for those of you who need a re-watch. ✨
Ylvis at Spektrum 2014 - full TV Norge Broadcast
(disclaimer: I found it on my harddrive and I don´t remember where I once downloaded it from but I didn´t rip it myself. So if one of you guys did it 😅 then thank you!!! 🙏 and I hope the upload is ok.
Before my usual round up, there are a couple of elements of Oslo 1996 I want to give more attention to. The first of which is the stage and production.
NRK put a lot of time and money into Eurovision in 1996. Nowhere was that more evident that the set design. The venue was the Oslo Spektrum indoor arena - a venue that had only opened in 1990. The space was vast, not only accommodating a huge audience but three separate stages.
The theme was the oil industry , the foundation of Norway's wealth. The stage was surrounded by moving cranes and derricks from above. At the start of several of the performances you can see them moving up or down to finish setting the scene. They had other functionality besides adding a movable feature. Several of them had steps down the length of the main structure. This was only apparent during the interval act, when several performers entered the stage by climbing down them.
Having the three stages was a genius idea. Not only did it mean that each act could have a more intimate space or a bigger space, but it was possible to move quickly between the acts, lighting and staging with minimal delay. Most of the choices were made by the producers rather than the delegations, but the fact that there was choice clearly made some think that stage elements were something that could be utilised better by those delegations. It feels like 1996 was the beginning of delegations incorporating the stage into their performances rather than just standing at the front and singing into the microphone.
Then there was the CGI. NRK wanted to show off their Silicon Graphics technology leading to black and white filters, scrolling side images, mirror effects and more. Again all of this under the control of the producers and in most cases, this failed to reflect the mood or meaning of the songs. It did not enhance the performances, but served as a distraction. However, again, possibilities for the future opened up for delegations.
The venue, stage and production of Oslo 1996 was a huge (and expensive) step forward for Eurovision. It would take a few years to get back to this level, but it implanted the desire for something bigger.
So we all agree that artists and bands should stop playing at telenor arena, right? God, the sound quality is so shitty there, you could hear Harrys voice better from the bathroom than in the audience lmao