Eurovision 2009 received prestigious award

We all know that the best entertainment TV-show in the world is the Eurovision Song Contest, but the perhaps a bit hidden side behind it is that it’s also very much valued by professionals all over the world.

Karsten Jacobsen (on the right) used a Segway to capture the shot. Photo courtesy of GTC.org.uk

Just to prove that fact, the Eurovision Song Contest held in 2009 in Moscow, got awarded one the most prestigious prizes in the professional world of cameramen. Namely, the Guild of Television Cameramen Worldwide gave Karsten Jacobsen the Award for Excellence 2009 for his work in Moscow.

For what in particular, you might ask. Well, remember the shot during the song of Belarus when the camera was moving from one end of the arena, throughout the hallway straight to the stage and continued filming? That is the award-winning shot.

Like the Guild explained: “One of the most gutsy steadicam moves ever caught on tape. The operator, mounted on a Segway, speeds down the aisle at a sprinter’s pace. Upon reaching a small ramp at the edge of the stage, he dismounts and continues the shot on foot without slowing down”.

They continue: “Adding to that excitement [of an entertainment show – Eurovision.tv] is not always easy, especially when one is pushed to create shots that leave the audience quite stunned; when even fellow cameramen are left wondering, ‘How /–/ did they do

that?’….”

This would be a good moment to remember that the Eurovision Song Contest started as an experiment of technology and has remained a worldclass state-of-the-art TV-programme till this day.

Congratulations to Karsten and the crew of the 2009 edition of Europe’s favourite TV-show in Moscow!

Source: Eurovision