Green Hippo

DK Design specifies V3 Hippo for Chris Brown

DK Design specifies V3 Hippo for Chris Brown

Production designer Daunte Kenner has worked alongside RnB sensation Chris Brown for the last year. Kenner’s experimental show concepts have presented the latest in lighting and video technology including the latest V3 Hippotizer media server.

The show featured custom made content - split between two Hippotizer V3 HDs controlled via art-net sent from an AVO Diamond 4. One Hippotizer handled three Lighthouse R7 10mm LED walls that played the custom content while integrating live IMAG images fed to it by the video director. The other Hippotizer supplied imagery to a large Stealth wall that was the backdrop to the entire set, while the remaining output fed foreground content to the video director to display on his screens.

Renowned for his empirical creativity, Kenner likes to push the boundaries of the integration between lighting design and video. Kenner states: “Most of the content was custom, however the library content in the Hippo was very useful when filling in unrehearsed segments of the show. We used a very interesting arty piece of Hippo content during Chris’ onstage dance battle.”

Kenner was first introduced to Hippotizer by Adam Dunaway of Dunaway Designs in Spring 08. The relationship has flourished alongside the continuous Hippotizer product development and the complexities of DK Design’s shows.

Kenner explains: “I need a media server that is not only easy to use – but is stable and allows you the ability to import and transcode virtually any media codec. This is invaluable in last minute situations where you have no idea what type of media you will be given. Adam’s personal 24-hour support combined with Green Hippo’s worldwide assistance is priceless!”

He continues: “Adam also provides a unique project content archival service which is instrumental when working with multiple artists. It makes it very easy to request the exact state of the machines when you last touched them. On this show, this facility saved me a full days worth of set-up and content uploading. And all the machines are constantly updated when they return to his shop – so when you use them, you always have the latest and greatest hardware possible.”

Hippotizer operator on the tour was Nathan Davis. A relatively new Hippotizer user, this was Davis’ first Hippotizer tour and first major artist. Davis enjoyed intensive training with Dunaway Designs - mastering the complexities of the Hippotizer platform.

Davis explains: “Daunte has given me the opportunity to unleash some buried creativity. The interaction between Chris Brown and Daunte is constant throughout the tour – and the show is built absorbing both positive and negative feedback. Working closely with Daunte, gave me the chance to help realise his visions and suggestions – developing the performance into a fusion of set, lighting and video artistry.”

He continues: “Learning the Hippo was a little tricky at first, but once I’d grasped the basic concept – it was really easy to learn. Adam has been extremely supportive and is always a phone call away for any problems that may arise on site. He knows the machines inside out – he can give you an immediate answer without having to make a dozen phones calls and multiple emails.”

Dunaway Designs specialises in the complexities of media servers and offers extensive management and 24 hour access to live tech support for on the road systems. Clients also have full access to a visualization studio (Digital Stage Chicago) where machines are ready to work with - any day of the week throughout the year.

Adam Dunaway states: “Green Hippo’s tech and product support provide the model and foundation upon which I provide direct support to designers using Hippotizer media servers. The Hippo team is made up of many brilliant individuals - each having a solid knowledge of both software and hardware, its integration with the growing variety of upstream/downstream video products currently available, as well as the newer solutions that quickly come online these days.”

He continues: “There are so many ways to approach a video system design – how it will be controlled and/or what it will control. Having a company such as Green Hippo to call on, has provided many successful events for both my shows and those of my customers.”

DK Production Design L.L.C. is a Chicago based performance environment design company that frequently features the designs of creative designer Daunte Kenner.

Photographs © Daunte Kenner

Article written by Jane Monk