Here's an idea for financial patronage of new art from the Chatelain family -
A lottery, whose winner can have lunch (a two-hour post-meridien déjeuner) by means of Internet videoconference (Skype) with Alizée and Jérémy (European time, in Paris or Corsica as they find convenient.) Perhaps, in summer, in honor of "Gourmandises," it can even be a "déjeuner sur l'herbe." (But EVERYONE will be conventionally attired, like in the video, thank you!) Maybe one would standardize doing this on up to one Saturday each month.
The winner also would be posted a DVD of the event, but on which the producers reserve full commercial rights. Food at the winner's end would be his/her responsibility, but perhaps some suggestions might be forthcoming in advance from France, e.g. to eat similar things. For a reduced chance to win for a given investment, a language translator at the French end could be provided.
The lottery would be conducted via the Internet, and one could pay as much as one wanted above a certain minimum for a proportionately greater chance of winning. It would continue until at least a certain minimum total sales total was reached, e.g. €10000 after sales and marketing expenses. Fan clubs might want to band together to invest greater sums than could individuals, and lease a large screen display for a gathering with one another when the big day arrives! One could also imagine optional multicasting for a third-party service fee after the winner is announced.
An alternative to lunch might be a match using a multiplayer Internet game, e.g. via X-Box Live, including video feeds on the side. (Did X-Box Live ever sponsor celebrity players as a marketing tool?)
Yet another alternative might be a walking/driving tour by wireless Internet videoconference. ("Mlle. Alizée, could we please stop here and look around?") Pretty soon there will be great wireless broadband coverage to make this possible in many affluent countries.
Naturally, everyone will be very well behaved and would most likely participate with their spouse or boy/girlfriend to make a foursome or more. Remember:
<i>Gare à qui se comporte
Sans l'once d'un tact, et
Son sang n'est pas du lait!</i>
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[Would you] ...accept a dinner with a male or female fan?
<i>Yes! And I will even say no problem. Most fans that I have met have been calm and respectful with me. In these conditions, I don't know why I would refuse to share a meal with one of them.</i>
-<a href="http://alizeeamerica.com/forums/showpost.php?p=92000&postcount=11">2008 interview</i> of Alizée
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And wouldn't it be nice to make it a pleasurable time for the Chatelains, who might become known for posting some dried, pressed foliage from the maquis (picked by guess who?) to those lottery winner whose company they most enjoyed during the run of a calendar year?
This is all just daydreaming for now, but technology makes it possible - especially with a "James Bond Girl"!
Would you be set up for a videoconference now? If the lottery existed, would you manage to set up in that manner for the opportunity to partcipate?
How much might you invest for a value-proportional chance at winning, if the pot was set at €10000 (now about £8682, US$14091 and MXP180098). i.e. if you buy €100 of "tickets," you have a 1% chance of winning, et cetera. Do you think €10000 is too high for a two-hour lunch/walk/drive/gameplay with two celebrities living in an expensive city? Remember, all the money will go into funding the next art project the couple want to undertake. It is really mainly venerable sponsorship, and not just a chance for personal delight!
Your comments and suggestions are encouraged.