Eurovision 2019 started months ago as a huge dream, and in May it finally becomes a reality. In a few weeks the stage in Expo Tel Aviv will be ready for the first technical rehearsals and it’s now time to find out a bit more about what we can expect. The head of production Ola Melzig recently revealed some behind the scenes info to Live Design, and we’re distilling the most relevant bits for you below.
At the moment, the production crew are working in Tel Aviv on the lighting and video content that will be pre-programmed into the computer systems. The official date for the load in — that’s the moving of massive equipment, including lights and rigs, into the venue — kicks off on April 1. After that date we can expect to see more updates from within the venue.
Previously stage designer Florian Wieder revealed that triangles, which nod to the Star of David, and the number 12, which refers to the 12 ancient tribes of Israel, will play a role. Melzig reconfirmed the news, adding that the triangles will have video strips and that the stage will also include revolving LED panels and “a lot of things on automation.” And as is standard, there will be LED walls, an LED floor, some moving lights and plenty of pyro. This stage doesn’t sit. It lives!
Apparently not all of the competing delegations want to rely solely on the LED walls and floor. Melzig says that some have asked for projections and other video options, which have required some additional projects to be added to the venue.
One country in particular seems to have very big ambitions.
Melzing speaks about one delegation — without mentioning its name — that requested some special LED tubes that are only available in Nashville. As the original supplier was far too expensive, and as Israel is a bit far from Europe and the US, the production team decided to source them closer to home. Melzig explained that it’s much more cost-efficient to get items from the suppliers they’re already in contract with, since they’re already shipping their equipment to Tel Aviv. Any idea of which country he’s referring to?
When Melzig was asked about the crew — that’s everyone from lighting technicians to stage sweepers — he mentioned that they are mainly locals. In fact, it’s the most local crew that he’s ever seen at Eurovision. Most of the lighting and video content creators as well as the multi-camera director are Israelis, but of course they draw on international support and expertise in a number of the roles.
During April the crew will start to install the technical equipment inside Expo Tel Aviv and will build the stunning stage that we’ve been dreaming of for months.
You can read more about the technical details and stage plans in our earlier posts:
Are you getting excited for the Tel Aviv stage? Which countries do you think Ola Melzig was talking about? Let us know in the comments below!
I feel like it will be Greece, Azerbaijan or Malta. Azerbaijan because they said they want to make the staging look kinda like the music video, Malta for obvious reasons and Greece because they want to keep the same aesthetics on stage as in the music video they can use them as neon lighting signs or sth like that where they write Better Love or idk?
To emphasize the point below, I’m afraid all of the state-of-art tech this year will distract too much, since LED is everywhere, but we’ll see in May.
About LED tubes, maybe it’ll be something like this?
https://youtu.be/HKkdRhJrfVk
Looks good for me, but I didn´t saw what this stage can do…I´ll be waiting for the rehearsals 🙂
By the way I loved the stage in 2018, as I loved the stage in 2014 as I loved many other amazing stages on ESC.
Have fun
nobody saw this stage in action….so calm down
Doesn’t It Remind You of Something? Here is a little clue..
I think that’s the country who wants the led tubes is Malta. The song requires creative and colorful staging and the delegation has gone the distance for a modern stage show (Christabelle last year with the screens and lasers). If it is Malta, I’m excited to see what they bring.
OK almost everybody is talking sh@t about Portugal stage and how this year is so much better. The stage this year looks awesome. No doubt about that. But what I see in this article is that many delegations are opting to bring their stuff AS WELL . Also the Israelis seem to be cost conscious as well, as the Portuguese and rightly so! If I were Portuguese or Irareli I would care about how the money is spent because we are talking about tax payers and/or consumer’s money. Besides Norway had one of the least expansive ESC without LEDs (… Read more »
Projections can be for Azerbaijan, but led tubes are heavily used in Srbuk’s video
That country asking for equipment from Nashville clearly has to be The Netherlands. After all Ilse de Lange is officialy announced as Duncan’s stage director (together with Pannecoucke) and has long lasting routs in Nashville. Any other country that wants to drown its act using led-tubes?
I love this. The more ambitious, the better. 🙂
sounds exciting!!! i missed an impressive stage. this is a TV show after all.
Cyprus will do a lot of visuals/projections so it is either Cyprus or Russia for the high ambitions staging.
Despite the small arena (and unsold tickets), the stage will receive positive reviews.
I just hope the UK can pull of a good performance and good staging that’ll be memorable enough for the points getting to us!
I think it’s russia….greater than life staging is fitting for “scream”.
Probably Australia? They ditched the flexible pole and for logistic reasons it makes sense it’s them who requested the special lights.
