"As soon as we receive the first act, we begin programming the lights. The lighting designer Per Sundin from Swedish Television, Catalyst operator Pontus Lagerbielke and I will have programmed 60-65% in a virtual setting in Stockholm before we get to Kiev at the end of April. Then we work onsite in a larger team to prepare for the semifinals on May 19 and the finals on May 21," says Peppe Tannemyr.
With 16 Catalyst systems, the production will break its own world record set at last year's finals and deliver approximately 1,300 cubic meters of lighting and video. The lighting of 40 songs, introductions, and intermission acts means that the thousands of cues and hundreds of gigabytes of graphics, which are rendered by over 20 PowerMac G5 computers, is also a record. "Even if we have been involved for some time with our network, we look forward to this new challenge in a new country with new people to work with and the challenge of all new technology," says Ola Melzig, production manager for Spectra+, which has been named the official lighting and technical supplier for the fifth year. This means they provide the lighting, video, and rigging as well as production planning, logistics, lighting design, and technical coordination.
"We are naturally proud to have been chosen again to do the artistic design of all the digital material for the Catalyst systems and video projection. For the fifth year in a row, Beacon is also the sponsor of all the custom made gobos," says Michael Tannemyr, president of Beacon.
(Lee Baldock)
