Monday, March 30, 2009

Freeze!


Did I tell you it's cold in Paris at the moment? So cold that last Saturday a strange phenomenon happened around the Louvre Pyramid: everybody froze for 5 minutes! Of course I'm kidding. All this was planned by Charles Nouÿrit a French entrepreneur who also enjoys organizing happenings such as Freeze parties or No Pants days. Such an event is hard to capture on camera for, precisely, all photos are motionless. However, thanks to the very imaginative poses some of the participants took, you can have a pretty good idea of the effect (the most spectacular being the sudden silence). I made an Animoto especially for the occasion.

54 comments:

  1. What a whimsical thing to do! I'm anxious to see the poses on your Animoto.
    It must be great to be back home, when Paris is home!

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  2. I missed it...as I told you on Fb, I was sure it was a fake freeze! I like your animoto a lot, I can imagine the scene even with pictures.
    Was it a great experience? Were you walking and takin photos among all these frozen people?

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  3. Perfect weather for this 'Freeze' happening, I'd say! I hope the 'No pants' one takes place in Summer :d
    Never see anything like that by my own but it must be funny!
    Bravo for this joyful animoto. The music sounds good!

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  4. Pretty cool and the Louvre is the perfect set up for it. I believe they did something like that at Grand Central Station in NY? Always really, really impressive. Glad you were there to capture it! Next time, we definitely want NO PANTS day! ;)

    Welcome back, btw!:)

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  5. I was just about to type something here with my finger poised over the “n” whe. . . . .

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  6. That's really cool. There's a video somewhere on youtube of a group of people doing that in Union Station in New York. They all froze for five minutes while the rest of the people kept going about their business, confused. After five minutes, they carried on like nothing had happened.

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  7. Like a deer in headlights, Tomate, but I’m OK now, thanks.

    By the way, I was rather impressed with a crowd frieze done in Rome a while back.

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  8. While I'm here I should say, “Who am I to as much as ignore the day's GF?”

    Lydia, allow me to congratulate you on your aureate digital proficiency. Or to phrase it more in the vernacular, "You nailed it! Way to go! GF! Yay, yay. Hooray! "Or, if you feel like taking a terpsichorean turn of toe-tapping, sidewalk-slapping, spin-around, never-be-found, slippin’ and rippin’; make that Hip Hop Hooray.

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  9. hum cute guy.... I'd love to see him on No pants day!

    Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

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  10. Enjoyed your Animoto of all the poses. Good fun!

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  11. Monica: LOL! He sure has long digits.

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  12. Eric, this is wonderful. I'd like to know the answer to Guille's question too: were you moving and taking photos among the frozen people? Was it fun?

    And another question: will you please take pictures on No Pants Day?

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  13. So what's the big deal? I've been freezing all winter!! ;-)

    Love the animoto Eric and the music you chose is excellent!

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  14. Hey, Tall Gary! Thanks for the shout and the fine hip hop. That kid has talent....makes me wonder what Fred Astaire would have thought of this genre of dance, and I think he'd have been impressed.
    When it looked like I was GF I thought about waiting and coming back but I decided oh, what the heck....one more time and that's it for my GF run!

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  15. Look up in the sky...it's a bird, it's a plane,..no it's just Eric sliding down another rainbow with his camera to capture another cool, okay rather frigid, photo! LOL

    Hey, it's cold here in the Midwest too Miguel. May the Summer sun gods awaken soon and melt away these freeze frames of our wintery discontent. ;-)

    Cali...my, my, my...how you girls do talk. ;-)

    Good week all. Congrats Lydia...

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  16. What fun! I love the way there is ALWAYS something interesting and energizing happening in Paris. I, too, enjoyed the Animoto ... Thanks, Eric!

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  17. How fun! It reminds me of the game we used to play when we were kids, "statues".

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  18. Kool! your today posting reminds me of the movie " The Happening" (2008) starred by Mark Walhberg and the plot was how an airborne neurotoxin exuded by grass and plants and made human disoriented and motionless and ended up comitting suicide. I believe that at the end of the movie, it reached Paris too!

    Have you seen the movie?

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  19. LOL, Monica and cali! And what the heck, I third Petrea's request. I'd love to see the French spin on that bizarre ritual.

    Lydia, congrats GF! Atta-girl. And look, even the attractive gentleman in Eric's photo is pointing his finger in your honour.

