Choosing a Skydiving Production Company

EIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK and what answers to expect:

Creating skydiving scenes that haven’t been seen before undoubtedly gets people’s attention. I challenge you to come up with ideas and concepts that will make your production surprising and spectacular.

Special effects supervisors, second unit directors & stunt coordinators do this by working with a Supervising Producer-Skydiving (SP-Skydiving) of an aerial unit.

Let’s get some definitions out of the way.
What is the difference between visual effects and special effects?
Visual effects are anything that is done after the production has wrapped. For example: CGI, motion capture, compositing
Special effects on the other hand are done during production. For example, explosions, car chases and skydive sequences

There is no comparison when trying to create the realism of a sky high adrenaline pumping action scene than to do it in real life. People are getting more critical of recognising what was shot in studio and what was created by real action. Using hoists, wired harnesses are easily recognised by the discerning eye.

The key to executing skydiving stunts safely comes from a bold, fearless attitude that uses well trained and risk averse athletes led by a Drop Zone Safety Officer (DZSO). But how do you recruit the very best people for the job?

Safety comes from the use of industry standards.
These standards are set by the Federation Aero Sports Internationale (FAI) member organisations. Examples of these include: United States Parachute Association, Australian Parachute Federation,nBritish Parachute Association and other national aerosports control.

Then of course you need your skydive production team to have in-depth experience using hidden parachutes, ability to facilitate cargo drops, flag display and much more. The ‘special sauce’ is the experience each team member brings to the table and the attitude of ‘we just get sh!t done’.
This gives you a great foundation to create something amazing with the peace of mind that the highest level of creativity, due diligence and safety is in place.

As promised here is a list of questions for you to effectively recruit a skydive production company. Whilst the SP-Skydiving of the aerial unit is key, the operational strategy and execution is the ‘must have’ in producing the best results.
Please remember that you don’t have to know everything about aviation and skydiving. You only need a few key points answered easily to determine the technical prowess of your skydive production company candidate. There are a lot of people that claim they know what they are doing, here is a foolproof way to find out.

EIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK and what answers to expect:

1. What cameras do they have, what helmets and mounts do you use?

Any of the well-known single unit cinema cameras can be used based on weight & form factor.
The Red Komodo is a great example. Another good alternative is the Freefly wave, The wave however does not have the same dynamic range as the Red but give you similar options for your shoot.
Consumer action cameras do not cut the mustard. They do not have the lens options, dynamic range & colour management, high resolution combined with high framework options that give you a range of cinematic possibilities.
Talking further about camera weight & form factor, you must remember that aerial videographers are opening parachutes at great speed and have suspension lines connecting them to parachutes These lines are susceptible to snag points. This is why light weight helmets are used with small form factors.
Probably also important to ask if the camera mounts have a cutaway cable and if they have insurance. haha.

2. What is Part 91?

This is a aviation regulatory requirement.
This is the aviation regulatory Requirement for aircraft movements and parachuting operations.
As a film professional you do not need to know these regulations intimately. This is just another box to tick in your questioning as every professional operator should be able to answer in one sentence stating the above off the cuff.

3. What’s next if my skydiving stunt is not covered under aviation regulations?

Time must be taken to contact the National Aero Sports body.
You must feel confident that your DP-skydiving when planning execution of skydiving stunts understands the regulations intimately. Its equally important to ensure the appropriate permissions, waivers and approvals are given in writing to prove duty of care.

4. Why must a location scout with skydive experience mandatory?

There are many factors that a location scout must look at in order to deem a location safe for skydiving or parachute operations. Having a clear area may not always be appropriate.
There are other major considerations such as distances to hazards, type of hazards and contours of the landscape that can cause turbulence and dangerous landings.

5. When do aircraft pilots and skydivers need oxygen?

If a descent is to be made from above 15,000ft each parachutist must have access to and use supplement oxygen above 12,000ft while in the aircraft. Pilots need supplemental oxygen at and above 14,000ft continuously.
Again you don’t need this in great detail. Just know that there are requirements that are mandatory but are different for pilots and skydivers.

6. What similar projects have they done previously?

Answers should give you confidence in their ability.
Ask them of their proudest achievements and some of their biggest challenges in bringing the result home for their client.
Look at jump numbers as indicated in their logbooks and also verify their safety and instructional qualifications.
Ask to see team members FAI Membership.

7. What does the acronym TSO stand for and what specifically does it apply to?

Technical Standard Orders – This has to do with construction standards for EQUIPMENT used.
You just want to know they understand what TSO means and their equipment is approved under that standard.
They should be able to answer this in one sentence, if they know what they are doing.

8. How would they go about turning your story board into something breath taking leaving audiences in awe?

This begins with breaking down the film & stunt requirements into building blocks.
The expertise is in the training of videographers to mimic the camera movements made possible with tools such as gimbles, slides, dollys, jibs and zip lines, 15,000ft or more above the earth.
The idea is to facilitate a zoom, tracking movements, camera roll, camera shake, steady cam or random movements and more.
To make this happen requires athleticism, out of the box thinking and technical prowess. This is how they will prove their worth.
It’s one thing to be creative, it is another thing to determine how to capture the vision the filmmakers want.
What is critical is being able to build trust, honesty and confidence with the DP-skydiving so that you
minimise any feelings of risk of not being able to match the imagery, energy & emotion you are trying to convey to audiences.
You must trust that alternatives will be found that would give equal impact if the initial method to execute filming cannot be found.

Remember, there is no such thing as a silly question and you should not accept a response stating“sorry it’s too technical”.
Any skydiving professional candidates should have practised explaining technical concepts simply and easily to get key points across. The above questions and the key points within the answers will give you peace of mind. They don’t need to do a song and dance regarding, just show they are competent, qualified and equipped to successfully carry out your project.

Hope this helps.

Ossie Khan.

Supervising Producer, Skydive Film & Productions

Senior Instructor Australian Parachute Federation #325603

Safety & Training Advisor (South East Asia at Large) United States parachute Federation #369712