Hippotizer powers stunning visuals at Electric Forest Festival 2024, transforming Sherwood Court stage with innovative AR displays
Michigan’s iconic multi-genre Electric Forest music festival elevated its audiovisual experience this year with a stunning display on the Sherwood Court stage. The proscenium arch LED screen, powered by tvONE’s Green Hippo Hippotizer Media Servers, captivated audiences with vibrant visuals, thanks to a collaboration between Observatory and Leisure Expert Group, the Creative Directors of Insomniac.
Observatory, which has been providing scenic visual content and VJ services for the Sherwood Court Stage since 2022, worked closely with Leisure Expert Group to bring the visual concepts to life. Simon Harris and his team at Observatory utilised two Green Hippo Hippotizer V4 Tierra+ MK2 Media Servers, provided by Screenworks NEP and set up with assistance from Ashley Hazlett, to ensure the visual content was displayed flawlessly throughout the four-day festival.
“We used an array of Hippotizer components including MediaManager, MultiController, VideoMapper, and PresetManager for this project, knowing that the video content needed to be displayed throughout the festival,” explained Harris. “I made speed and colour changes to the scenic content as required, while also triggering Hippotizer FX for the LED proscenium arch.”
The Hippotizer servers delivered seamless playback, with two 7K mixes covering the proscenium arch LED screen and an additional HD mix for artist-supplied content on the US LED wall when an operator was not present.
The main content themes for the Sherwood Court stage were nature-centric, featuring trees, water, jungle, vines, butterflies, and the renowned Sherwood elephant, all integrated within a stained-glass aesthetic. Harris prepared a scenic content deck shared with incoming artists, allowing them to choose how their visuals were displayed during performances. MultiController was key to managing these visuals, while PresetManager allowed for the recall of pre-programmed effects, colours, and mixes using multiple layers to create a cohesive visual experience. Harris used a custom TouchOSC interface on an iPad Pro for seamless transitions and precise control.
The Hippotizer setup proved to be both flexible and stable, contributing to standout performances by artists such as CloZee, LSDREAM, G Jones, Maddy O’Neal, and Chase & Status. The Sherwood Court stage, with its scenic LED screens, has become a festival highlight since its introduction in 2022, drawing large crowds and significant social media attention through drone footage.
The Electric Forest Festival continues to enchant its audience with cutting-edge technology and creative visual displays, solidifying its reputation as a must-visit event in the festival calendar.
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