Once, the organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest came up with a solution to create time inbetween the songs to change stage and lightning; the postcards. Nowadays, each postcard is considered to be a small ánd smart piece of art to keep the viewer watching and… to promote the host country!
A total of 50 videos is currently being produced; 26 for the semifinal (35 seconds) and 24 for the final (40 seconds). The people of Ukraine, nature and culture are the main subjects. Some videos have been shot in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, others have been recorded in natural environments. Although the commentators should be able to tell their story about the upcoming participant, the videos will be accompanied by traditional Ukrainian music in modernised versions.
Nikolay Tomenko, vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine, emphasized on the importance of postcards showing the beauty of Ukraine. After the almost revolutionary presidential elections in 2004, the Ukrainian broadcaster and governement consider the postcards as an opportunity to show Ukraine as a free, modern, advanced and talented nation to the participating countries.
Some postcards have been recorded already, others are still bbeing produced by Luxen Studio in Lviv, the production company behind Ruslana.
The first time postcards were used was in 1970, for the Eurovision Song Contest in Amsterdam.
