Words and images by Andrew “Fordy” Ford
Over the years, skydivers have become synonymous with the occasional party and a couple of drinks. So, when the opportunity arose to make cocktails in the sky for a company that sells products and experiences, we couldn’t resist!
The brief was a fairly loose concept involving cocktails being mixed, shaken, and poured during freefall, followed by a short ground section where the completed drink would be delivered to a customer at home. I’ve always found that a lighter brief allows us to over-deliver with exciting aerial footage, rather than trying to fit into a complex narrative dreamed up by an enthusiastic director who’s spent too much time watching world champion freefly routines on YouTube.
The team, Mark Harris, Andy Pointer, and myself on camera duty, discussed the brief both with the production company and among ourselves and brainstormed what was achievable in a few jumps. We focused on identifying the priority shots and evaluating how likely we were to capture each one in a way that effectively conveyed the concept.
Mark did a fantastic job with the cocktail-making equipment, ensuring it was safe to jump with and could be released in the case of an emergency. He also made sure that, if something went wrong, we wouldn’t end up delivering a cocktail through someone’s roof or car window.
So, with shakers and a cocktail bottle quite literally in hand, we set out to shoot the first sequence. Andy Pointer, with the density of lead while falling, and Mark, at 6’2”, catching the relative wind a tad more, made for an interesting pairing! At that point, I found myself wishing I had jumped without wings so I could more comfortably frame the shot. The fall rate, while one flyer was shaking and pouring and the other trying to hold a shaker still enough to pour from, wasn’t the main priority. When the mocktail (water) sprayed out over Andy’s custom-painted helmet, it was all I could do to keep the shot framed for laughing, Jump one: success.
The following three jumps, as the images portray, were both entertaining and successful, just as we’d hoped. They provided sequences that exceeded the expectations of the ad agency, including Andy as the human chopping board, more mocktail-spraying antics, and Mark overly focused on making a bottle spin in a 120 mph breeze.
Keep an eye out for this on social media, it might make a fleeting appearance (or even become a viral hit).
Thanks to Sibson DZ, Manager Steven Taylor, and Caravan Pilot Steve Wilkinson for ensuring everything ran smoothly.
