Introduction
In 2007, since June 27 to July 7, with internationals Indy fans, I went to USA New Haven CT to see the set of ?Indiana Jones IV? and to try to realize my BIGGEST dream? to meet STEVEN SPIELBERG !!!
It has been years since I was waiting for the 4th Indiana Jones movie. I told myself that if I would know where and when this event will happen, I will go without any hesitation.
And in May 2007 an important secret information become accidentally public.
"A part of the movie Indiana Jones IV will be filmed in New Haven Connecticut from June 27 to July 7"
But I hesitate? I hesitate A LOT ! I was so afraid of going all the way to the USA for maybe nothing, cause of course I?m not stupid and I knew that my chances to meet Steven Spielberg were less than 1 for 1 million.
But finally I thought that the worst is not going there and coming back without success, the worst would be to regret to not at least ?try? to realize this dream.
So I organized my expedition !
Wednesday, June 27 and Thursday, June 28, 2007
With other Indy fans, we are in New Haven CT and made some explorations in the city.
We saw different places where the movie will be filmed, we met many people, many crew members, we talked to almost everybody telling who we are and why we are here, asking for help, but nobody was able (or want) to help us?
We saw the Fox61 TV who made a video about the shooting.
We take this great opportunity to ask to be filmed, and they accept, they were so nice !!!
So we talk about us, saying where we came from, why we were here etc?
Here is the video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-6_sKP3Hig
It was funny cause the next days, many people recognize us in the streets because they saw us on TV. So we thought that obviously many people from the crew should have seen us, and maybe Steven Spielberg?
There was also the newspaper ?New Haven Register? who helps us a lot. They made articles and pictures about our story showing sometimes on the front page of the newspaper !!!
The 90% of the time there we waited? we waited A LOT !!!?
Friday, June 29 2007
This day was a very important day. They filmed a long sequence in the streets of New Haven.
Fortunately we could see almost everything, the set was not closed at all !!!
So we watched the filming and we saw Steven Spielberg on top of a big truck.
With 3 friends we choose to go in a strategic place. The end of the street, where the truck turn around to going back.
So when the truck turns around, Steven Spielberg obviously saw us and say ?hi? to people waiting there.
I?m pretty sure that he saw me with my ?Steven Spielberg? t-shirt an my red Swiss cap !!!
Here you can watch a video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs6xvzGSDm
Later in the afternoon I can?t believe what happens.
We were waiting for a very long moment in a little street, and suddenly, STEVEN SPIELBERG walked in front of us !!!
He was only 20cm away from me, and I was so stunned that I couldn?t move or say a word. I just stood there like a fool and looked him going away.
After a few seconds, I realized what happened and I was sooooo sad, and angry with me.
It was THE great opportunity that I was waiting for so long and I didn?t do anything !!!
I was so afraid, thinking that it was maybe my only chance to meet him and I just waste it !!!
Then we got a great idea, making a HUGE copy of my Steven Spielberg drawing.
With that, if this incredible occasion happen again, at least Steven Spielberg will noticed us !!!
Monday, July 2 2007 - The BIG day
Like every morning, we wake up very early, at 5:00am, to be on the ?Green? at 6:00am.
The ?Green? is the park where everybody from the production take their breakfast and lunch.
Saturday at lunch time, we saw Shia LaBeouf, so we thought that he will probably be there for breakfast too?
And yes he was there ! I immediately recognized him from behind (and I still don?t know how ???)
We waited near the entrance until he saw us, and he did see us, because we were the only people in the park.
We waved at him to make him comeover, and he went through the protection barrier which close the park for the production, and he simply came to meet us !!!
Shia: Hey guys how are you doing ? Man it?s early morning, so tired. So what do you guys are you doing here, where are you from ?
Fred: Fred from France
Elo: Elodie from Switzerland
Shia: You came all that way just for this ?
Fred: Yes.
Elo: To meet Spielberg.
Shia: You never get to meet him that?s impossible, he?s too busy ! Man I?m such a looser on the set, I?m the bum ! Well I better get back guys, so catch you later, it?s nice to meet you. I?m will probably be the only one so that you meet today.
He was very kind and nice, but he couldn?t help us meet Steven Spielberg :'(
After that we were very desperate I must admit? Shia LaBeouf was our biggest hope :'(
About 2 hours later, we were still walking around in the streets, desperate?
