'Bullet time' is an effect first pioneered in the film 'The Matrix' and often mimicked in rather more low tech fashion by more traditional cameras - and here, with camera phones, using an array of Lumia 1020s on a special rig to capture city scenes (and audio) in rotating, mesmerising fashion.

From Nokia Conversations:

Celebrated filmmaker Paul Trillo has joined forces with our creative Lab to create an exciting system that controls 50 Lumia 1020 smartphones simultaneously, creating a “bullet effect” photoshoot.

Following on from the stunning interactive dress made up of Lumia 1520 smartphones by Fyodor Golan, our creative Lab teamed up with filmmaker Paul Trillo to create the “Multi Lumia Arc of Wonder.”

It was transported through the bustling streets of New York to capture “Living Moments” using the powerful 41-megapixel camera on the Lumia 1020. It’s another first for Lumia, connecting 50 smartphones and enabling a “bullet-effect” photoshoot pushes the boundaries of photography and technology.

Pioneering filmmaker Paul Trillo, said: “We used a Microsoft Surface tablet to control the shoot and a special app which was designed for the Windows 8 mobile platform. We captured a total of 30,000 images across Manhattan, including Union Square, Allen St. and Central Park West.”

Here's the video they ended up with:

It's interesting to see the slight movement in subjects here and there, presumably caused by very slight delays in the triggering of the 1020 array - the overall effect is still very impressive though. 

It's also worth noting that the 1020's PureView capabilities weren't really used to any degree here - a Lumia 925 (e.g.) could have been used instead - but it's cooler to see the 1020 array, I think!

In typical Nokia fashion, a 'behind the scenes' video was also produced: