Latvia's Questa notte was last up on stage today, as the individual semifinalist rehearsals draw to a close after four days of intensive performing.

The overwhelming colours in the hall are white and gold, and the lighting is in fact one of the brightest sets of the whole show. Sitting in the audience, it is almost as if the house lights have been turned back on, but on television the effect is much subtler. Long camera shots reveal bright beams of light shooting from the roof to the stage and the surrounding area at the front of the hall, like beams of bright sunshine; the golds of the stage lighting mix with this on screen to create a kind of Summer dusk colouring. The whole effect is very uplifting, and Latvia have maximised that feel good factor on screen to end the contest on.

Ordinary lads in a big, big world
The performance is kept simple, and lots of long shots mean that the most is made of the beautiful lighting whilst keeping all the Bonaparti.lv lads in the frame. But where there is a tendency for some acts to look tiny or swamped by the set, this is quite a sweet effect in Latvia's case; they come across as ordinary guys singing a big, big song and enjoying every second of their five minutes of fame.

The big finish really is something which will get Latvia noticed; it was an amazing chance for the delegation to select the final position, which is perfect for the orchestral crash-bang finale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un6QthxBT0