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  20. Hi, I'm the guy on the photo.
    I agree with Eric, the sudden silence is really strange/spectacular (I experienced something similar during the 1999 total solar eclipse across Europe)

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  21. Bravo Daniel for taking part in this! Is it hard to stand still for so long?

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  22. LOL Cali, now that you mentioned... another good reason to see him on No Pants Day!

    Ok I'll stop. Worry not Coltrane!

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  23. @Michael: depends on the pose you choose to freeze...
    if you take a "stunty" one - that may become a challenge, because those 5 minutes ARE long;

    pointing at Louvre's Pyramid wasn't that hard, althought towards the end my arm started to complain :)

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  24. I loved the Animoto. What a fun thing to experience.

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  25. That sounds cool. Didn't realize people did this, but it would be fun to see. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  26. Monica: you did see that this gentlemen identified himself, right?

    Apologies to Daniel and he was so polite to ignore the remarks.

    Coltrane: I am sure you have heard WORSE. If not, drop me a line. ;)

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  27. Coming late to the party, but I had a go at capturing it too... The resulting film is on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNZbGq1GBLs

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  28. I was slightly worried (disappointed?) about this 'no pants day' idea. In the UK the word 'pants' generally refers to what one wears under one's 'pants'.
    If you get what I mean.

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  29. Eric -- don't you love it when your subject shows up?
    This is a fine "moment in time" moment in time photo!
    TG -- love those links!
    Congrats, Lydia --

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  30. Drummond we yanks do not get what you mean, perhaps visuals would be of assist. What say you, Monica? ;)

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  31. This is great FUN ! I love your Animoto - wonderful photos !

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  32. What fun!

    Hello to our star of the day, Frozen Daniel.

    Tall Gary, I think I'm going to call you Sir Links-a-lot from now on!

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  33. Hello Frozen Daniel!

    Cali I didn´t notice today´s PDP subject had made a comment himself, thanks for poiting that out.

    Isn´t it good to see he is NOT motionless?!!!

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  34. I always enjoy your Animotos. I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the word in your comment. I like the last frame the best, the couple kissing. Ah romance, Spring is in the air.

    Speaking of romance, I saw something very unique Saturday on my way to the DeYoung Art Museum. I was walking past the amphitheatre and I looked at the stage. I saw a man proposing while bending on one knee while putting a ring on his girlfriend's finger -- front, center stage. I look around to see if they were making a film; and, no! I was the real deal. There were a few people on park benches and they clapped their hands, and I said bravo, bravo! As they were leaving the stage, the girl looked at me and said, thank you! Ah, love is in the air!

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  35. He certainly can point, Monica!

    Welcome to the madhouse Daniel!

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  36. Frozen Daniel -- isn't that a dring?

    Welcome to PDP Daniel. We are on good behavior today -- at least presently.

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  37. *drink -- I don't know what is happening to my fingers -- it is like I cannot type anymore :^s I'll blame it on the crisis.

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  38. Lois -- not that good a behaviour, see how dirty Cali´s mind is... (I´ll admit I started it)

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  39. Monica, I know -- I was making believe that that did not happen. ;-)

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  40. Well Monica & Lois as Mae West said "when I'm good I'm very good, but when I'm bad I'm even better."
    ;)

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  41. That is hilarious! I love it! Although, if he were here, he WOULD freeze.

    (I must say, I'm really glad that you didn't get a shot of No Pants Day!)

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  42. A big thanks to you Eric. It is worth a lot. Indeed.
    Time really lacks me specially right now with many things to solve in a short run.
    What I only wish sometimes would be to stop time, you know, just like when children say in French 'pouce' (break).
    Well, I know it is a very common wish. But that is what this Freeze happening made me to think about. And see, even here I am late! I am in yesterday's post... Although, I'm stealing time to time with PDP. Wish I could steal much more ...

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  43. What a great idea! I'd love to have been there. I think I'd have been covering my mouth in shock, but I don't know why........ !

    I like the pointy man, he's quite handsome too.

    Like Guille, I want to know if you were the frozen man with camera or were you wandering through them?

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  44. "Frozen Daniel", huh? what a nice oxymoron you found... ;)

    Same guy, from a different angle:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ag-photo/3394435157/

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  45. Frozen Daniel it´s good to know you´ve got the moves and several different angles too !

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  46. I bet his arm is getting very sore right about now!

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  48. Wm, whatever man!?!

    -Warm Regards,
    Jasmine

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