APRIL 13
WELCOME TO THE 11TH EDITION OF THE EUROVISION DIARY!
APRIL 13
Hey people! Let’s talk about reality while Swedish press is still writing articles about Melodifestivalen for some odd reason!
Our technical compound is getting really crowded. In less than a week, the cluttered area on the right hand side of the picture will be our prop storage, so I guess we should start cleaning. I’ve volunteered to remove the golf carts….
After many if’s and’s & but’s, the sandwich wall separating Hall 2 from Hall 3 has finally been removed, and we even got a doorway opened up. The door is to make the secret route from the stage to Green Room possible. What? Did I say secret route? Naaaaaaaah…………
Another day, another cake……….. This needs to stop since my pants are getting really tight now! Happy Birthday to Sara Svensson! She is our Executive Production Assistant and she is a true Rock Star. Love you girl!
And the fridge returns?? Noooo……. I did not steal it back from Jerry Appelt. I just ordered a new one……… because I can……… But I hear rumors about Jerry being after my sofas in the production office. I think I have to lock the door when I leave tonight. Lighting designers………… can’t trust them…………….
Speaking of the fridge stealing……… I mean Ligthing Designer Jerry Appelt. Here we’re having a meeting at FOH about something very important and of course top secret. Note that he brought his own cozy lights for FOH. Professional!
Now here is a weird story. Last summer, me and Joan decided to take the kids for a 4-week car trip around Europe. On our second morning, we stopped at a gas station on Autobahn to have breakfast. We get out of our car in our Litecom jackets, and this guy says: “Hey! You work for Litecom?” We explained that this was not the case, but they were our supplier for lighting and rigging at Eurovision 2016, we got some Litecom swag. Cool he said, I work for them all the time. 10 months later, walking up at FOH this afternoon, we meet again! How weird and cool is that? Say hello to Michael Matz, known from Autobahn, and the Eurovision 2017!
Here is a new call thing! We do not have a single followspot operator up in the roof this year. All 16 followspot operators are working off 16 x PRG Ground Control System for the front and diagonal spots and for the back followspots. These systems open up amazing opportunities for our industry, since with this new technology, we can put the lighting source exactly where we need them, without thinking about how to get operators to and from these positions in a safe and comfortable way.
Each system has a monitor that shows a real-time image of what you are doing. It’s VERY cool! And people that are afraid of high heights can all of a sudden operate a followspot!
Name: Matthias Rau
Title: Technical Manager, Lighting
OM: Have you ever spit liquid out of your nose?
MR: Uhhhmmm……………. OM: That’s a long pause – don’t you remember? MR: Maybe I don’t. OM: Maybe you were with me (both LOL)
OM: What’s your favorite Disney character?
MR: Uhhhhhmmmmm…….. Daniel Düsentrieb! OM: What?? Who the hell is that?? MR: It’s that duck, don’t you know? The one that makes things out of other things! Here, let me show you (pulls out iPhone) OM: OH!! You mean Uppfinnarjocke?
Name: Joan Lyman Melzig
Title: Technical Production Assistant, Operations
OM: So do you like working on Eurovision?
JLM: Really? Are we gonna do this? You know the answer…..I wouldn’t keep doing this if I didn’t love it! OK, but I’ll play along. What do you want to ask me?
OM: Do you have any strange habits?
JLM: Well, I guess I talk to myself a lot. JLM: What? JLM: Shut up – I’m doing an interview! OM: Ok…………..
OM: If you had a “hall pass” – what famous person would you take home?
JLM: I don’t need a hall pass. There’s a saying in Texas…when you strike oil, quit digging. 😉
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
So many questions………..