Portugal made the best live show so far. I can’t wait for Israel.
I’m addicted to stages and performances <3
This stage is conceptually great and jam-packed with technologies, but I can’t say it’s better than last year’s or the formers, YET. Although 2018 didn’t have many options, and made fans ‘disappointed’ the utilization was undeniably great–the performance shows you the singers’ attempts to make the song good. There’s a potential of having a greater stage rather than a greater performance on 2019, as somebody pointed this some time ago–Wieder tends to make his STAGES to look great, so instead of having your focus on the acts, you can find yourself getting distracted by the beauty and technology of the… Read more »
I truly don’t understand what is your point? A good stage is one that provides the full package to the performing artists. Period. It was pathetic that every country had to find a solution to the dull stage and bring their own decorations. Come on. Is this Ikea or Eurovision. I don’t buy this as a concept. It rather felt like Portugal was saving the money and had to justify it with a cover story
It was more pathetic to think a good stage show should include LEDs, pyros, shifting stages, or other options. For f*cks sake, no. They’re visual enhancers. In smaller or bigger productions, either a theatric or a tour concert, you don’t have those options. Still, there’s a need to bring a good stage show–that’s why we would have rehearsals, choreography, and of course, IKE-A properties. Even an excess of technology is not beneficial. Moscow 2009? Copenhagen 2014? Kyiv 2017? They’re full of technologies or big LEDs but most performers drown it it. This is when Lisbon comes in, it’s big, but… Read more »
I agree with you in principle but Lisbon did have a lot of options. Pyro was intensively used. It had bridges and the lights were state of the art. I think even it was too advanced for and delegations didn’t know what to do with it.
With or without LEDs many countries award brought their one stuff if they felt the needed it. So this narrative that last year’s stage was poor and countries had to bring stuff is completely wrong and misleading. Besides the stage had massive state of the art technology in the lighting camaras and most importantly sound. Also it had lots and lots of pyro. All that makes a good show not only the freaking LEDs
Dude the Magic Panel FX in Lisbon 2018 are MUCH MORE expensive than LED screen..
Just wake up to reality!!It was not to save money! Portugal is not Burundi
Where is the big fishtank for our Duncan? He better be swimming buttnaked on stage!
The important thing is not the size, but how good you can use it
Everything is better compared to last year stage
This is not true and I am sure you are making this comment out of envy or racism.
OK… this stage is still crap .Period. It’s ugly, it’s small and thinking abut how it will look live just makes me cringe a little. So what if it has moving triangles big deal. 2014: 3,000 lights across the venue, water surrounding the stage, it was in the shape of a diamond and 1,200 square meters of LED panels. 2016: The LED wall was broken apart and will allowed the artists to move around inside it, as well as optical illusions. 2019’s stage is crap compared to these as it looks awful and the moving triangles make it look even… Read more »
you need a chill pill cause the stage looks incredible 🙂 bye bye
Yeah, I think it’s great
Wow, calm down. Since it’s not yet utilized, we have to wait until approximately first week of May.
You can’t seriously judge the stage until after the show is over so relax with your silly analysis.
What a pathetic bunch of bullcr#p
The stage hasn’t even been built yet, we cannot make an actual opinion on it from just photos because we cannot see what the stage can do and what it’ll look like for the various acts
I prefer smaller stage. I think filming on smaller stage is more effective than on big stage. And when you are inside smaller arena, you can be closer to the show.
Maybe that country can be Italy: in fact mahmood in an interview spoke about “changes in performance, something different from the Sanremo’s one” so I hope LED tubes are for Italy
I hope so, Sanremo stage is too reductive compared to Eurovision
Maybe Azerbaijan
I am sure those leds from Nashville are planned for Azerbaijan’s performance…
So the performance will look similar to the videoclip
Best from Spain
thats what i was thinking
I don’t think that the tubes will be like the ones of Ingrosso or SuRie. That would be too simple, and I’m sure not only Nashville has that.
It’s funny how everybody says “only music should matter”, but when a mystery like that appears, everybody hopes it’s his/hers country that will benefit.
If the stage can shif itself we will have much better acts staging than we had in a while.
LED tubes make me think about S!sters. They have a picture with their faces alternating.
I think the moving triangles will look like this:
https://youtu.be/Hokt53wDop4
wow cool ! thanks
Nashville? Ilse (de Lange) is part of Duncan Laurence’s artistic team and she spends a lot of time in Nashville and it’s music and performance scene…..
Hmm, I think, that’s just a coincidence. Arcade doesn’t really sound like a song to use a lot of led tubes. Altough i’m not quite sure what to picture in mind when i hear “led tubes” all i can think about is Surie’s stage bows from last year.