The Eurovision postcards are one of the most anticipated non-performance parts of the song contest shows. How the Dutch host broadcasters have revealed the concept for the Eurovision 2020 postcards. The segments will show Eurovision stars participating in activities alongside ordinary Dutch people.
The trio of host broadcasters — NPO, AVROTROS, NOS — have shared their plans for the Eurovision 2020 postcards.
The show producers say the postcards’ theme has been inspired by the “Open up” slogan. But involving ordinary people in the clips, the broadcaster aims to show the positive connections of the Dutch community.
Dutch community groups will be involved
Sietse Bakker, Eurovision 2020 Executive Producer Event, says “Dutch people often meet each other through hobbies, activities, traditions and communities. From street barbecues, carnival organizations and fraternities to football clubs, choirs and breakdance groups.”
This suggests that these could be are some of the activities we will Eurovision 2020 stars getting involved with. Could Blas Cantó host a street barbecue? Will VICTORIA try some breakdancing?
But the show producers aren’t giving away much more about the postcard content. Bakker does, however, confirm that these won’t be your traditional scenic tourist highlights. He says, “This time we opt for a different interpretation than the often more tourist impressions presented by the Host Country during the Eurovision Song Contest.”
This suggests that the 2020 postcards won’t quite be using the same format as the scenic visits of previous years, such as Austria in 2015 or Portugal in 2018.
The postcards for 2013, 2014 and 2016 filmed the acts in their home country. Most recently, the postcards for Tel Aviv took a different approach and had Eurovision stars dancing in scenic locations around the area.
The Eurovision 2020 postcards will be filmed in March and April 2020 in the Netherlands. The 41 competing artists will each travel to a Dutch location and participate in a local “activity, tradition or hobby”.
Dutch people can also get involved with the postcards. The broadcaster is looking for groups who are willing to welcome a Eurovision star and let them participate in their activity. Examples given are football, skating, building a carnival car, playing bingo, baking pies or even sailing.
The show producers have released a video to get community groups involved.
Interested Dutch groups can apply at the Songfestival website.
Why does Eurovision have postcards?
Eurovision postcards are short, 40-second clips that are played before each performer takes to the stage in the Eurovision semi-finals and grand final.
The postcards serve two purposes. While the postcard is played, the time is used for the previous act to leave the stage and for the next act to get set up. With some Eurovision entries requiring complex staging, watching the changeover happen in just 40 seconds is a masterclass in stage work.
And since 2013, the postcards now always serve as an introduction to the upcoming performer. It gives the audience a short chance to get to know the artist in an everyday setting before we are drawn into their Eurovision performance.
What do you think of the 2020 postcard concept? What sort of community groups should get involved? Tell us your thoughts below!
Postcards used to have themes : 2002 = fairytales (funny interpretation), 2019 = dance. I’m tired of the same landscapes and singers baking bread with the locals.
Something that has been done 10 times before already. Boring.
The last postcards I really remember were Copenhagen’s . Very creative.
So somehow this is my job?
Who is making the postcards? The same outside company that made previous years, or the broadcaster themselves?
I’m pretty sure the postcards are always produced locally, in 2019 the production of the postcards (directors, editors, technical crew, choreography etc.) was entirely Israeli, and it was all Portuguese in 2018. In 2017 each broadcaster filmed their own footage for their postcard, but in 2016 they were shot across Europe by a Swedish production company and in 2015 it was done by the ORF.
Thanks. For some reason, I thought that the same company had been involved in the making for the last few years – I’m sure I remember reading that? I know there’s a bidding process. Maybe it’s just because they’ve all been quite similar, even the graphics, I dunno. I’m glad they are locally produced!
I know for a fact about my own country (Israel) that there was indeed a bidding process after the concept and chief directors were selected, but it was more of an internal regulation thing – the public broadcaster here is required by law to perform bids for any outsourced project, and the postcard bid was between Israeli production groups only.
Apparently the postcards are one of the few aspects of the contest that weren’t overtaken by Scandinavians or Germans.
In 2018 was also an in-house production of the broadcaster. But it was sponsered by the National Tourism Board, paying the expenses of the production. Hence maybe the confusion.
