What do Les Petits Français do ?
First and foremost, we create…

Communicating in a different way, getting across a powerful idea, capturing people’s imaginations, making a lasting message thanks to a unique show… this means transforming reality into the imaginary and turning the ephemeral into an unforgettable moment: Such is the task Les Petits Français have set themselves as designers, creators and directors of live and multimedia shows in France and abroad.

Constantly on the lookout for new ideas, Les Petits Français are ready to listen to you, with a view to designing and producing with you large-scale shows that cater perfectly to either the general public or a more specific audience.

In line with the project in hand, Les Petits Français can take care of not only the artistic production, but also the executive production of your project, in order to deliver a turnkey project.

One distinctive feature of Les Petits Français is their ability to work closely with one or several regional executive production(s) so as to keep logistical costs to a minimum and involve as many local contributors as possible.

Close to home, in France and in Europe, but also further afield in Mexico, Chile, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, to name but a few of the countries we have worked in, most of the show devised abroad by Les Petits Français were produced with local multi-disciplinary teams, complemented by international experts. Total immersion in the culture of country for periods of several months, a certain distance and the sort of innocence that comes with the perspective of the outsider – in this case a French perspective – ensure the success of their projects.

Les Petits Français have a number of large-scale projects to their name: from sporting events to cultural and historical shows and urban scenography, the nature of the celebrations is wide-ranging.

Recent productions in France include: 2015 New Year’s Eve celebration in Paris, the second edition of the YouTube Brandcast (Paris, 2014), “Ici… Ailleurs”, multimedia and pyrotechnical show (La Défense, 2014); and abroad: the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium inauguration (Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2014), Laffan Refinery 2 Stone Laying Ceremony (Doha, Qatar, 2014), the “Circle of Light” International Festival (Moscow, Russia, 2012), the Centenary of the Mexican Revolution (Zócalo Square, Mexico City, 2010), the Bicentenary of the Independence of Chile (Santiago, 2010) and the EURO 2008 Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Our commitment: To sublimate reality

The context of our activity always results from the same equation: a customer with raw data that needs to be transformed for an audience within a given framework, whether it be a product or a cultural legacy.

Our specificity is that we prioritise the content and narrative to tell a story and take the spectator on a journey: Technology is at the service of the content and creativity, and not the other way around.

Our Philosophy: Listen first then tackle the project

Throughout the whole study, concept and creation process, up to completion of the project, we never lose sight of the initial objectives and constraints.

The attitude underpinning this approach has three fundamental aspects:
– Listening carefully in order to understand and interpret your expectations as fully as possible
– Immersing ourselves in the original place and context
– Developing a unique proposal taking into account all the restrictions outlined in the brief (location, content, budget).

Our methodology: made to measure

For us, each project is a unique event. So, the same goes for our methodology : for each different occasion, we set up a dedicated unit of experts, who join the core team of Les Petits Français. These experts are chosen on the basis of their skills, but also the geographical location and the field of action of the projects.

Les Petits Français deliberately remains a small company so as to facilitate flexibility and freedom of movement, but also to be able to constantly question itself. Our network of producers based in France and overseas enables us to handle any project format, from the most basic to the most ambitious.

Area of expertise

CREATION – Cover all facets of the creative process
Concept & Design / Script / Storyline / Storyboard & 3D illustrations / Artistic direction / Graphic design / Scenography / Composition of music / Costume & prop design / Architectural video design and video mapping / Stage design / Pyrotechnic design / Planning & costing

ENGINEERING – Incorporate technical issues from the outset of the project
Feasibility studies / Engineering studies / Facility impact studies / Mechanical & electrical development / Civil & structure / Safety / Show control & networks / Mock-up / Structures & infrastructures / Multimedia components / Capital Works / Planning & costing

DIRECTION AND PRODUCTION – Make sure the project is coherent, from start to finish
Artistic direction & production / Project management / Rehearsal management / Technical direction
/ Planning & costing / Media & content production / Original soundtrack / Show programming / 3D animations & 2D/3D film / Operations / Logistics / Live casting & direction / Video shooting / TV filming & coordination

Martin Arnaud : Show Designer – Show Director – Scenographer
Director – Founder of Les Petits Français

 

A man with a passion

After studying philosophy, Martin Arnaud started out as an assistant director in 1992, working with some of Europe’s top directors. During this time, most of which was spent alongside Jérôme Savary at France’s Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris, Martin was also closely involved with a collective of experts developing cutting-edge technologies specifically for the stage. In 1998, Martin directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the Soccer World Cup in Paris, thus entering the world of large-format shows.

In addition to major ceremonies, including the opening and closing of the All Africa Games in Nigeria, the Athens Paralympic Games, the 2008 Euro and the All Africa Games in the Republic of the Congo, Martin is credited with a number of technically pioneering multimedia shows all around the globe.

With “Bollywoodland, Love Never Dies” in 2009, Martin returned to his first love – the stage. This magnificent, magical show heralded a new genre, boldly interweaving elements from theatre, musicals and cinema.

“México en el Corazón”, a multimedia show celebrating the 199th anniversary of the country’s independence, and “Yo, México”, marking the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, each dazzled almost 3 million spectators, as people flocked to the Zócalo, the third largest square in the world.

