Saturday, 11 May 2019

SECOND REHEARSALS

Everybody, apart from the automatic finalists, has had their first and second rehearsals - I'll be commenting on them tomorrow. All the stage rehearsing for the semis is now done and dusted - nothing more can be done! Soon we will know which half of the draw the 6 finalists will draw and after each semi final the participants will draw their placing in the post show press conferences.

Monday afternoon will see a full dress run of semi final one followed by a full uninterrupted filmed show. This has two important roles -  in the event of technical difficulties this show will be shown on the Tuesday night, plus this is the show that the 41 national juries will be voting on, you certainly can't win qualification in this show but it certainly can be lost. Semi1 proper will then he held on the Tuesday. This process is the repeated on Wednesday and Thursday for Semi 2.

Here are my last impressions of what's on show in the two semi finals


SEMI 1

CYPRUS
The wet look is not flattering. The male dancers are not really as involved as I would like in from the camera’s perspective seem superfluous. The ‘replay’ part is over egging the pudding. Vocals are not good. Either Tamta or/and her backing singer are out of tune and fighting for supremacy.

MONTENEGRO
The choreography is static and dated but they pretty much nail it. The song seems slower than I remember and I am willing it to get up to speed, which it obviously doesn’t. The outfits actually look quite nice. Their individual voices aren’t bad but together the harmonies don’t quite work.

FINLAND
On the positive side Sebastian sings this really well and is on the beat and in tune. That said the visual are too spaced out and separated – nothing connects. Darude himself is stuck in a corner on keyboard and the dancer is centre stage on the iceberg. If all three were in shot of each other it’d be better.

POLAND
Lots of zoom in/zoom out shots which don’t really work as all they do is emphasise the space and lack of movement. The girls’ dresses look a bit messy and their jackets make the arms up movements shoulder-heavy although their headdresses look lovely. Vocally their voices are very clear.

SLOVENIA
Staging has the openness of space yet also seems small and intimate, almost and the whole thing works. The camera work is clever with reminisces of “Calm after the storm” for Netherlands a few years back. The way the almost ignore the audience and the camera strangely works. Vocals are fine.

CZECHIA
From the outset this looks really fresh and contemporary. Albert hogs most of the camera time dancing and moving around the whole set but the other two also get a look in. The white staging really emphasises the colours on the backdrop and on their clothing. The vocals from all seem clear.

HUNGARY
The stage is filled with gold lines which for the outlines of different shapes and pictures. Although I really like the black and gold staging, having Joci also in black makes him totally invisible – unless that’s the point…? Joci’s voice waivers at times ad at points I feel like he is forcing it a bit too much.

BELARUS
ZENA’s outfit is very different from the national final and the whole thing has been sexed up a bit. There is a lot going on and she gets totally lost with the changing backgrounds and the brightly coloured backing singers. However her voice sounds really clear and powerful in the high parts.

SERBIA
The camera work here is pretty spot on and has a nice balance of near and far shots. The problem here is that Nevena is so busy emoting she is coming across as slightly aggressive. Also at times she sings in such a sway you can’t see her face just a solitary leg. Not a camera friendly performance.

BELGIUM
This unfortunately just comes across as messy and unrehearsed. The background with the wavy stripes is very effective but the way Eliot and his two drummers are dressed looks  sloppy and out of step with the song. Eliot doesn’t look confident in his face and his vocals are not quite on time.

GEORGIA
This is how staging makes an OK song totally amazing. Oto’s personality really ignites in this setting with the floor projections of a walkway the towers of fire and puffs of pyro. The addition of the choir in a line is so effective with the camera angles, Oto could even get away with moving a little less.

AUSTRALIA
The use of the “edge of the world” projection on screen is really effective and make is look like she’s flying. This is a very technical show and lots of things could go very wrong. Kate looks amazing in her dress and looks very calm and collected. Voice was ok but not going full blast.

ICELAND
This now looks very strong. The use of the globe/cog makes a focal point which the others move around. There is a lot of pyro which adds to the vertical backdrop. Unlike many acts there is a lot of movement but it is captured well in the many camera angles. Vocals are sounding good.

ESTONIA
Victor really sounds like he is struggling with the higher notes in the chorus. This is a shame as he is looking very much at home on the stage. You can actually see him too! I question why the stormy background is so strobing because if deflects attention away from Victor which is not a good thing

PORTUGAL
Conan and Joao look well rehearsed and to the trained Eurovision eye this looks pretty much like their national final performance. The green costume has a great sheen to it.To the casual viewer this will probably look and sound really very odd. I am starting to miss the face spoons

GREECE
This sounds absolutely amazing and the visuals on stage are really eye-catching but something here is very amiss Although there is a lot going on it’s all a bit disjointed almost like there is too much. I want to see more of Katerine looking at the camera and fewer wide sweeping shots.

