Introduction
HALO was a one-off stage design created for Creamfields, produced by Lucid Creates. The structure featured three monumental LED rings and twelve vertical LED “legs,” forming a futuristic performance environment. I collaborated with Matt King to create bespoke animation content designed specifically for this geometry.
Design Challenge
The stage geometry presented unique creative and technical challenges:
Leg LED screens: 104 × 3442 px — extremely narrow, vertical canvases.
Ring LED screens: 6767 × 209 px — ultra-wide, continuous loops with seam issues that required precise handling.
Integration: content had to flow naturally between rings, legs, and the central DJ screen without breaking rhythm or immersion.
We developed Cinema 4D templates for every screen type — individual legs, individual rings, all rings, all legs, and full-frame composites. This allowed us to preview how elements aligned before moving to After Effects, where we assembled, timed, and adapted variations for delivery.
Process
Testing: In C4D, we set up a simplified rig where leg and ring videos could be previewed together. Quick viewport renders ensured pacing, alignment, and rhythm were correct before committing final renders.
Workflow: Most content was created in C4D (with Octane rendering, MoGraph, and X-Particles), then composited and timed in After Effects. Final assets were delivered as ProRes files for playback via Avolites media servers.
Collaboration: We divided responsibilities by themes and requests, then freestyle-generated additional variations to build a rich content library.
Twelve leg template animation
Visual Language
The content leaned into a minimal VJ aesthetic, designed to complement the architectural form of the stage:
2D elements: lines, gradients, primitive shapes, dots, linear structures.
3D elements: foggy pillars, spinning chrome primitives, abstract spatial illusions behind and around the rings.
Motion behaviours:
Content rising from the lower ring, climbing the legs, and cascading back down.
Rotational flows syncing between rings and legs.
Pulses expanding from the DJ booth outward.
Inverse patterns — starting on the legs, then converging into the rings.
Outcome
The final show featured a continuous mix of bespoke visuals tightly integrated with the stage’s architecture. Lucid Creates handled live VJing during the event, while we delivered a curated content package.
The result was met with strong positive feedback — HALO became one of Creamfields’ standout stages, leaving a lasting visual impression with its bold geometric form and responsive, minimal content.
HALO – Creamfields 2023
Client / Festival: Creamfields
Collaboration: Lucid Creates (structure & show design), Matt King (animation), Mihály Sipos (animation)
Role: Motion Design & Animation
Tools: Cinema 4D, After Effects, Octane, X-Particles, MoGraph
Collaboration: Lucid Creates (structure & show design), Matt King (animation), Mihály Sipos (animation)
Role: Motion Design & Animation
Tools: Cinema 4D, After Effects, Octane, X-Particles, MoGraph
