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"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: on Stranger Tides"
UK PREMIERE - London Westfield

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By a crazy luck I had the opportunity to assist to the Premier of Pirates of the Caribbean in London !
My trip there was planned since a few months but 2 weeks before, I saw that the Premiere of Pirates will took place on 12 of May in London !! But, I was suppose to leave London on 12 afternoon. I choose to change my plane ticket to be able to stay in London a few more hours and to be able to assist to this crazy event !!

May 12 2011
I arrive at Westfield at 8am
The mall was open but deserted cause the stores won't open before 10am.
We arrive in a huge place, empty to the ceiling in glasses. The area is divised in two by a long blue carpet in the center. And on each side are lot of barriers with Pirates posters. But we saw almost nobody on this side so I thought that it was the wrong side and we go back to enter on the right side There are lot more people, I enter in the first area, a vigil make us a stamp, but the people tolds us that there is no more front places. So I panic, I don't know what to do. Then a girl who saw my distress ask me if I search for a place, I say yes, and she told me that there might be some places in the other side. I thanks her and go back where we first enter. And yes there was still front places there !!
But at that moment I thought that it's maybe the worst place to be because all other spaces are full. Anyway I don't have any choice and I trust my destiny. We go to enter and we sit in front of the barrier in a relief door part of the barrier. OUF I feel much more better, I got a place in front, and I'm very happy to be there !!

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Near us are two great girls very nice. We talk while I put my costume of Jack Sparrow.
Then I sit on the ground and didn't move, I don't dare go out even if I got a place.
The premiere took place in the « Atrium » of the mall. It is closed for the premiere and the fans are on both sides. We were in the back right from the scene. On top of the scene there is a huge pirate's skull and just bellow a big screen showing Pirates videos and trailers all the day.

Hours pass but strangely it goes fast, even doing nothing even for Mum. I tried to read but I can't. So finally I just do nothing and I wait and watch people working for the event. They build a scene, with stairs, then they put a huge black pirates map behind the scene, the final effect is very nice.
A vigil come to me and congrats me for my costume. He ask me where I come from, he was nice.

Then I decide that I want to put my big drawing on the barrier, but I first want to ask somebody if I can, because we are on a door part of the barrier. I ask the same vigil who came before and he says that there are no problem, and he help me to paste it. He ask me if I made this and I say yes. We talk a moment with him, he is very nice, very friendly, always smiling, even if he says that he is here since 7am and he is already very tired. But he was great and he like to talk with fans, we can feel that he love his work.

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A little later, I'm sitting on the floor, back to the barrier, and a girl sitting in front of me told me that somebody is filming my drawing ! So I get up and I see a man with a big camera, really filming my drawing !! When he see me, he put the camera on me and ask me if it's my drawing, so I answer then he ask where I come from etc… Then he leave, but other journalists are coming, 2 young persons, a guy and his assistant. They are responsible of the Disney facebook. They ask me a few questions, when I told him that I come from Switzerland, he told me in French that he can speak French and he know very well Verbier, he will go there tomorrow for a wedding and stay in Switzerland for the week end !! That was a crazy coincidence. He was also a very nice person, friendly and helpfull. He took a picture of me and my drawing that he will upload on facebook later.
  
Then I sit again. I send an sms to Capt. Cristian to know if it's always ok to meet this evening. But SURPRISE, he will finally come at the premiere with a friend of him !!!!
So I explain him where I am and I wait for them. Later a group of 3 fans with costumes pass in front of our barrier and call me to take pictures.
Near 12am, the 2 famous Jack Sparrow arrives. And they were so perfectly dressed that everybody run to them to make pictures, they were like stars it was very funny. I go to them and we made a few pictures. They were great, funny and very friendly. And their costumes were so amazing !!
I told them that Mom should leave around 2pm so if they want to have one front place they can stay here.
The crowd become bigger and bigger, but there was very few people wearing pirates costumes. I thought that there would me many pirates in here but no. I saw also some Johnny Depp impersonator but not in Jack Sparrow, and there were a Will Turner.

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Arrive 2pm and Mum should leave
A few minutes later on the scene they made big fire effects.
From that time, many many people arrive and arrive, also official people for TV, radio, newspapers etc… They took place in the center square in front of us.
People began to crowd, we can soon not even turn around, so everybody stay in the same position, in front of the barrier.

A lot of journalists came to interview us. Mainly because the 2 great Jack Sparrow who are with me. There were even official people from Disney !! So like I was with them, I was always on the spot too. And they did not only have great costumes, they can also act like Jack Sparrow so it was very funny to see when they get interviewed, they were just crazy !!

