Eurovision Song Contest
Events
PufferSpheres made their first-ever appearance in Russian airspace with their Eurovision debut when Russia hosted the glittering competition in Moscow.
Brief
Making its debut as host to the infamously fabulous Eurovision Song Contest, Moscow wanted to make sure it saw the competition sparkle as never before.
Production Manager, Ola Melzig, of M & M Productions was tasked to ‘blow people’s minds’ by Show Director Andrey Boltenko, and with the massive Olyimpiyski Stadium as his canvas, he had plenty of scope for connecting with the audience.
Solution
Rather than leave the action solely focussed on the dazzling transforming LED stage, right from the start the opening ceremony immersed the crowd under starlit pyrotechnics, the 'aquabatic' FuerzaBruta and of course, a spectacular set of PufferPlanets.
PRG, the principle video supplier to ESC Moscow, approached Pufferfish for a solution involving six PufferSpheres for the best possible impact on the opening visuals. Transformed into a system of planets, the 2m diameter, air-inflated, internally projected spherical displays served different functions throughout the three shows.
The opening shots saw the camera pan out from a PufferMoon to reveal an entire PufferCosmos stretching across the stadium, through which a giant glowing Thunderbird soared. During all the acts over the three days of competition, the spheres were raised to display visuals complementing each unique stage set, whilst between acts their versatility was further utilised to carry digital signage, introducing each nation to the audience.
It was the unique flexibility of the PufferSpheres that allowed them to take on so many uses over the course of the show. Their lightweight design, stable image projection and compact footprint made them easy to move up, down and around as the show’s artistic creators dictated.
Summary of outcomes
Equally, the PufferSpheres offered the camera team the ability to fly-by, zoom, pan and jib around the displays, capturing a sense of the scale of the occasion for the television audiences at home. Their 360-degree viewing angle meant they could be situated out over the crowd where they were visible to all, bringing the entire audience that little bit closer to the acts on stage and keeping them informed of exactly which of the acts they were watching.
Breaking records in every department, the stunning Moscow Eurovision Song Contest opened with an interplanetary voyage through a PufferSphere solar system, delighting the 16,000-strong crowd at the Olympiyski Stadium, Moscow and the 100 million television viewers across Europe.