The Stage

[FilipFromSweden]

I like the 2016 stage design but it is more Oprah W style than the 2015 one...

Just look at how round it is! The 2016 stage is anything but round

 

[hungo]

to me it looks promising. i like different styles of stages each year. denmark was great and austria i liked too, it was very different.

 

[QwaarJet]

I loved our 2013 stage, my favorite ESC stage so far, but I'm not completely sold on the 2016 one. It's too... I don't know.. square? I do like the broken-up LED screen behind it though.

Heh, I think you're the only one in this thread to say anything positive about the 2013 stage I always found it too small, restrictive and cheap looking.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

Yeah, 2013 wasn't bad other than it was far too small. Too big stages make the 6 singers/dancers look completely dwarfed, but too small makes it all look too cramped. Hopefully this year will be the middle

 

[GlamSIMorous]

I think this one will look phenomenal, because it differs so much from other stages from the past. My biggest concern is that people wont use the stage to their advantage. Ive been upset multiple times in recent years when seeing performances that couldve been elevated with special effects not using any really. I mean last year we had those cinematic things and they werent used? In 2014 some people didnt pay real attention to the fabulous squares in the background nor did they do something wonderful with water or the floor. Please, like every performance needs something special ... :/ Dont mess it up, guys!

 

[Dessi]

Yeah, it's OK.
It's a stage!!! ...
like all the other 60 years or so...
As far as I'm concerned they could all play in the forest, the harbour or at a busstation as long as the sound is OK.
Big or small?
Round or Square?
For me it's not important at all.

 

[hungo]

since the venue is not very big i guess the stage will be medium size

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

I think this one will look phenomenal, because it differs so much from other stages from the past. My biggest concern is that people wont use the stage to their advantage. Ive been upset multiple times in recent years when seeing performances that couldve been elevated with special effects not using any really. I mean last year we had those cinematic things and they werent used? In 2014 some people didnt pay real attention to the fabulous squares in the background nor did they do something wonderful with water or the floor. Please, like every performance needs something special ... :/ Dont mess it up, guys!

Totally agree with this. 2014 it was so underused - when Emelie made full use of it during the interval it looked absolutely amazing, but during most of the entries it actually looked quite plain and unoriginal.

 

[tuorem]

I think this one will look phenomenal, because it differs so much from other stages from the past. My biggest concern is that people wont use the stage to their advantage. Ive been upset multiple times in recent years when seeing performances that couldve been elevated with special effects not using any really. I mean last year we had those cinematic things and they werent used? In 2014 some people didnt pay real attention to the fabulous squares in the background nor did they do something wonderful with water or the floor. Please, like every performance needs something special ... :/ Dont mess it up, guys!

I agree that quite often the technology on offer is underused in performances. But we'll never know if the special effects you've mentioned have been proposed to the delegations actually, those may be have been reserved for interval acts and openings.

The biggest waste for me was last year's kinetic balls structure, that looked more like a pointless novelty since the hosts themselves didn't even use it. I mean they could have done a little show with music, lights and that moving structure I thought at some point they would show the flags of the performers with it (like a physical version of the 2010 presentation of countries), but nothing in the end.

As for the water in 2014, I believe it was meant to be used for Emmelie only, but I can be wrong.

 

[DanielLuis]

It's surely original. I think it's gonna look great on television as well

 

[ZoboCamel]

I think this one will look phenomenal, because it differs so much from other stages from the past. My biggest concern is that people wont use the stage to their advantage. Ive been upset multiple times in recent years when seeing performances that couldve been elevated with special effects not using any really. I mean last year we had those cinematic things and they werent used? In 2014 some people didnt pay real attention to the fabulous squares in the background nor did they do something wonderful with water or the floor. Please, like every performance needs something special ... :/ Dont mess it up, guys!

