Porsche The Jump: How We Filmed the Legendary Leap with FPV Drones

In 1960, photographer Hans Truöl took a legendary photo in the Austrian Alps: Olympic downhill champion Egon Zimmermann jumping over a ruby-red Porsche 356. Sixty years later, Porsche decided to recreate that jump – with ski star Aksel Lund Svindal and the new, all-electric Taycan.

And I was up on the summit with an FPV drone.

‍

How we got on board

The idea came, as far as I know, from Stefan Bogner. He had spent years trying to convince Porsche to do it. Once the decision was made, Porsche hired the WWP Group, who brought in KG Media Factory – and they invited us as FPV drone specialists.

FPV perspectives weren’t part of the plan at first. KG Media Factory suggested them to make the video more dynamic. The final confirmation came about two weeks before the shoot. After that, it was pack your bags and go.

The briefing came as a very long Excel list of everyone involved – at least 35 people. I still remember scrolling and thinking: when does this list actually end?

‍

Why we flew from the summit

In case you don’t know the term: FPV stands for First Person View – you fly from the drone’s point of view. That lets you capture perspectives standard drones can’t reach. That’s exactly why we were there.

Filming in the mountains has its traps, though. Flying alongside rock walls is tricky, especially solid stone: the moment the drone disappears behind something, the video signal cuts out. So the smartest place for a pilot is the top of the mountain – clear view, strong signal. Tim and I mostly worked from the summit, in constant contact with producer Martin Dale. We stayed ready until his go.

We didn’t split roles strictly. We swapped to stay focused through the day. It turned into two and a half intense days, starting very early and ending very late.

‍

Our gear on the mountain

We flew our QSL Thicc and the Blackmagic. With more budget, the Siccario paired with the RED Komodo would have been the nicer choice – but for the conditions up there, our setup was spot on.

‍

A shooting day, from the inside

One thing first: getting up that early is anything but normal for Tim, so I woke him every morning. Then the daily Covid test, the crew meeting, breakfast. Around 7:30 the whole crew met up at the toll station – meaning leave the hotel at 7:00 and drive up fast. Shooting started around 8:30 or 9:00.

My personal highlight wasn’t the footage, though. It was the evenings. The whole crew around one big table, a five-course menu, and conversations with Aksel Lund Svindal, with Egon Zimmermann’s brother, with Stefan Bogner. The perfect close to a good day of shooting.

‍

What I took away

When a brand like Porsche sees the potential of FPV, that’s a good sign for the whole craft. And it confirms why we do this: the most spectacular images don’t come from a distance, they come from the middle of the action. Would I do it again? Any time.

‍

So long,
Nikolay Keller