The Key to Success in Eurovision (part 2): Camerawork
Some say there is no formula for success at the Eurovision Song Contest. However, studying the past results of the competition closely, one would have to conclude there is in fact a Key to Success in Eurovision. This the Key To Success. One must focus on the three basic elements in the contest: Vision, Sound and Emotion.
In this second episode we talk about Vision for the first time. Eurovision is a tv-show and the results are determined by the people at home - not the ones in the arena. Therefore, you need to tell your story through good camera work.
The Eurovision Song Contest is about more than just the songs and the quality of the vocals. People often refer to this fact in a derogatory way, as if the music has become unimportant at what originally was a music competition. Truth is: a good song and good vocals are important, but the potentially voting audience will not notice that if they cannot see that you are for real, or if they are distracted by the poor video footage through which they are able to see you perform at all.
First impression is usually completely dependable on the visuals of a song. This needs to be inviting enough for viewers to maintain their interest. It is important that the singer works the camera, but also that there is a clear plan in shot selection, in which parts of the stage are shown during what parts of the song.
Work the camera
This may seem like an open door, but we see it go wrong for some entries every year. The artist is standing on a stage, physically far away from most viewers, and so in order to feel close to them (and vice versa!) he needs to connect with the camera. Yet there are plenty of examples from artists who are either too much drawn into themselves, or too busy with the audience in the arena.
Molly Sterling from Ireland in 2015 was a great example of the first category. In the lyrics of the song, she was asking a question to the listener, but meanwhile she sat there almost hiding behind her piano, making the message of the song less believable. The 3Js from the Netherlands had a similar experience, clearly missing the connection with the camera every single moment of their performance in Düsseldorf in 2011.
Alexey Vorobyov was, in that same year, a perfect example of the second category. In an attempt to overpower his own shy and doubtful mind, he shouted out to the public in the arena, making the millions of viewers at home feel left out. Cascada did the same thing two years later in Malmö. She made herself extremely popular among fans in the arena — but that does not bring you any points.
A good plan
It is not always the artist’s fault. Every successful delegation should start with a worked out plan on how their act should look on tv — the artist then becomes merely an executor.
The Latvian delegation failed to do so in 2012 in Baku. During her first rehearsal, singer Anmary was walking over the grand stage without any idea what she was supposed to do. With less than a week to go until her semi final, she was de facto already out of the competition. The footage of the liveshow performance shows that Anmary knows where the camera is — but also that the Latvian delegation had no idea what they wanted to do with the shots.
Compare this with the Common Linnets, from the Netherlands in 2014. From the very first until the very last rehearsal, every runthrough showed the exact same patterns. Ilse DeLange and Waylon were extremely well prepared, they knew what to do on stage, where the cameras would be and what was expected from them besides singing. The camera work told the story of “Calm after the storm”, almost like a video clip.
Loreen is another classic example of the importance of preparation. Nobody had ever seen a Eurovision entry been filmed anything like “Euphoria” was, but when journalists asked Head of Delegation Christer Björkman about this at the press conference, he simply replied: “That is because no one asked for it.” That is how simple success at Eurovision can be: you just have to figure out what you want early, and then present your plans to the technical team well before arriving in the host country. Preparation is the key.
Of course camera work was not the only reason Sweden won the contest in 2012. The song, the voice and the general feeling of the performance were all very unique. “Euphoria” is a wonderful example of all six factors of this rubric melting together.
Originally published on ESCDaily.com
