EUROVISION x MYREZE 2019
The Eurovision Song Contest is the longest-running annual international television contest in the world with an international song competition held every year since 1956. It is also the world’s largest live music event with participants representing primarily European countries submit and perform an original song on live television with votes being cast by a combination of expert juries and viewers from all 41 participating countries to determine the winner.
The Mission
In 2019 Myreze was given the incredible opportunity to create animation for the opener and backdrop for the introduction ceremony of the annual Eurovision Song Contest Grand Finals in Tel Aviv which included 26 acts competing for the top vote.
It started with Eurovision giving Myreze the concept of creating an animated virtual airliner for an introductory short film used to deliver the contestants to the main stage which fully utilises a 12x36m LED wall (the highest resolution backing LED screen in the history of the contest). Cutting edge production was at the heart of 2019’s Eurovision Song Contest so together with The Future Group, Myreze helped implement live AR graphics to the stage on location, utilising multiple TFG Pixotope systems and the Unreal Engine. As a significant part of the European culture, Eurovision has an audience of over 180 million viewers in 2019 so it was crucial that this special concept looked perfect.
The Concept
As has become a tradition since 2013’s Eurovision in Malmö, the 2019 Grand Final opened with a flag parade, introducing the 26 competing contestants.
The contest launched with a fantastic short film following the approach of the animated Eurovision plane transporting the excited contestants to the venue whilst a sea of people come together and welcome the contestants to their city.
After the countdown is complete and the plane has landed, the camera transitions to the show’s introduction ceremony inside the Expo Tel Aviv as the aircraft continues to approach the Expo slowly before halting at the backdrop and pokes its nose through the backdrop.
Welcomed with a sea of celebratory greetings from the 7200-seat mainroom, the pilot and previous year’s winner: Israel’s Netta Barzilai presents the contestants as they disembark from the aircraft’s front doors and are introduced one by one.
The impressive scale of elaborate production alone would have made this an historic moment in Eurovision’s history but with fantastic performances from each country involved and even a guest appearance from Madonna, this was sure to cement 2019’s contest as one for the ages. Myreze is proud to have worked together with The Future Group and Eurovision’s incredible team of professionals on this highly memorable experience and look forward to working together again on the next groundbreaking project.
The Grand Final of the 64th Eurovision Song Contest was brought to you by the European Broadcasting Union and Israeli public broadcasting corporation KAN. The show was hosted by Bar Refaeli, Erez Tal, Assi Azar and Lucy Ayoub, live from Expo Tel Aviv.
