelandic boy band Vev was the first act to perform on the Eurovision stage this year
35 seconds. It is always possible to change the set of Eurovision.
35 seconds to remove one performer from the stage and place the next performer in the right place.
35 seconds to make sure everyone has the right microphone and earpiece.
35 seconds to ensure that the props are placed and securely protected.
Dozens of people flock to the stage while watching an introductory video known as postcards, setting the scene for whatever comes next.
“We call it a Formula 1 tire change,” says Richard van Lowendar, the Dutch stage manager who makes it all work.
“Each member of the crew can only do one. They run on stage with one light bulb or one prop. They always walk the same line. They take a break from the course and they bump into someone.
“It’s a bit like ice skating.”
See the 30-second set change at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest held in Liverpool
The stage crew will begin rehearsals for “F1 tire replacement” just weeks before the contestants arrive.
All countries will send detailed plans for staging, and Eurovision will hire stand-in to perform the act (Liverpool 2023, it was a student at the local performing arts school).
“It’s about two weeks,” says Van Lowendarl, who is normally based in Utrecht but in Basel for this year’s contest.
“My company is 13 dacheese and 30 local guys and girls who shake it up in Switzerland.
“In the last two weeks I need to figure out who is right for each job: someone is good at running, someone is good at lifting, someone is good at organizing the area behind the scenes.
As soon as the song is over, the team is ready to roll.
Like stage hand, there are people who are responsible for placing the lights and setting up the fireworks. 10 cleaners to clean the stage with MOPS and vacuum cleaners between all performances.
“My cleaners are just as important as the stage crew. Dancers need a clean stage. However, if you have overhead shots of people lying down, you don’t want to see a shoe store on the floor.”
The attention to detail is clinical. Behind the scenes, every performer has their own microphone stand set to the correct height and angle to ensure that every performance is perfect for the camera.
“Sometimes, the delegation will say that the artist wants to wear another shoe for the grand final,” says Van Lowendarl. “But if that happens, the microphone stand is at the wrong height, so there’s a problem!”
SRG/SSR
Construction of this year’s stage began in early April, three weeks before the rehearsal began.
However, voluntary footwear exchanges are not the worst problem he faces. In the 2022 contest in Turin, the stage was 10 meters (33 feet) higher than the backstage area.
As a result, they were climbing steep ramps between all the acts, pushing forward heavy stage props, including mechanical bulls.
“We were exhausted every night,” he recalls. “It’s even better this year. There’s also a behind-the-scenes tent where you can prepare your props.”
Getty Images
The giant Spanish staircase is one of several props that Richard (photo, Inlay) and his team have to build in the middle of their performance at this year’s show.
Props are a big part of Eurovision. The tradition began with the second ever contest in 1957, when German Margot Hielscher had a phone (you guessed) phone for her song, part of the phone.
Over the decades, staging has become more and more refined. In 2014, Ukrainian Mariya Yalemchuk locked one of the dancers into a giant hamster wheel, and in 2017 Romania brought literal cannons to the performance.
This year I have a disco ball, a space hopper, a magical food blender, a Swedish sauna and a fallen chandelier for the UK.
“The reality is that organizing all the props is a huge logistics effort,” says Damaris Reist, assistant director of this year’s contest.
“It’s all organized in a circle of sorts. [props] Come to the stage from the left and move to the right.
“Behind the scenes, the props used are pushed back behind the queue. It’s all in the plan.”
“Smuggling Route”
During the show, there are several secret passages and “smuggling routes” to visually remove the props, especially if the performance requires new elements along the way.
Return to Samuraider’s UK performance at the 2022 contest in Italy.
There he was alone on stage, stretching out falsetto notes in a spanky jumpsuit.
And who do you think put it there? Richard van Lewendarl.
“I’m a magician,” he laughs. “No, no, no…it was a collaboration between the camera director, the British delegation and the stage crew.”
In other words, Richard was dressed in a guitar dressed on stage, but the director cut it into wide shots, hiding his presence from viewers at home.
“It’s choreographed to the nearest millimeter,” he says. “We need to be invisible, but we need to be invisible.”
Reuters
The 2022 Samuraider performance included a stylized space rocket and a magical look guitar
What if everything goes wrong?
There are certain tricks that viewers never notice, Van Lowendarr reveals.
If he announces “Not Stage” on his headset, the director can purchase the time by viewing an extended shot of the audience.
If there is a big incident where “the camera can break and the props can fall,” they cut to the presenter in a green room that can fill up for a few minutes.
In the Control Room, the dress rehearsal tapes play in sync with the live show, allowing the director to switch to pre-recorded footage if there is something like a stage intrusion or malfunctioning microphone.
However, visual glitch is not enough to trigger a backup tape. Just as Switzerland’s Sohme discovered in their first semi-finals on Tuesday.
Her performance was temporarily interrupted when the feed from the camera on stage freezes, but the producer cut it into wide shots until it was locked in. (If that had happened in the final, she would have been offered the opportunity to play again.)
“In reality, there are a lot of steps that are being taken to ensure that all actions are shown in the best way,” says Reist.
“There are people who genuinely know the regulations, people who play what happens and what we do in a variety of different situations.
“I’m sitting next to the head of production. [a situation] Where someone has to run, maybe it will be me! ”
Sarah Louise Bonnet
During the song at this year’s Eurovision, the British act remembers Monday
Sarah Louise Bennett
French star Rouen will raise certain challenges this year as her performance involves several kilograms of sand pouring onto the stage. To compensate, she runs on a large canvas folded and carried off the stage.
It’s no surprise to find out that staging a 3-hour live broadcast with thousands of moving parts is extremely stressful.
This year, organizers introduced measures to protect the welfare of competitors and crew members, including closed rehearsals, long breaks between shows, and the creation of “disconnected zones” where cameras are prohibited.
Still, Reist says that Van Rouwendaal and his team are regularly pulling 20-hour days, despite working every weekend for the past two months.
The shift is so long that in 2008, the legendary Eurovision productionman Ora Merzig built a bunker under the stage.
“I don’t have the hidden luxury like me. I’m not on that level yet!” laughs Van Lowendal
“But behind the scenes there’s a spot with the crew. There’s a Stroopwafels there and last week was King’s Day in the Netherlands, so we baked pancakes for everyone.
“I try to make it fun. Sometimes we have a great day so we go out and cheer with drinks.
“Yes, we need to be on top and sharp as a knife, but it’s also very important to have fun together.”
And if everything goes to plan, you won’t see them at all this weekend.