Yeah, there's always some fantastic new thing with the stage that nobody bothers to use. The floating ball things that they advertised with the stage reveal kinda never showed up last year, for example. Even setting aside particular features, it really seems like some countries don't put enough thought into what should be an easy, powerful staging concept. Examples from last year: Belarus could've had some of the best staging of the year if they'd replicated their music video, but for some bizarre reason they didn't, and just used a lame backdrop. Macedonia could've had some leaves falling from the ceiling, or at least an autumn-themed backdrop, but instead they used... ancient ruins? Norway had powerful staging in their national final, with a strong red colour theme and the great back-to-back section, but instead... they just stood there in front of a white screen. Meanwhile, Germany neglected to take the super-obvious prompt from their song title and use, y'know, some smoke.

Not every song is easy to stage, but when the delegations ignore potentially fantastic staging and instead just plonk their act in front of a forgettable backdrop, it can feel like they're actively trying to screw themselves over.

As for the water in 2014, I believe it was meant to be used for Emmelie only, but I can be wrong.

I'm pretty sure the acts were able to use it too; Poland did, at least. It just seems like something that other countries didn't bother incorporating, and so we ended up with a cool stage element that was largely ignored (like the rising platform thing in 2013 that was used by the UK and, uh... was there anyone else?).

 

[John1]

Fresh and modern.
Really looking forward to seeing it in action with my eyes.

 

[GlamSIMorous]

I remember people going crazy because Dancing In The Rain was perfect for the water to be used. And she .. erm, didnt use it.

I completely agree. I mean, last year was the climax of bad staging I think. I expected so much more from so many of them. It was like the craziness faded. I mean, in Malmö 2013 we had some really interesting stagings (Zlata, Bonnie, Azerbaijan etc.), but last year only Sweden took a real risk there and it was sad. I feel like this year people get elevate their songs so much more, of course it shouldnt distract from the overall song, but highlight it.

 

[Leydan]

(like the rising platform thing in 2013 that was used by the UK and, uh... was there anyone else?).

The only other time it was used was in the introduction act. From what I heard, a lot of the delegations weren't even aware of this rising platform feature, so therefore it went unused - The UK was lucky enough to be the only one to take advantage of it out of the ones who did know.

 

[dcs34]

The only other time it was used was in the introduction act. From what I heard, a lot of the delegations weren't even aware of this rising platform feature, so therefore it went unused - The UK was lucky enough to be the only one to take advantage of it out of the ones who did know.

I'm pretty sure there's an interview where Bonnie mentions that she specifically asked to use it after seeing it in rehearsals for their entrance, so it's quite likely that few of the other delegations knew they could use it/they had already designed the routine without it. Very few of the acts even used that circular stage tbh.

 

[tuorem]

(like the rising platform thing in 2013 that was used by the UK and, uh... was there anyone else?).

It was used when Loreen performed in the final, but again, it was during the interval act.

 

[Eurovisionified]

Well, it's very ambitious, that's for sure. - Interesting to see if they can pull it off. My main concerns are if there's too many distracting elements with smaller acts getting "lost" in all that technology.
I'm also worried about the distance between the stage and the audience. I don't like when the stage is too low and too far away from the crowd. However, the 2013-stage looks really tame in comparison. I mean REALLY tame. Almost embarrassing in comparison.

 

[kamc]

2013 looked like it was being held in a local community centre. I think the addition of the mini-runway only highlighted how small the stage was too.
I guess it was great if you were in the arena as it must have felt pretty intimate.

 

[gonzerelli]

It's a song contest first and foremost. There is no obligation to use "all the bells and whistles", particularly if any of it would detract from the song itself. Gut instinct says that Måns' win will have caught everyone's attention and force some extra thinking on how to use the technology available. I'd hate for it to become the deciding factor, though...

Food for thought: Will the LED displays become the new "wind machine" - every single act using it even unnecessarily, meaning it becomes an absolute joke?

(like the rising platform thing in 2013 that was used by the UK and, uh... was there anyone else?)

Both (Cezar, It's My Life) and (Aliona Moon, O Mie) used it. They both used it in a completely identical way - a direct imitation of Defying Gravity from Wicked...

 

[12Points]

Both (Cezar, It's My Life) and (Aliona Moon, O Mie) used it. They both used it in a completely identical way - a direct imitation of Defying Gravity from Wicked...

I think he meant the big one on the catwalk