BASE jump footage

What it means

BASE stands for Building, Antenna, Span and Earth, the four kinds of fixed objects jumpers leap from. Compared with skydiving from a plane, BASE jumps start much lower, so freefall is short, often a few seconds, and the parachute opens close to the ground or cliff face.

The footage is dramatic for the same reasons the sport is dangerous: the edge, the drop, terrain close by and very little time. The exit and the opening happen moments apart, so a BASE edit is compressed compared with skydive freefall, and the walk to the exit point often provides as much story as the jump.

How it works in practice

Jumpers wear helmet cameras that look forward and down. A second camera on the exit point, held by a friend or mounted on a tripod, films the jump from behind or the side, showing the drop beneath.

Shoot at high frame rate to slow the exit. The hike or climb to the exit point, the view from the edge and the landing area make good establishing shots. A slow pan across the valley below sets the height before the jump.

Some jumpers use wingsuits from cliffs, which turns a short jump into a longer flight with more terrain in the footage.

What to watch out for

BASE jumping is extremely dangerous, and filming should never take priority over the jump itself. Cameras and mounts must be snag-free and never interfere with deployment.

Many BASE sites are restricted or illegal. Publishing footage can expose jumpers to legal trouble, so check before posting and avoid showing locations that are kept quiet for a reason.

Short freefalls and fast openings leave very little action. Use the approach, the exit and reactions on landing to build the story around the few seconds of falling, and avoid stretching them with heavy slow motion.