THE MOST EXPECTED EVENT IN EUROPE WAS CELEBRATED THIS YEAR AT TEL-AVIV WHERE PREMIUM LIGHTING BRANDS REPRESENTED IN SPAIN BY STONEX FASCINATED MORE THAN 2 MILLION TELEVISION
* Photographs by Ralph Larmann and Stonex
When 41 countries gather to celebrate music, the most impressive show is served. Eurovision Song Festival 14, 16 and 18 were held in May at the Tel Aviv Convention Center, the capital of Israel, after the victory last year of its representative Netta Barzilai. It is the most important appointment for premium brands in the audiovisual and entertainment sector. With authentic arsenals of moving heads, control tables and gigantic structures that support the material, ETC, Claypaky, Ayrton, MA Lighting y Movecat they have been, among others, the ones in charge of creating the most incredible and spectacular environments for the 62º edition of the festival.
The pre-production process of this gigantic event has lasted approximately nine months. The work of the entire technical team has been focused on achieving perfection in the 42 performances -including the performance of the winner of the last edition- all under the command of Ola Melzig, Production Manager of the show.
None of this would have been possible without the fantastic programming work that has required a large number of professionals and a total of 17 Consoles grandMA2 de MA Lighting in its different versions: 4 grandMA2 full-size, 13 grandMA2 Light, in addition to 22 units of MA NPU and other 22 of the MA 8Port 'Node. On this occasion it is common to see these consoles, the most powerful in the market, take control of the festival. A show of these characteristics needs to have the highest precision and versatility when it comes to control. There can be no errors or limitations.
For the complex programming of the shows, a total of 250 DMX universes, 120.000 parameters and 80.024 meters of cable dedicated exclusively to lighting equipment. All a technical deployment that makes possible the show and originality in each of the performances.
The light, protagonist one more year
Among the more than 2.300 luminaires that were part of the scenario - supplied by LiteCom - we found a lot of premium material distributed in Spain by Stonex. For this special occasion CLAYPAKY once it became one of the featured names with a large amount of material. Each year a large number of their devices are part of this international event, always being a reference, with products that have proven their worth by passing the test of time with a note.
This year the stage was dressed with a total of 66 AXCOR 600 from the Italian brand, powerful mobile heads designed to project clear gobos in multiple colors and cut-out beams thanks to their fast blades. Along with the strong commitment to LED, there was room for conventional lighting, in tune with the time the sector is experiencing. The 152 powerful units Sharpy Wash they combined with 116 Sharpy Plus, the novelty of Claypaky in terms of lighting with a lamp. To end, 72 units of Unique Scenius They completed the different designs with dense aerial projections that helped create from ethereal environments to heavy atmospheres charged with movement.
The spectacular design of the stage has been run by Florian wieder, while the lighting design has been the work of the Israelis Dakar Azulay y Ronen Najar. The main element in this design was the triangle and the Star of David, for its symbolism in the Israeli culture, as well as the number 12. The programming of the different shows has taken a job of 24 days of pre-programming and has needed a total of 30 operators during the show.
Ayrton is crowned during this year's gala
Among such luminary, highlights the products of Ayrton, the brand with the most presence in the Eurovision festival. Little by little opening up, this manufacturer has been able to launch products that meet the current challenges in the lighting sector. This has become the favorite of many international illuminators thanks to the quality of its luminaires and a wide portfolio in which stands out the interest for constant innovation.
A large number of their profile Ghibli (46 units) and Khamsin (106 units) have taken the stage taking a relevant role in all the designs of the different performances. The popular wash Explore It has also played a crucial role in creating colorful environments with a total of 44 present units. And if there is a winner among the products of AYRTON, they are without a doubt its effects, which have been responsible for providing the stage with a frenetic movement and a spectacular color. Nothing less than 206 units of MagicBlade-FX, combined with 358 Magic Blade -R y 54 MagicDot-R They were in charge of giving life to the most daring designs, bringing dynamism and color along with the huge LED screens.
The best lighting on television, a job for ETC
However, not all the show was offered by mobile luminaires. Nothing less than 210 Popular clipping units Source Four LED 2 Daylight HD de ETC they threw white general light on the Tel Aviv Convention Center with its powerful LED chip. A star device in spaces intended for television broadcasts thanks to the quality of its white light, easily adjustable to achieve both warm and cold tones, always offering high color fidelity.
All the design of the stage in which many elements were incorporated, from sound equipment to LED bars that formed dozens of triangles, were supported thanks to a rigging work in which the use of the German motors stood out. Movecat. With a motorized system for lifting structures it is possible to carry out complex assemblies in a shorter time and with greater safety both of the equipment and of the people involved in the assembly work thanks to its double brake system.
In Spain, the company Stonex is an official distributor Claypaky, Ayrton, ETC, MA Lighting y Movecat, among other well-known brands. As a national reference in professional lighting and stage engineering, Stonex brings more than 39 years of experience offering integral solutions for the sectors of entertainment, entertainment, architecture and emergency lighting; comprising the design, supply, installation and maintenance of scenic equipment and premium lighting.