2010 saw several Latin American countries celebrate two centuries of independence. In Chile, Martin created and developed “Pura Energía, Puro Chile”, a multimedia show that was projected onto the façade of the Palacio de la Moneda, located on the Plaza de la Ciudadanía in Santiago de Chile, and attended by over 450,000 people.

In 2011, the show “Metamorphosis” was projected onto the façade of Chatou’s Notre-Dame Church, truly enchanting spectators.

2012 revolved around two shows designed and directed by Martin: the celebration in Mexico City of the 60th anniversary of Comex, one of Latin America’s largest companies, which specializes in manufacturing paints; and the multimedia show “Circle of Light” on Moscow’s Red Square, as part of the eponymous international festival.

2013 saw the completion of two projects on Parisian soil: “Espace”, a show in which pyrotechnics met with multimedia effects on the monumental Grande Arche de la Défense, as well as the first edition in France of the YouTube Brandcast, which was an eye-opener for guests, both in terms of the daring scenography and rich and surprising content.

In 2014 the Middle East came to the fore. In Qatar, the Emir and his guests were moved, as they laid the first stone of the all-new “high-tech and green” refinery. A few days later, in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah’s brand-new stadium was inaugurated. During this extraordinary ceremony, the king looked on in stunned contemplation as technology was, more than ever, used as a vehicle for content.

Back in France… for the second year in a row, Martin and his team skillfully orchestrated the show “Ici… Ailleurs” at La Défense, inviting more than 50,000 spectators on a voyage around the world. And for the second edition of the YouTube Brandcast, Google once again tasked the team with producing its flagship project.

Paris bid an exhilarating farewell to 2014, organizing for the first time an official event to usher in the new year: Les Petits Français were selected to produce a multimedia show, and the breathtaking result was experienced by over 600,000 spectators gathered on the Champs-Élysées.

In 2015, the African continent invited new challenges, with the gala dinner and closing ceremony of the 50^th anniversary African Games. Martin designed a spellbinding ceremony, in which a giant cube seems to levitate in the center of Kintélé Stadium.

A few days later, and for the third year in a row, Les Petits Français headed to La Défense with an innovative, made-to-measure show program: an urban, multimedia and cultural itinerary. 40,000 participants turned out in spite of dreadful weather conditions to try out this original experience.

2016 saw the completion of two ambitious new productions: the launch of the Abu Dhabi Government’s Five-Year Plan before the region’s highest-ranking dignitaries, and a prestigious new year show on the Champs-Élysées to count down into 2017.

Les Petits Français may only be in their tenth year of existence, but their exceptional events have already garnered five prestigious nominations, both national and international.

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Marilyn Kuentz: Artistic Producer
Director – Founder of Les Petits Français

After completing studies in law, political science and communications, in 2000 Marilyn Kuentz joined the events company Capital Events, where she worked as project manager and production manager on events in different fields (the luxury industry, retail and public institutions).

While at MTV, Martine Thiebault Valette – an agency specializing in business tourism – Marilyn worked with the artistic director to create the communication/production unit in 2003. Within the new unit, she dealt with made-to-measure scenographic and artistic concepts and productions for pharmaceutical laboratories.

In 2004, Marilyn assisted Martin Arnaud in creating and producing the Athens Paralympics ceremonies.
From late 2004 to 2007, she worked on a range of different events, including the live and multimedia show “El Tajín” in Mexico (2007), the “Ben-Hur Train” tour to promote the Ben-Hur stadium spectacular at Paris’ Stade de France in 2005, and the 2006 “Open Orange” launch in France.
Since 2007, having joined forces with Martin Arnaud to found Les Petits Français, Marilyn has been in charge of producing the agency’s live and multimedia shows.

Main references:

New Year’s Eve Celebration 2015, Multimedia show, Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France

Nuits Urbaines, Interactive, cultural, multimedia itinerary, Paris-La Défense, 2015

Closing ceremony of the 11th African Games, Kintele Stadium, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, 2015

New Year’s Eve Celebration 2015, Multimedia show, Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France

YouTube Brandcast, B2B Convention, Live & multimedia show, Paris, France, 2014 & 2013

“Ici… Ailleurs”, Multimedia & pyrotechnics show, Paris-La Défense, France, 2014

Opening Ceremony of King Abdullah Sport City, Live & multimedia show, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2014

Laffan Refinery 2 Stone Laying Ceremony, Live & multimedia show, Doha, Qatar, 2014

“Space”, Multimedia & pyrotechnics show, Paris-La Défense, France, 2013

“Comex, Así lo soñé”, 60th anniversary of Comex, Live & multimedia show, Arena Cuidad, Mexico City, Mexico, 2012

“Circle of Light”, Festival multimedia show, Moscow, Russia, 2012

“Yo, México”, Live & multimedia show, Mexico City, Mexico, 2010

“Pura energía, puro Chile”, Live & multimedia show, Santiago, Chile, 2010

“México en el Corazón”, Multimedia show, Mexico City, Mexico, 2009

“Bollywoodland, love never dies”, Musical, Madrid, Spain, 2009

UEFA 2008, Opening & Closing ceremonies, Switzerland & Austria, 2008

“Tajín vive”, Live & multimedia show, archaeological site, Veracruz, Mexico, 2007, 2008 and 2009

 2017

New Year’s Eve Celebration 2017

 

 2016

 

«Yo México»

 

 

2014

«Youtube Brandcast 2013»

 

 

2013

«Comex, Así lo soñé»

 

2010

«México en el corazón»