A couple of days ago I posted about my disbelief of Emirates’ latest promotional video actually being real. Well, the airline has now posted an incredible behind the scenes video that proves just how real this was.
Continue reading: Wait, Emirates’ Burj Khalifa Stunt Was Real?!?!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
This is definitely real because why would emirates do a green screen of this anyway like it seems if they are doing this they may as well do it real, also I was initially skeptical when you said this was fake because it just looks so real which explains how that it is in fact real.
Also if you pause it as the camera is panning out you can see a black pole behind her which I assume she was strapped and harnessed to.
Incredible stunt and great marketing campaign even though the concept is very simple. But how did she get there in the first place and how did she get down? If she’s a professional skydiver did she just parachute down? Can’t imagine she did that with those placards though.
would have been more authentic to have a real flight attendant stand in front of a green screen than have a skydancer/stuntwoman on top the real thing
She does have an unspoken tension in her face that indicates she is up there. As to your questions, I've read that there is a ladder to the top and apparently their day started at 4:30am and she was down by 11am or so. Secondly, for sure she would have been wearing a fall restraint that could easily be hidden from view.
You only have to add up the daily flights that Emirates had out of London pre-covid, let alone the rest of the U.K. to realise what a crucial market it is for their operations and how damaging the U.K. Red list has been for them - remember that even if you transit through the UAE from a Green or Amber list country, you enter the U.K. as a red list arrival!
Thanks for the additional information.
It is interesting to see how small in diameter and how long the antenna actually is.
The tower is actually hollow and there is a ladder inside. You can see some cellular equipment at the top of the tower, and that ladder is how maintenance crews can access the equipment. She almost certainly got to the top the same way. As for a safety tether, I’m sure it is cleverly disguised by her uniform.
Like I said yesterday in the other post, Tom Cruise did it first.
It was for Ghost Protocol, which I think was over 10 years ago. Nothing new or exciting here.
If she did it like Cruise, it was heli drop off and pickup.
If you freeze the video at 0:21 you can see there is some sort of pole running up behind her. I'd presume she's wearing a safety harness under the uniform and is attached to that pole.
And, no, she did not skydive down to the platform. She rode the elevators up, climbed a ladder, and reached the top, like they do when they need to perform inspection or maintenance on the spire/antennae
Exactly this. It’s not at all surprising that this is a huge deal for Emirates. London is by far Emirates’ most important destination in commercial terms (they usually fly twice as many people to London each year as their next biggest destination (BKK)), and the UK as a whole is, I believe, their single biggest market. The UK red list has been extremely painful for them.
As a former skydiver:
1) No way she skydived onto that little platform (she was either dropped via helicopter or climbed up
2) I know SEVERAL people (nuts) who would *kill* for the chance to climb up that building and jump off (BASE jumping)
Which leads me to the bigger question nobody is asking: How did she get down?
🙂
Risking the life of someone else is all fine.
I will be speechless if the Emir of Dubai or the CEO decided to do this
- that will show his true desire for the glory of Emirates
It’s no mystery how she got up and down from there. There’s a ladder inside the spire. Here’s a video showing it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30_b22TVY7s
You beat me to mentioning tom cruise! And he wasn't even wearing shoes. They did it via helicopter, it's not exactly impossible (ha) to get up there.
Have none of you seen the Mission Impossible movie/Tom Cruise vehicle that also involves this tower?
@corpkld
There have been a few official BASE jumps off the Burj Khalifa, but perhaps the most ballsy was the unofficial one done by sneaking into the construction site in 2008.
There's 'something' not right about the video. Not with the tower, but look at the signs. She has only two pieces of cardboard, but they say multiple phrases as she repeatedly cycles between the two. It's clear when she pulls one off the top and puts it behind that there are only two; she does this multiple times. So somehow that text is edited in.
Follow the cardboard with the 'chipped' upper right hand corner if you don't see it otherwise.
And there appears to be some equipment behind her left leg. I’d guess she’s secured into a harness attached to a pole.
im sure sheikh Hamdan would totally do something like this (hes the son of Dubai's sheikh). hes into extreme sports, look him up stuff he does is pretty dope.
This is an impressive ad. In this video you can better see the platform she stands on and the pole that she is attached to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0sX9ArivpI
Would love the opportunity to climb up the Burj Khalifa and base jump from the top. #swoon
Don't judge top level athletes please.
They just recently weaponized that.
Soon all those stupid bulls**t ESA will spill over from planes to everywhere.
