Creative sports pres solutions amplify Formula E’s first night race at the Diriyah E-Prix 2021
Without doubt Covid-19 continues to provide challenges to the world of live sports events, but we’ve been lucky enough to partner with some pioneering clients that have remained enthusiastic in pushing the boundaries of technical innovation, event production and sport broadcast despite the on-going global pandemic.
The Formula E World Championship not only marked the start of Season 7 with a double-header and its first ever night race, but raised the bar in delivering a visual spectacular for global broadcast with some dazzling new LED from ADI.
Despite the absence of spectators en masse – with just a small number of VIP’s in hospitality – creative LED and curated content were deployed across the circuit to activate commercial brand partners and add to the atmosphere during desert night racing.
Always at the cutting-edge, Formula E were keen to work with ADI on exploring new applications for LED and developing super-sophisticated sports pres to continue the evolution of the E-Prix experience. Here are the highlights:
BOSS EMOTION CLUB
Guests to this high-end hospitality experience were greeted by three 2.5m x 5.5m LED towers built into the welcome gantry. Larger-than-life content, expertly created by ADI’s production team, featured super-sized Formula E drivers and models wearing Hugo Boss.
VIP’s that were lucky enough to enter the Emotion Club Garden were fully immersed in a desert experience, with the creation of a high-resolution LED tunnel. Guests were surrounded by spectacular desert landscapes, and the addition of surround sound added to the experience with audio of winds blowing across the sand dunes.
The Emotion Club also featured some new indoor modular concepts, including a stunning super wide 33.75sqm display in 48:9 aspect ratio. With 4k processing and out-put, ADI’s Editors assisted in creating bespoke super-wide content for Formula E and Hugo Boss to suit, with the hospitality screen also supporting multiple Picture in Picture formats, including live race feed, social media, timings and brand messaging.
The team also built three 11.25m² 3mm indoor LED screens in the Emotion Club, and three 11.25m² 4mm outdoor LED screens for the Emotion Club Terrace and Emotion Garden.
AQUAFINA OASIS
Forming the entrance to a relaxing outdoor shisha bar, two dual-sided 4m high towers were dedicated to event partners Aquafina and Hugo Boss. ADI’s editors produced the content to bring these LED-clad structures to life, including a continuous digital waterfall to imitate the ambience of a desert oasis.
super studio & podium
ADI designed an upscaled version of the TV studio and podium concept which we premiered in Berlin for the Season 6 Finale. This provided Formula E with a cinematic 32:9 backdrop for podium ceremonies, with the addition of a full height 9m x 7.5m complimentary side screen.
The whole layout is used as a TV studio for the English language Programme throughout race days, with control of the side screen handed over to Formula E’s English Language gallery in Ealing for pre-and-post race analysis and interviews.
Both screens are fed via separate 4k vision mixing and processing, with ADI managing local content and switching between feeds, including those from the remote galleries in Ealing and the International gallery on-site.
finish line gantry
From an initial idea, the finish line gantry quickly developed into a sophisticated technical solution that integrated sponsor branding, timings and track telemetry system using bespoke software.
As well as sponsor brands displayed across the LED gantry, it automatically showed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place drivers with names and teams as they passed under the gantry on each lap. At the end of the final lap it showed WINNER, with the name of the driver and the team as the winning car crossed the finish line.
Both Formula E and ADI are thrilled with this new gantry solution that adds incredible production values, and it’s something the team will look to further develop alongside the client throughout the season.
