The finale of the New Music Competition was held at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland when broadcaster Yle treated viewers to six performances to determine who would represent Finland at Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland. Lighting Designer Pekka Martti and Ari Levela, Creative Director/Founder of MOBB Helsinki Oy, designed the stage; Martti chose 68 Claypaky Sharpys and 46 Tambora Batten squares to light the two-hour show.
“Sharpys were used as audience ‘extras,’ for songs with 360° shots and when performers went out on the catwalk,” explains Martti. “Sharpys still give punch for those big aerial flyout effects and reverse shots.”
He chose the Tambora Battens largely for one performance featuring semi-transparent drapes. “We used them to project dancers’ shadows and some fast-running chases for that song,” he says. “Tambora Battens with the square lens create really sharp and punchy shadows, even with one pixel. We also used them in every song, sometimes [acting as a] sharp light bar with chases, sometimes acting as a strobe.
