Ayrton adds architecture to Eurovision spectacle
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“The exemplary cooperation with Ayrton was vital for the success of the show and the almost 800 fixtures from Ayrton gave Jerry an important addition to his toolbox, enabling him to create a magnificent, multi-layered design that was absolutely needed to master this beast without having LED screens or any other video canvas in our set up,” says ESC head of production, Ola Melzig. “And guess what, we did not miss video for a second of the whole eight hours of spectacular broadcasts we created in the wonderful city of Lisbon.”
With so many different performances in one night calling for a different look for each one, Appelt needed fixtures that would give him plenty of variety and choice, and the ability to mix it up for each number. He also needed fixtures that would deliver total reliability in the huge rig, and under live conditions with such a large global viewing numbers.
Appelt, who has lit the ESC extravaganza for three consecutive years, chose Ayrton because the entire product mix offered exactly what he needed for such an ambitious project: small, lightweight, powerful lights with a great optical efficiency and, moreover, absolute reliability. “This all matters not only for my creative work but also in terms of a hassle-free production, load, static, power consumption, output, service and labour cost, etc, none of which should be forgotten, despite not being visible on stage,” confirms Appelt.
The aesthetic surrounding the deep circular stage of Florian Wieder’s ambitious set relied upon the three-dimensional interplay between strong backlighting, a series of flowing wooden vertical ribs and a back wall of 351 Ayrton MagicPanel FX fixtures rigged on a custom-built aluminium wall, fabricated and installed by Ampco Flashlight.
The MagicPanel-FX were used to create a large variety of effects that gave bespoke looks for each entry of the 43 countries taking part. This included using the face of the MagicPanel-FX to make starcloth-style twinkles, pixel-mapping effects and run video layers to act as a low-resolution video wall, as well as dramatic beam effects through the scenic ribs.
Ampco Flashlight installed the wall with millimetre accuracy, using laser guidance precision to position each of the MagicPanel-FX fixtures to ensure perfect symmetry. “We were able to make some great looks with the MagicPanel-FX which were key to the architecture of the design and added great depth to camera shots,” says Appelt.
Also embedded in the back wall, interspersed among the MagicPanel-FX were 64 Ayrton Mistral-TC LED spot fixtures which were used to create powerful rays of light that emerged from the deep end of the stage through the entire arena. “
Ninety-six of Ayrton’s newly released MiniPanel FX units - a miniaturised 2x2 configuration of the MagicPanel-FX- were embedded in two rows around the sloping front fascia of the main stage facing the audience.
Out in the auditorium, the balcony fronts above the audience were rigged with 112 Ayrton Ghibli luminaires which were used for key lighting.
Thirty Ayrton MagicDotSX fixtures outlined the outer edges of the circular downstage catwalks and were introduced to increase the dynamic with mid-air effects.
An additional 60 Ayrton NandoBeam S6 fixtures were used in three lines for backlighting the audience in the infield.
The Ayrton fixtures were supplied and installed by Ampco Flashlight along with the full lighting, rigging (including the customised backwall), motion control and video package.
(Jim Evans)
