TV Home Forum

Eurovision 2019

Israel - KAN - Tel Aviv - SFs 14, 16 May - Final 18 May - UK - Michael Rice. (May 2018)

NG
noggin Founding member
JamesM0984 posted:

Incidentally, SVT always have Edward Af Silen paired up some someone else except during SVT hosted contests, where a solo commentator has taken on the role with Edward writing the script. Unsure if he commentated for Sweden in 2010 as he wrote the script for NRK's show that year.


Pretty certain he did - the opening gag was about how expensive a latte was I think.
NG
noggin Founding member
JamesM0984 posted:
I attended the Altice arena every night. The sound mix in the arena, especially for the hosts, was diabolical. The problem is, talking to a crewmember in my hotel bar (I unwittingly booked myself into a crew hotel, next to the one DR's team stayed in!) they can't have it as loud as you'd have it for a concert. But it was quiet enough that you could have a conversation with the person next to you.


Broadcast sound mix (no idea about FoH) was done by a Brit sound supervisor. It was technically in 5.1 - but the surround ambience was incredibly minimal.
JM
JamesM0984
noggin posted:
JamesM0984 posted:
I attended the Altice arena every night. The sound mix in the arena, especially for the hosts, was diabolical. The problem is, talking to a crewmember in my hotel bar (I unwittingly booked myself into a crew hotel, next to the one DR's team stayed in!) they can't have it as loud as you'd have it for a concert. But it was quiet enough that you could have a conversation with the person next to you.


Broadcast sound mix (no idea about FoH) was done by a Brit sound supervisor. It was technically in 5.1 - but the surround ambience was incredibly minimal.


I've never listened in 5.1 oddly, unless the YouTube stream has a 5.1 audio mix on it (I changed Virgin boxes losing the BBC recordings and bought a 5.1 sound system after the contest.)

The sound on TV was great, the arena not so. Much I understand is to avoid feedback and aid the mix on TV.

Do the vocals still come through the centre channel, as they did during the famous reverse karaoke incident in 2008?
NG
noggin Founding member
JamesM0984 posted:

Do the vocals still come through the centre channel, as they did during the famous reverse karaoke incident in 2008?


Entirely depends on who is the sound supervisor each year.

Some years it's a full 5.1 mix with centre live vocals, backing track front left and front right, and ambience in the surrounds (the common Swedish approach they often, but not always, use on Melodifestivalen) (*)

In 2014 it was a front stereo mix with silence in the centre, and ambience in the rears (4.0 or 4.1 effectively)

Other years there is a Front Left, Centre, Front Right mix with vocals spread across the three channels, and ambience in the rears, so a different 5.1 mix.

(*) Melodifestivalen stopped this method for a while as the Swedish tabloids got wise to it, and started publishing 'what they sound like live' extracts from the centre channel. Now Melodifesivalen allows backing track vocals, which are L and R, the differences in some cases were quite marked... Given that Melodifestivalen is hugely influential on ESC (as so many people from MF have worked on the ESC some years - both in production and technically - what MF does is often similar to what the ESC does)
JM
JamesM0984
Interesting. What happened in Kyiv and Lisbon? Kyiv was mostly (but not entirely) SVT people but I know Lisbon was a somewhat more local team with some international positions (Bjorkman, Appelt etc) and like you say they used a Brit, which I know was new to the role this year.

Commentary I assume comes down the centre channel?
JM
JamesM0984
Ref. backing vocals - these are still not allowed at Eurovision proper. However, they are allowed at JESC. I hope that doesn't make its way into the adult show. Although I appreciate particularly for dance tracks where a lot of processing and effects on vocals is used it's a pain (see Poland this year) it would make it far too easy to cheat and mime to a pre-rec backing vocal. Indeed miming to a live out of vision backing vocalist already happens!
NG
noggin Founding member
JamesM0984 posted:
Interesting. What happened in Kyiv and Lisbon? Kyiv was mostly (but not entirely) SVT people but I know Lisbon was a somewhat more local team with some international positions (Bjorkman, Appelt etc) and like you say they used a Brit, which I know was new to the role this year.

Commentary I assume comes down the centre channel?


Commentary is added locally in control rooms in each competing country (so each country can do their own thing, and only a relative small number of countries take the 5.1 audio AIUI)

The UK's control room, as mentioned by Mel, is in Uxbridge, near Ruislip Smile (IMG Studios I suspect)

The commentary, I'd expect, is mixed sympathetically with the host mix - so rather than a 'one size fits all' approach, one that is informed by the way the host is mixing it would be appropriate?
JM
JamesM0984
Bit of news this week...

Helen Riddell has left the BBC, following the departure of Guy Freeman earlier this year so a new HOD is on the way, and consequently new producers for You Decide.

Be interesting to see what happens now and whether we get a stronger line-up of songs at EYD. We've been a few years behind the curve with the Scandinavian writing camps thing, and that "pop by numbers" approach doesn't work anymore - look at how badly Dance You Off misfired with the public in Lisbon.

Big changes at Melodifestivalen too: Edward Af Silen is back and SVT are rumoured to be unveiling their hosts very soon. I don't believe KAN have announced a core team yet, so one wonders if Christer Bjorkman will have a more hands on approach in MF should he not return to a production role for a fourth year.
OR
orange Granada North West Today
Hosts are being revealed tomorrow for mello aren’t they?
NG
noggin Founding member




So the Mello hosts have been announced. Good timing for Eric Saade publcity - he's got an album out I think (or at least a new single)

SDF is always fantastic - so looking forward to seeing her host.
DV
DVB Cornwall West Country (West) Spotlight
Fantastic.
JM
JamesM0984
noggin posted:




So the Mello hosts have been announced. Good timing for Eric Saade publcity - he's got an album out I think (or at least a new single)

SDF is always fantastic - so looking forward to seeing her host.


That's a fairly decent line-up. Shame the arms race of presenters at Eurovision has infiltrated MF.

Newer posts