Published by Swiss James on 26 Jun 2008 at 07:25 pm
Semi-Finals, Tiananmen Timelapse
Last night I watched Germany edge past Turkey in the Euro2008 semi-finals .
There must have been 1,000+ people packed into O’Malley’s to watch the game. With about 75 minutes gone and the score tied at 1-1, the TV cut out. No-one was pleased.
The live footage was out for maybe 10-15 minutes, during which time both teams scored. People all around were getting phone calls and text messages from home telling them the score, so random pockets of people were celebrating whilst others didn’t know why.
To make things worse the TV station, with no live footage to show, was repeating earlier goals and near misses- and half the crowd thought it was live.
Anyway the whole thing left me utterly exhausted and I slept in until 5:30pm today. So here, late, is some timelapse stuff I shot in Tiananmen square when I was in Beijing last weekend.
If that doesn’t work, here’s the same thing on Youtube.
WoAi on 26 Jun 2008 at pm #
Ok that is pretty cool. No connection to the football but it’s a piece of art. The music is great. Where did u find it? Also, because it’s photos rather than video the images are so sharp. Great work and a vast improvement on that turtle bollocks!
T on 26 Jun 2008 at pm #
The tv going out had to do with storms in Vienna knocking out the television center.
andy_best on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
Yeah, the TV was out all over the world. Just watching the other semi, half time now - they showed some shots of the lightning, awesome.
WoAi on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
0-0 Russia / Spain (at half time), yawn. I am going to bed!
Rachel Lynn on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
Awesome time-lapse! It’s just like being there - but the lovely music makes it seem far more peaceful! None of the screeching traffic. Nice work! Must’ve taken a lot of patience.
kristi on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
I enjoyed the turtle bollocks (speaking of which how’s the turtle deathwatch going?), but Woai is right this was pretty awesome.
I feel your pain with the football viewing. Try watching it in Southern Cali, where your choice is either a spanish language station, or a bar filled with 100+ British men who yell at you every time you accidentally call it soccer.
kristi on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
IT’S NOT SOCCER IT’S FOOTBALL WOMAN!!!!!!!!!!!
Swiss James on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
WoAi- if it’s not a cat you’re just not interested are you?
I think this one would have turned out a lot better if I’d remembered my tripod- as it was I had to balance on bins that shook in the wind, a Communist memorial, and then just my camera bag.
Next time, next time…
Still mad keen to go down to Nanjing Dong Lu and do a good long bit.
Electrical storms in Vienna eh? Sounds like God was angry that England weren’t in the finals.
Turtles still alive! We’re feeding them on prawns and not picking them up unless absolutely necessary. Am going to get a fishtank for them to swim around in this weekend, then they might have a fighting chance at living for a month or so.
Still not picked names, we’re at a deadlock. I want Huckleberry for the boy but Emma thinks it’s not manly enough?!
Swiss James on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
oh and Germany v Spain for the final? Should be a cracker- why couldn’t they have had it on a Saturday night?!
Woaizhongguo on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
James don’t hang around too long - you want to make sure you don’t end up naming them posthumously! And yes lets definitely do the Nanjing Road thing this weekend. And just because I’m not excited by turtles doesn’t mean I have a cat fetish!
kristi on 27 Jun 2008 at am #
1) It’s not fair that I have no idea who yelled at me? I totally didn’t write that
2) Huckleberry is only manly in like Doc Holiday sort of way, otherwise it’s a flower or something, so she might have a point there.
3) Cats suck.
dingle on 27 Jun 2008 at pm #
ah, that’ll be me, I was using a different computer and typed my name in as “kristi”, it was an easy mistake, that’s the name I use at the weekend…
kristi on 27 Jun 2008 at pm #
It’s cool. I had it coming. I’d be pissed if you guys took baseball and started calling it . . . actually I hate baseball you can call it whatever you want.
Woaizhongguo on 27 Jun 2008 at pm #
Kristi - We call baseball “rounders”. Oh and THANKS by the way, you know what for.
Sophie on 27 Jun 2008 at pm #
I’d just like to add: auf gehts Deutschland!
Liam on 27 Jun 2008 at pm #
Those Spaniards totally got that soccerball play rolling in the 3rd quarter after Villa was substitutionalised for having a silly little beard tuft under his lip. Fabregas is quite the soccerballperson, and his linking with Torres was wicked awsome! I totally hope they screw the Germans a new hole, but i have fears…
At the risk of raising the wrath of Mr Swiss, this tournament (which has been totally wicked awsome all the way through, except for Sweden vs Greece and Spain vs Italy), has been all the better for England’s absence. Good stuff!
Owen on 27 Jun 2008 at pm #
It may be because I’ve had a couple of beers but going off this video roughly 50% of people in Tiananmen Square walk backwards.
They’ll have to sort that out before the Olympics, what?
dingle on 27 Jun 2008 at pm #
Hey Liam buddy, howdy! I gotta tell ya I was pretty stoked when that dude performed an upper body volley right into the score zone, it was AWESOME!
HIGH FIVE!!!!!!!!!!
kristi on 27 Jun 2008 at pm #
Very funny Liam.