SHOOT STORY | JETMAN
DIRECTOR’S VIEW
I remember the first time flying with Jetman back in 2014. Hanging out the door of a helicopter with a camera on my shoulder, looking through the viewfinder and seeing these humans flying not more than 15 metres away. I had to see them with my own eyes, so I pulled away from the camera. Seeing them in the air flying next to me, human faces, hands, and feet dangling, with jets and a wing strapped to their back. Feeling genuinely alive, with this sense of awareness in those moments, something changed in me. Then they arched their back, slicing the air, ascending into the heavens. Transcended by what I saw, I immediately felt a desire to share this experience in a film. The remarkable thing is, every time I’ve flown with them since that day I have experienced this feeling. I believe Jetman represents the idea of freedom – to be free from the boundaries of being human. Yves, Vince and Fred are striving to achieve autonomous human flight, which creates the feeling of freedom in a physical space, and the pursuit of doing something no one has accomplished. I think the best way to convey this story is from their perspectives: exploring who these three humans are, what their motivations are, how they have chosen to pursue life, where they came from and where they are going. The breathtaking action is what gets our attention, but it’s the private human moments before and after the flights, and throughout the rest of their lives, that will ground us, reminding the audience these are humans like all of us. They are not superheroes or gods. They are human like you or me. The only difference is they fly through the sky with a Jet-Wing, and you can't – yet. I've always seen their world through a cinematic lens, creating a visceral experience that lets the audience fly with them, to feel their fear, adrenaline and joy as they experience the beauty life has to offer. Our team of professionals, pilots, engineers and production team make all of this possible. Currently, we are still in production and will be for at least another year. My team and I look forward to the day we get to premiere the whole story to the world. Anthony Augustinack
IMAGES Cameraman Phil Arntz works as both he and jetman Fred Fugan prepare for another display.
the Far East, which will be added to the pool of existing footage, and distribution of the finished show should be this year. COVERAGE One of the cameraman filming the documentary, Phil Arntz, knew Anthony from when they worked in the UAE previously. The pair had shot films about extreme sport, such as BASE jumping, so shooting the jetmen was seen as an extension of that. Phil also shot some of the aerials when the Jetman project filmed with the Emirates Airbus A380, and so was familiar with the speed of the subjects. But the Norway shoot was the big one. Coverage is the key, says Phil, for something like this kind of documentary.
actual flying to gain traction through views. This includes the A380 shoot, Grand Canyon flying, English Channel crossing and many more. LOFT: The Jetman Story is the first time that a documentary has been attached to the subject. It may be because of these shorter videos that the planned documentary has taken a while to bear fruit, and thanks must go to director Anthony August for driving it on. The documentary is being made using many of the smaller productions that you can see on YouTube and elsewhere, and there will also be lots of archive footage and behind-the-scenes shots. Archive footage even goes back to when Yves was a jet fighter pilot and had first come up with the idea of Jetman in 1996. There’s further shooting going on in
18 DEF I N I T ION | JANUARY 20 1 9
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