DR, Danish broadcaster, today conducted a test in front of a live audience for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Today’s test was about projecting, and judging from from went on, it could be something completely new and groundbreaking waiting for the audience of next year’s contest.
It didn’t take long for the Danish broadcaster, DR, to find the test audience of 50. They advertised on the social media, Facebook, and despite it being timed with Copenhagen FC playing a Champions League match against Real Madrid they got the people they needed within an hour. But what was it all about?
After the testing EuroVisionary caught up with Mads Mortensen, a Danish Eurovision Fan, to hear about his experiences. He told that the test audience was wearing white shirts, asked to look into a light and a few times lift up a white board. They were not not given much information about it, and when EuroVisionary asked Mads what he thought that was all about he answered: "They may want to use people as digital screens".
DR themselves only revealed that they wanted to try out a few ideas for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in front of a test audience. Before the experiment, Mads told us that he applied as this is something "one has to experience". He added that he was very pleased that DR involves "ordinary people" in their planning for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The write shirts and the light makes it rather obvious that DR was testing something with projecting, and whether or not the audience could stand the light, but what could it used for? The possibilities are many: Are they planning to use a big part of the audience as a projecting screen? Are they planning a giant Twitter stream all across the audience? People at home might be more likely to be active on twitter using #JoinUs if what they write will appear on the shirts of the audience in the live programme.
Or what about the points given in a way where they travel "through" the audience before the finally reach the artists? Imagine everyone looking down their shirts to see who gets the 12 points, fragments before it is anounced on stage.
Given the very little information the test audience was told, despite Pernill Gaardbo and other members of the production team being present, Mads isn’t sure he would take part at any future experiment: "I think I would like to know more next time I say yes".
This was a test and as such DR will have to analyse the results first before knowing if it will work – whatever it might be they have in mind. With the slogan for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest being "Join Us" EuroVisionary would like you to join us in the speculations. What is your wildest idea DR could have in mind to use this for? Write a comment to let us and the rest of our readers know.