Every year, there is about 5-10 people that are allowed to climb all the way to the top, depending on the project. You need to reach out to EMAAR (developer and operator) and propose a project. Now, if you suffer from vertigo, forget about doing anything remotely crazy like that.
If you Google, you'll see people from Russian and Australian influencers, German photographers to even crown prince HH Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum himself.
Looking closer at the video, that platform that she is standing on is not standard equipment that stays on the top based on several photos already out there on the building. Also, looking closely at her standing as the shot pulls out, you can see a vertical black bar that she is either just leaning against, or more than likely strapped to.
As stated, an amazing shot and a once in a lifetime opportunity for Emirates. The problem now is, how do they top it?
You simply climb the spire from -inside-. It's been done hundreds of times and a few of those are my friends who are photographers. Heck, Tom Cruise was there. Look him up on YouTube.
I assume she climbed up and had a parachute on in case she fell. The camera angle was either hiding parachute or rigging on her back. Either way, kudos to her
Really, why bother when the same effect can be achieved by simulation. The majority viewers of the ad would assume it was simulated anyway.
Pay attention to the cards, she shows 5 different messages but it appears that she only has two cards. Also at that altitude it should be windy and the wind doesn't pickup until the rotates the last card. So there seems to be some questionable pieces to this.
Dr Camp ladies sing dis song ---Do Da, Do Da Day.. If you happen to watch Commercial TV (I don't) every 15 minutes you are presented with no more that 5 commercials. AND at least 3 will be as mindless as this piece. Do Da day!
I DON'T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL. At a height like that the wind HAS TO BE BLOWING VERY HARD, but by the movement of her 'scarf' (or whatever that neck thing is called) at times it looks like there's NO WIND AT ALL.
It had to be e green screen, period.
Not a big deal, 2700 feet, if you're even a novice level sky diver. Clear two tandem jumps and your first solo is from 3-5,000 feet, from a plane. Given a base jump suit the trek to the top of this building is no biggie. Base jumps have been going on there for 15 years now. WHAT is the big deal?
I would want to out even if not paid. Rather, I would pay a big sum to get such an opportunity!
- Chetan
Im a skydiver and I know both her & her husband. This is definitely real. You can climb up there and if you look closely you can see that she had a harness on and was secured to a pole at the back.
It’s not so easy to just BASE jump off there because the building gets a lot wider as it goes down. When they did the official BASE jump from the building, they had to erect a platform so that it would clear the balconies below.
They build a new headquarters that is higher than the Burj Khalifa and then make another video.
Ben why do you think this is so impossible? What about Felix Baumgartner and his jumps? Google Alain Robert so called French Spider-Man and his stunts.
If you have time watch Red Bulls 360 Ascent.
This is nice. But if you think about it, there are more impressive and terrifying things. It is only perception.
It’s a great promotional video - however it was made , the point is , it works and it’s a sensational visual advertising success
Yes, I noted this above. I wondered why they'd fake THAT part.
Maybe so they can create multiple different messages.
No way!. all I know is you can't stand Over top of the pole like this as if standing on sidewalk waiting for the bus.. because of high wind. it is gonna blow you away!. if you look carefully her scarf moving just the little bit as if there is a breeze in the air that it is impossible in this high altitude. Anyways still it is a creative advertisement. congratulations!.
I think this type of advertising is irresponsible. There have been many deaths from people seeking thrills and making selfies.. many tragedies. It is totally unnecessary and in bad taste to show this kind of picture.. / video. I would suggest these things be stopped.
But this isn't just "people seeking thrills". These are professionals taking all the necessary safety precautions.
Ben, I'm wondering where you found the information that "she is actually an Emirates flight attendant"? I'm just curious because I'm reading a lot of conflicting information on several aspects of this stunt and I'm not sure what to believe anymore :).
corpkid... read the article. It doesn't says she skydived to that spot. It says she rode an elevator to the 160th floor, and then climbed a narrow stairway for an hour.
And as a former skydiver myself, I wouldn't want to try to land there. Not because I can't hit a 0.0 landing (I can) but because it's windy as hell up there and after nailing the landing the wind would pull you right off.
The person who "did it first" was the one that welded the last piece of steel on the top of the tower. Duh! 😉
Guess you can't read none too good.
She is a real Emirates Flight Attendant. LOL!
This is so real Nicole is a personal friend of mine and she climbed up and stood there for 5 hours making this commercial. There are behind the scenes videos showing her and how this was made
As a matter of face this Ad just aired in Germany in a totally different context. They advertised traveling to Dubai for the Expo.
So I assume they filmed it with empty signs to use it for different markets since filming such an ad only to advertise the non-red list status would be a bit over the top…