Guest post by Whether you like the Eurovision Song Contest or not, no one can claim they don’t put on an extravagant show. After watching the performance last night, the thing that stayed with me most wasn’t the music, but the stunning lighting effects, visual effects and camera work. The 1831 lights, 24 cameras, 380 speakers and hundreds of mics all need orchestration in a way that’s hard to comprehend. Software makes it all possible.
This year CuePilot was used to manage the entire production. CuePilot allows them to pre-programme all movement and to create a script for programming the lights, to pass to the camera operators and so on. It even allows them to create an entire pre-visualisation of the show — a 3D rendered simulation — before any footage has been shot.
It’s so nice that we work now in, actually it feels like a videogame. I cut my shots in CuePilot, I send it to [previsualisation], they put it in the [virtual] venue, and the venue is complete 3D of course now, with the light, with the movements, with the LED content and actually I see the song or the performance in actually real time and more-or-less real life.
The objective is not just to create an elaborate show, but also to manage the emotions of the audience watching it. Gil Laufer, an MSc student at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and Eurovision fanatic, has researched the effect it has.
Our hypothesis was that pre-programmed camera work will result in a more unified experience among the viewers. A unified experience means that in terms of emotions and their intensities, each individual among a group of viewers would feel the same as the other group members. This can be measured and later analyzed using statistical methods.
[…]The conclusions drawn from the research is that pre-programmed camera work can result in a more unified experience compared to manual camera work. The ability to do that depends on the overall creativity value of the production, which in turn depends on various aspects such as the number of cameras and the available shooting angles, the production team’s proficiency in using tools as CuePilot, and in the time that the team got to spend on the production.
Musical productions may not be the usual fare for OSAlert, but the fact is that the sophistication of orchestration, simulation of the final show, and bridging between the software and the hardware its controlling, just wouldn’t be possible without the developments made in operating system and software integration over the last two decades.
As an outsider, the text and links don’t really explain what this is. I had to look it up on youtube…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T12Zza_wjs
I can definitely see the camera effects. Anyone else feel like they are overdoing the camera effect a bit though? Good for a music video but for performance art I think it’s a bit distracting. Subtler may be better IMHO.
Anyways, since we’re focusing on the technology aspect, the pre-programmed camera visualization aspects are quite reminiscent of the “vista cruiser” system used in the back to the future films…
“VFXcool: Back to the Future Trilogy (1/2)”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtPA6nIBs5g (around 4:30)
I have no idea how that thing was programmed, but it’s a very similar concept they probably borrowed from Hollywood.
Thanks for posting!
Eurovision is a bit of a regional thing, so I can only apologise (on multiple levels). Having said that, just as you and @HollyB imply, I’m sure similar technology is used for many large-scale live performances. As a complete non-expert, it blows me away on a technical level.
Watching VFXcool and finding out how Hollywood effects are created just adds to the magic as far as I’m concerned.
“Subtle” is not part of the Eurovision vocabulary I’m afraid.
I identify as a European. Needless to say I’m not happy with Brexit and various elements and aspects of the UK but we are where we are. For now.
The UK establishment hasn’t treated Eurovision seriously for years and it shows. Plkenty of British people like it and bang their heads against the wall at how stupidly the UK handles Eurovision.
Onto the meat of the topic. I’m familiar with pretty much everything you’re discussing for one reason or another. Camera work is a really involved topic. I have (or had) a course of videos on this somewhere which goes into everything you would want to know. It can get very involved and is a lot to remember but fascinating. While familiar with this and automation and pre-visualisation and everything I didn’t know this amount of work went into Eurovision. I’m not sure the modern technology is the factor. I feel it’s more a question of ideas maturing than anything else. While different the level of skill between an old school multi-camera news control room and this operation isn’t that far removed. The actual equipment is more available today while back in the day it would have been a more bespoke operation.
I know you have to slap on a reference to OS and software to make it fit this site but from my perspective it’s a topic which discusses inventiveness and applied technology and techniques and skill which I like reading about.
The use of the possibilities of technology to manage the camera work as well as audiance emotions is intriguing. I suppose you have to be careful though as not to intrude upon mature direction of the show or detract from the performers. I daresay that is an academic paper of its own.
While from a different age theatre and opera are quite involved behind the scenes as is the design of the performing area. Some performers have their own presence too. Freddie Mercury is a personal favourite.
Also sometimes the best OS is the one between your ears. A little overlooked lately, some would say.
I think the UK won in a way. Glam Rock was created there in the 70s.
The change to tele-voting in 1998 upset the apple cart. Each country got to vote for everyone but themselves. So the countries with the most diaspora in other European countries would dominate. That was probably not the UK.
I never thought about it this way. I kind of thought Swden’s ABBA won. After Eurovision they originally made it big via Australia of all places courtesy of one radio disc jockey then exploded in the UK and gained popularity everywhere else.
Brexit and crusty elements of the establishment have upset me. As much as the UK handed the technology crown jewels to the Americans as a plan B against the Nazis and to pay for the war the UK benefitted culturally and socially and technologically from Europe even if the usual knee-jerks don’t want to admit it. Apologies for ignorant drunk ex-pats living in Spain and football hooligans. They’re nothing to do with me.
The visual effects during the winning song (I think it was an Italian band), recalled me the visual effects of the Kiss band on early 70s.