I wouldn't blame ORF for all of them, they are inexperienced with hosting the ESC. Erika Vaal is no longer around to sort things out for them, they are excused. But the EBU are not inexperienced, however. This is what they do. And they should have paid more attention to a few things regarding the show.
The camera work has upset quite a few people watching the show. I thought it was pretty fine, but some of the cameras kept wobbling up and down. That's not nice and gives a cheap impression.
Another problem is the abundance of flags in the audience. They are fun and create an atmosphere but they keep getting into every shot, obstructing the way, blocking out what is supposed to be seen. Isn't there a way of placing the cameras so you can get clear flag-free shots?
The structure of the show was an even bigger problem. Two hours is a long time to fill and most of the filler material really wasn't good enough. The chat with Australia and France went on forever and added precious little of value. That clip where pets discover Vienna was a bit cute but far too long. That idea would have worked for a maximum of 90 seconds or so. Conchita was great in the green room but she did have a lot of time to fill. We saw more of her than of our actual hosts.
Speaking of our hosts, I am sure they are all three lovely people with great personalities. But there was no room for them to develop any roles. Like a three-headed monster they just stood together, reading one line each from a script that one single host could have handled brilliantly alone. Like three girls at school, reading their project work straight off the paper.
But the biggest flop of the first semi was - undoubtedly - the complete lack of excitement and circumstance when the qualifiers were revealed. All that non-content had been allowed to take up so much time that there was no time left for what we had all tuned in to see.
I hope there have been meetings in the Eurovision headquarters today, addressing these issues. It would be so easy to tweak things still. Make them better. Make more appealing television. I really don't mean to whine or trash Austrian tv here but there are people who work all year round with this very show. Why didn't anyone perform any quality control before the first semi went on air?