SAN MARINO
The visual effect of the white costumes against the stripy background is effective and creates a lot of extra movement down the camera. Unfortunately we need more actual movement from Serhat but he’s stuck on his podium. Serhat’s vocals are really not the best and seem quite out of tune in places.


SEMI 2

ARMENIA
Srbuk looks quite conservative and formal in her black trouser suit and in the long shots is totally invisible. Her voice seems really clear although during the end part the backing singers are doing most of the singing. The pyrotechnics are a bit OTT and the staggering about is a little disconcerting.

IRELAND
Oh dear, this looks very awkward. You can tell Sarah is being stretched to her chorographical limit because her face looks distant like she’s counting in her head and her vocals seem less than full. On the plus point the set is very individual and I quite like Sarah’s costume and hair.

MOLDOVA
Ana’s sartorial choice is odd, especially as the basic dress is nice but the one puffy sleeve choice makes her look unbalanced. The ‘snow art’ in the background is obviously sped up so makes you wonder why the artist is even there. Anan’s voice is powerful even if her pronunciation is not.

SWITZERLAND
The shots for this are well formed especially as most of them contain Luca and his 4 backing dancers and keep their formation well stuck in your brain. The dancing is slick and Luca is able to join in, in a low-key way. That said I am less pleased with so much red and fuzziness in the background

LATVIA
Most of the camera time is focused on the lead singer who is wearing a green hat, which is a little at odds with the rest of the styling. The bokeh look is used in the background but not as a filter on the camera and the atmosphere is now flat. Sabine’s vocals seem ok although she looks quite nervous.

ROMANIA
This is probably the song which uses the video wall to its best. Ester sings well and when she gets camera time she looks great – apart from that arm! Ester is still dressed a Victorian headmistress but her footwear makes her look stumpy and the two backing singers dressed as schoolgirls.

DENMARK
Leonora sings this well but she should so because she’s sat down for most of it! The bright colours in the backdrop make this eye-catching especially with the monochrome participants in front of it. Visually it has a clear narrative but apart from the chair movements this is rather boring.

SWEDEN
Vocally this sounds fine although I’d like the backing singers turned up more, mainly because they bring so much richness to the song. The strobing in the background is a little monotonous and could be flashier and more random. John is looking a bit self-conscious, especially his left arm.

AUSTRIA
Goosebumps. The whole auditorium is blacked out and Paenda is stood in a spotlight. There are streaks of light flashing around her and the triangles on the roof light up and it looks truly magical. Her voice is a little shrill but it actually complements the emotion of the song. Good work.

CROATIA
The ending part has too many long shots and once again he’s invisible although this time it’s white against white. The stage looks better when in light colours. Roko is wearing his gold wings but they don’t affect his voice too much although he looks strained. The fanatical cutting shots don’t fit at all.

MALTA
The adaptation f the backdrop into a giant green screen is an interesting one and although it makes the act pop with colour it looks more like a music video than an actual live performance. Michela’s voice is fine and she looks quite comfortable although I really hope she has a better outfit.

LITHUANIA
Jurij looks like she ditched the jacket when does help him with getting his arm movements right. The shot to the roof with his hand is a good one.Once again the long shots linger for a little too long but shot chopping motif in the chorus does work. Jurij sings ok but a bit pitchy in the chorus.

RUSSIA
The use of the video boxes hones the eye and makes the stage much smaller. The screens build up the story really well and keeps you guessing! Unfortunately the whole thing comes across as very dark and lacking in movement. Sergey seems to be singing ok but the choir are turned up loud.

ALBANIA
Here there are quite a few long shots but they seem to tie in with Jonida’s long notes so don’t seem too out of joint. Her 3 backing singers are visible and are doing a very good job creating the mood. The ring of fire makes finding her very easy She seems very much at ease vocally.

NORWAY
This is starting to look really good now. The use of the long shots brings in the flashing triangles on the roof as well as the video wall landscape. They are also easy to spot throughout and are cohesive but also different. The projections during the joik are beautiful. Sounding good too.

NETHERLANDS
Duncan is sounding really good and his backing singers are also doing a nice job. Having Duncan sat at the piano really does not work for me, he feels distant, distracted and not looking at the audience or the camera. The mottled sky background fades in really nicely to the blackness around him.

NORTH MACEDONIA
Tamara looks very striking in her green dress and blond hair. The mirror effect is used off and on which is not a bad call. Her voice sounds good without feeling too strained. She’s not quite catching the camera when looking straight. Personally, I would like to see more open hand gestures rather than fists.

AZERBAIJAN
This is visually very striking. Chingiz is stood against a triangle and 2 robot arms projects lines on him. On the backdrop there is a gold heart beating in time with the music. The arena is bathed in red and blue. His voice doesn’t sound bad live but needs to keep the tempo and not quicken up.

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