High-profile politicians and dignitaries from across Europe attended a special event to mark a shift in the Baltic states’ power grid in February, with Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Media Servers energising the visuals.
‘Energy Independence Day’ celebrated decades of work by Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and the EU to connect power to Europe rather than Russia. As Polish President Andrzej Duda and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the press, a highly synchronized and video effect-laden was presented, by creative technical storytellers at Lithuania-based Marfa Lights.
Andrius Stasiulis, founder of Marfa Lights and his team sourced a Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Server from Vilnius-based Video Projektai to run the visual elements of the event, which was held at the Vilnius LITEXPO exhibition centre. Marfa Lights was hired to handle set design, lighting design, and video programming, and to create something captivating and unique for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
On stage, an LED screen dominated the photo-opportunity backdrop behind the political leaders. The content transformed from electrifying text marking the day, to colourful maps showcasing new power grid connections across the Baltics and into the EU. The content was created using rendered vector shapes and simple stock footage, with the entire effects generated using timecode programming and Hippotizer’s powerful internal effects engine.
“We constructed a long catwalk for performers and framed it with layers of lighting and transparent LED screens,” explains Stasiulis. “We utilised the existing ceiling structures, enhancing them with striking lighting to seamlessly complement our overall stage design. At the end of the set, we had a video wall from a blended laser projection. The overall idea was to create a dynamic tunnel effect for the eye.”
The Marfa Lights team connected the Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2, which was chosen due to its “processing power and high number of inputs and outputs”, to a grandMA3 console which enabled them to programme the video, lights and lasers, together.
“Each screen was in a different layer, so we used some delay effects to create interesting perspective looks,” added Stasiulis. “Precise programming to a music and sound effects-created installation was key, and the Boreal+ MK2 helped us deliver this. “We were most impressed with the Hippotizer’s stability and the ease of working with it in conjunction with the lighting console, which allowed us to control internal effects from the Hippotizer simply and easily.”
The synchronisation of the Baltic grids with the continental European network marked a break from the Russian-controlled BRELL system, which had linked them to Moscow’s electricity network for more than 60 years. The process, costing more than EUR 1.5 billion, was largely financed by the European Union and is being hailed as a significant geopolitical milestone.
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