Then we saw a man with a cap? we approach and? it was STEVEN SPIELBERG, on the other side of the road !!!
We ran, and I open that HUGE print that I made from my drawing. When we arrive near the road, Steven Spielberg saw us and waved at us to come, but his bodyguards asked us to stop.
So we waited, and watched them, we saw Steven Spielberg working, explaining some sequences for the film, it was just MAGIC to see him mime the character and moving around.
But in the same time, it was very frustrating, cause he was just on the other side of the road and we can?t go !!!
We were so afraid, if Steven goes away and the bodyguards keep us away from him !!!
But sometimes Spielberg looked at us, so we thought that was a good thing?
Finally, a bodyguard cross the road and tell us that Steven Spielberg accepted to meet us, but after, when we will get what we want, we should not follow and chase him everywhere like fools or stalkers.
We assure him that we are not that kind of person.
So we cross the road, STRESS, STRESS, STRESS, and Steven Spielberg comes to us, shook our hands.
When he shook my hand it was a big SHOCK for me, so strange. It?s at that precise moment that my dream became true!
When all what I imagined, all my hopes and more is becoming real !!!
Steven Spielberg is here, and he shake my hand !!!!!!
Then he asked us:
Spielberg : Hello, what?s your name ? Where are you from ?
So we told him our names and countries.
I thought that I would be very intimidated and that I could not say a word, but happily not at all.
I were intimidate of course, Steven Spielberg is not ?Mister Everybody?, but he was so nice and simple with us that I was rather at ease, and I could talk to him.
So I gave him a file with a letter, my drawings, some pictures, documents, and other things.
I thought that he would just give it to his assistant but NO he took the time to look at them right now with me !!!
It was just crazy and I was very intimidated at that moment, me showing and explaining my art to Steven Spielberg.
Spielberg: Wow look at this !
Elo: I give it to you !
Spielberg: This is for me ???
Elo: Yeah !!
Spielberg: Oh, thank you !It?s beautiful, you are an artist ! Wow, in that picture of Harrison, the eyes are really great you catch his expression!
Elo : ?thanks!
STEVEN SPIELBERG loved my drawings !!!
A compliment from him was better than all compliments from the whole world !!!
Then I took my ??Director?s Chair?? to make him sign it.
Spielberg: What? is? that? ?
Elo: It?s my personal ??Director?s Chair?? with my name on it.
Spielberg: Your name is Elodie ?
Elo: Yeah !
Then I gave him a Swiss cap for his collection, not the same one that I?m wearing, a nice one.
We asked him how many caps he have and why, and he answer.
Spielberg: Oh, I don?t know, I can?t count. I just see when I like and buy it !
Then I took opportunity to exorcize my biggest fear and tell him about my traumatism !!!
Elo: I was so scared of E.T. !
Spielberg: You were scared of E.T. ?
Elo: Yeah !!! And I made a therapy for that !
Spielberg : Really, ? Wow !!!
Then he asks me to show him that HUGE drawing of him, so I open it.
Spielberg: Wow that?s amazing !!! Do you want me to sign this for you ? ? I will sign this for you!
INCREDIBLE, I did not ask him anything and HE wanted to sign it for ME !!!
He then asked me to spell my first name and began to write.
"For Elodie"
Then he stops and thinks?
That?s funny, but I love that moment so much !!!
The fact that for a few seconds, he was thinking about what he wants to write for me, he was thinking only for me !!!
Then he writes again, and it was not a simple little signature, but a looooooong one !!!
Spielberg: Can you read it ?
Elo: Yeah of course : ??For Elodie, Thank you For your art!?? Oh thank you sooooo much !!!
Spielberg: Do you want to take some pictures ?
Elo: Yeah of course !
I was the first one !
He came near me and took me by the shoulder !!!
Another big SHOCK !!! I couldn?t believe it, but I really enjoy the moment, it was so GREAT !!!
Then he said to us.
Spielberg: It was great meeting you guys, I better get back to work, thank you, good bye !
He waves at us and goes away? And that?s it? the end of my biggest dream?
Elo phone home? I was so stunned when I called my Mom to tell her what happenend.
It was much more than all my hopes, much more that all I could imagine !!!
The meeting was not only 30sec for an autograph, it was a real meeting it was long and we get the chance to really talk with him a lot more than what I wrote here, he was so nice with us, so friendly I never could imagine that !!