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At 4pm, the official event start, with 2 animators, apparently famous in UK.
On the big screen they start showing us more interesting unseen videos, interviews, movie scenes, etc…

Then arrive 5.45pm, the entrance moment !!!
And at that moment I realize that I'm in the best zone of the whole area !! Cause the celebrity entrance took place on left from us !!
The first people to enter is not really from the movie but it's the little school girl who wrote to Jack Sparrow to come help her and her friends to fight a mutiny against their teacher. She was so cute !!
After the cast and crew of Pirates arrives, one by one, the less important parts first.
Then Jerry Bruckheimer, Rob Marshall, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz.
And finally arrive JOHNNY DEPP !!!!!!
I must admit that I where very impressed by the huge hysteria, his entry was an incredible moment,  it was almost scary.
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The cast and crew are invited to go on scene one by one to make a little interview, during that time, the other can sign autographs. At that moment I realized that I thought about everything for Johnny Depp but nothing for the others !!
I don't want them to sign my drawing, so I try to reach my bag but it's very difficult because of the crowd. After a few minutes I finally succed and I take a Pirates magazine that I took a day before in a theater. I decide to make them sign on it.

The first one to sign me an autograph is Jerry Bruckheimer and I'm SO HAPPY !!!!
And it was a little thing strange when he signed this autograph. I could not really explain it but he sign then he look at me and he stood there like if he was surpsised and he smile to me, but a strange smile. I don't know why and it's not because of my costume cause I was near Cristian and next to him my costume is nothing !!
Well I don't know but it was nice.
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Then I can get an autograph from Penelope Cruz and one from Sam Claflin and more of all from Geoffrey Rush !!
Unhappily I couldn't get one from Rob Marshall cause he didn't pass near to us.
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Cristian wanted absolutely that Barbossa notice him, so when he was on the scene, Cristian shouted "Where is my ship !!" This make laught Geoffrey Rush and he answered something but I didn't hear it.  Cristian even get the chance to took a picture with him !
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At the moment when Johnny Depp should come to us, he get called on scene. So I were very scared, I was scared that after he wouldn't get anymore time to sign autographs. But people around me were not anxious so it makes me feel better.
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Then he come down again and he is directed by his bodygards to the ectremity of our area, so in a few minutes he will arrive !!!!! I stress, and everybody stress, cause people push more and mor, we are almost crushed against the barriers but who cares ¦D
Then he arrives and I decide to put my camera in video mode cause I will not be able to take any pictures while he will be close to me. Well I finally wasn't able to make a video either but the most important for me was to recorder the moment, the ambiance, the voices, etc…
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He arrive… I panic a little, I fear that he does not see me, I try to attract his attention by raising my hand. He arrive to Cristian who makes him sign a compass, then he want also make him sign his screen used hat and that was funny because apparently Johnny Depp had never sign a hat before cause he didn't knew how to do it.
Then he comes in front of me and I asked him to sign my drawing, he looks at me, then look at my drawing, he says something like "Wow nice" he go down watch it to see where to sign and he sign it !!!! When he gets up, I put my plan into action and I told him "Thank you, Merci !" And at that moment he stoped and looked at me, smile and say "De rien" !!!!!!!!!!!!
He seemed really touched by hearing speak French, it's maybe stupid but it really seemed to please him
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Then he pursue his walk and I am in another world and I smile like a crazy

MY VIDEO [link]
Bad visual quality but we can very well hear the ambiance and more of all his "De rien"

ALL PICTURES [link]

Then everybody from the cast and crew go on the scene one by one, the first to go is Johnny Depp. And finally they go to the escalator to go to the theater.

Now the stress go away, everything went very well, it's calm, people leave the area, we can move again. I take my drawing and put it in my bag, then with the 2 Jack Sparrow we want to leave the mall, but at each step we make, somebody calls us to make pictures ! It was amazing, we couldn't walk more than 10 seconds without behing stopped by somebody.
When everybody get their picture, we walk again toward the exit but we are stopped again by a person and then again many other come. Finally it took us about 30min to get out of the mall. And outside it was the same thing, everybody wants to make pictures with us, it was really CRAZY !!!!
Finally it took us about 1 hour before we could reach the train !!


VIDEOS FIND ONLINE WHERE WE CAN SEE ME
4:23 -> 5:06 - [link]
Short version : [link]
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