Thanks!
it’s a very nice idea from us, also i hope postcards will be filmed at locations which are our most beautiful ones, and yes we have lots of diverse and nice locations for postcards 🙂
2013 postcards were nothing new, it has been done many times before, the only thing was that it was not done for a while (I believe 2003 was the last year we had artists themselves in the postcards until 2013) and the technology in 2013 was better of course, so they were prettier. Anyway, good idea, it will be good, but nothing new and that is not a bad thing. There are only a few things one can do for postcards and the only thing you can do to spice it up is a twist with a theme like the… Read more »
This seems a very nice idea indeed and a refreshment as compared to the last two years, which were more about showing the tourist attractions, as gorgeous as they were both on 2018 and 2019. Now, dear wiwibloggs and Robyn, let me just for once take my seniority into the forefront and just flagg that postcards presenting the singers started a long time before 2013… As far back as I can remember in 1975 in Sweden the singers were given a blank canvas and paint so they could paint something, which to this day I find a wonderful and creative… Read more »
The first postcards were in 1970. It showed the singers in a town in their home country. (Although I think the singer from Monaco was filmed in Paris).
Right! I can’t remember that actually. It’s not a year that I have revisited many times and I didn’t see that one live 🙂 But in fact it makes sense that they were the first because 1970 marked a big difference in the scale of the show and there were many innovations introduced, funny enough also organised by the Dutch. And already back then they decided to present the singers.
I dont think it’s fair to complain about originality. There is only so much you can do with postcards, it’s purpose is to present the country, the performers or both. There is not much variety. I like the Dutch approach and could see it work
Have a look on what your country did in 1975 for postcards. I find it a wonderful idea never again repeated. 2000 was also very nice as a concept.
I like this idea because it helps the postcards move away from all the typical Dutch things that everybody already knows about (clogs, tulips, Amsterdam etc.) but I do hope they make it somehow scenic, I don’t know if the local soccer club or a pretty streat are good enough aesthetically to be part of a postcard. However, I think that judging by the level of expertise we’ve seen so far, Rotterdam will do a great job with the postcards as well.
It just doesn’t sound unique at all. I feel like it’s going to be a mix of 2011, 2015, and the 2018 postcards. Who knows maybe we’ll even see a repeat of the not one but two postcards from 2013 featuring 10 pin bowling ?
showing host country – done
showing your home country – done
doing your hobby – done
doing a surprise activity – done
showing your flag in a creative way – done
Tel Aviv had a good idea, when everything else has been done before.
Rotterdam will have beautiful postcards, I’m sure, but it’s not so original.
The Dutch organizers are so advanced with their plans, that they’ll be even more anxious than us fans to get to know the artists (and film the postcards ASAP, of course).
Artist: gets selected
10 min. later
Dutch organizers: So when will you come here to film your postcard?
Half hour later:
I see there is a flight boarding from yerevan to schiphol in two hours, can you make it?
If they are smart, they will record most during Eurovision in Concert, since most artists are in NL already 😛
Honestly, I’ll be like ‘if there is a knitting club on the list, I’m keeping it.’ It sounds cool and fun for the participants. Off Topic, but a funny one: My favourite crafting designer and shop is organising this crocheted monster club, where she’ll give you the yarn and you have to try to make a creature with it following one of the patterns on one of her books. She’s giving away prizes and the most popular ones may even make it to the shops catalogue. Now, I happen to have a penchant for use weird Eurovision/ NF costumes as… Read more »
“And since 2013, the postcards now always serve as an introduction to the upcoming performer. ”
Was this a Bjorkman’s idea?
Because before 2013, the postcards even touristy, were quite different.
Nowadays, it’s all the same.
Thank God Tel Aviv had something different!
Tel Aviv had the artists doing something at various (tourist) spots in the host country. In what way was that different?
(And yes, Bjorkman was behind the idea of focussing on the artists again. A refreshing idea after the 40 ways to film the Baku Flame Towers a year earlier.)
They had to learn to dance….not just being in the picture, this is the big difference
Not painting/making their own flag?
Enjoying the dance and being happy all around Israel? Having fun?
And I would take Baku Flame Towers x40 times than having Bjorkman involved EVERY FREAKIN’ TIME!
Honestly that’s a splendid idea. I love how much we’ve moved on since 1970, when postcards were literally just fillers to make the show longer. 2020 concept clearly stands in contrast to 2018 or 2012 one, where the goal was to show the most beautiful and remarkable places in your country. It acknowledges that the nation isn’t all about the monuments and vistas – it’s about the people, as the full picture is always more interesting than the cover. It also works ingeniously with the slogan – the viewers will be watching artists themselves “opening up” to different cultures, communities… Read more »
As much as I liked the 2018 postcards, indeed I also felt that the human element was missing, except maybe for some postcards. The one for Sweden, Norway, Israel, Armenia, Australia, Cyrpus or France comes to my mind, where you could see some human interaction.