NOTHING ELSE MATTERS - Behind the Scenes

*Pre-production Notes*

INTERVIEW WITH THE LEAD
Interviewer: What is this movie all about?
Me: This is a 10-minute documentary of a girl, who will take a ride to the sky, 12,000 ft above the ground, then take a leap.
Interviewer: What made you decide to make this film?
Me: I don't know, really. This idea was just sprung to me by a friend a few weeks ago. Out of the blue. It has never even crossed my mind prior to that. I was non-committal at first, and then I just figured, this is something I had to do. To symbolize all the things that I chose not to do, because of some fear, baseless or otherwise.

FILM BIO
Cast:
Me - She is not really a daredevil but she possesses an adventurous spirit, and a zest for life which she keeps rediscovering, experience after experience
"Kirk" - He is her tandem instructor. But more than that, he plays a pivotal role in the creating an awareness in the lead character's life, whether he intended to or not. He is our accidental hero.
"Roy" - This is Me's officemate who unintentionally made her decide on the spot to make the jump. They were just casually discussing this in the parking lot during a company fire drill, and the next thing she knew, he asked her help to make the arrangements for the jump the following day.

Location: The film was shot at Hobby Field, Creswell, Oregon. This is where the Eugene Skydivers are based. It was also shot during a perfect day - 70C, and very clear skies. And the Ducks, college football heroes of the University of Oregon, were playing that day, accentuating the fervor and energy of that day.

*Production Notes*

STORY
Roy and Me arrive at the location around 1PM. The day was absolutely marvelous, and couldn't have been more perfect for the jump. Kevin, one of the tandem instructors teach Me and Roy the stunts, otherwise collectively known as tandem jump. Kevin taught them how to make sit on the door of the plane, with arms crossed, and left leg hanging in the air. He showed them to jump sideways, then make an arch, head looking up toward the sky, as soon as they're making the freefall. The freefall will last about 30-40s, then the instructor showed them both how to pull the ripcord from the side, to open the parachute. The tandem instructor jumping with them will make a pointing signal to the right to indicate it's time. They were also taught how to land. Slide to break the fall.

Me and Roy each went to their tandem partners. Kirk hooked Me up in a harness. They were going to be connected to each other in four places. Not long after it was time to ride the plane. Kirk scooted towards the end of the seat, Me sitting in front of him, striding the seat, sitting up against his lap. There were a couple more tandems and four AFF (accelerated free fall) jumpers. The plane began to circle the ground then slowly made it's ascent.. At 5,000 ft, the seat belts were removed and Kirk showed Me the spectacular view below. It was a nice view of the Willamette Valley. Kirk showed Me the University of Oregon (home of the Ducks) track.. Later, he attaches his and her harnesses together. After about 20 mins on the plane, at 10,000ft, Kirk told Me to get ready, wear her helmet and goggles, checked the harnesses once again, and ensure the ripcord was in place. He told Me to take a deep breath, and exhale slowly. At 12,000ft, the other jumpers began to jump out of the plane, one after the other, without ado. Everything was happening too fast. The director was urging Kirk and Me to scoot down the seat faster, and after counting to three, they make the jump, and fall out of the plane..

Me screamed her lungs out. Not really understanding what she had to do, all the 30 mins stunt instructor's training flying out of her mind as she fell.. 120mph.. She felt the pressure of the wind against her face, her body. She forgets to look up to the sky, instead looked down below her, terrified by the seeming feeling that she was crashing into the earth, but awed by what she saw. The vision of the ground below her moving towards her. And then she smiles, because she is flying! She is riding with the wind, against it. She was up in the sky. To the people below, she was but a tiny speck. But to her, to world below her looked even smaller.. And as it got bigger and bigger, she knew that this jump was the best one she has ever made. There is simply nothing like it. They say chocolate is better than sex. Well this one beats chocolate. A million times more.

Me was so busy looking down at the world, she completely misses the director's signals to grab her hands and smile to the camera. Meanwhile Kirk tried to bob her head up. But she had not a care in the world. In those 40 seconds, she wanted to feel and understand the sensations.. In those precious moments, the others with her ceased to exist. And she also missed Kirk's signal to open the chute..

And by the time she realized that Kirk was frantically signalling to her, she suddenly panicked and refused to pull the cord. Of course, Kirk did it himself eventually. And then they were both gliding in the air. Kirk showed her the valley, this time, as they approached the ground. He showed her a herd of cows.. the lambs.. the river.. He showed her the mountains, and the highways below her.. They made 360 turns, half turns.. He gave her control of the chute.. She was not only on top of the world. She was above it. For a few minutes, that would change her life forever.

Me: Now I understand why you do this for a hobby...
Kirk: People don't skydive because they're too scared, but they're missing out in seeing all this. Wonderful, isn't it?
Me: It's more than wonderful.. I could stay up here forever. Now I envy the birds.. This is what they get to see every single day.

As soon as they landed on the ground, Me was still in heaven.

*Post-production Notes*

SOUNDTRACK (as narrated by Me)
Crash Into Me - by Dave Mathews band.. I chose this song because I felt like I was crashing into the world below me. And it was a good feeling.
Nothing Else Matters - by Metallica. A friend of mine gave me a copy of this song a couple of years ago. And I fell in love with the song.. When there's beauty and love, nothing else matters..

INTERVIEW WITH THE CAST
Interviewer: What kind of movie is this?
Kirk: Well, it really is a combination of sorts.. It has romance, and it has one particularly hilarious scene - the one where Me just refused to pull the cord. My finger was right in front of her face and she couldn't see it. When she did see it, she just didn't wanna pull it.. We were both laughing so hard when we talked about it while gliding down.
Roy: Yeah, it also has some brief nudity. Actually, Me showed some skin when the chute opened. Oh, but there's no sexuality in that scene, it added more comedic effect to that scene, actually.
Me: Need to talk to the costume director. Next time, I'm wearing a jumpsuit. And I'll definitely get rid of that unflattering helmet. The director also thought I should work my abs out better.. And I agree. :D
Interviewer: Romance?
Kirk: There is nothing more poetic or romantic than being up in the sky, wind blowing to your faces while you look down at the beauty below you..
Me: Yeah, that was my most romantic experience. I will marry the guy who will take me with him to the sky and who'll jump out of the plane with me..
Interviewer: Did you develop an affair while filming the movie?
Me: No.. But I did feel at one point, that I fell in love with my co-lead.... Fleeting, but it was there.. The way he showed me all the beauty below us cannot be compared with any candlelight dinners... He literally helped me take that leap that has opened up my eyes to feelings and beauty I've never imagined!
Interviewer: What were the lessons you learned in that movie? Or lessons you want to impart to the viewers?
Kirk: Life is an adventure. Don't let fear paralyze you, there's so much beauty to see if you only allow yourself to see it.
Roy: If you take two consecutive 360 turns, it will make you dizzy. Seriously, some things are best done if you don't think about it too much. The more you analyze, the more fearful you become. And skydiving is not really an act of courage as it is an actual leap of faith.. You have to trust in your instructor, and the powers that be..
Me: Life is about taking risks... Whether it's skydiving or falling in love.. If you don't try it, you'll never find out what you'll be missing. More often than not, you miss out on a lot of good things, beautiful things, because you were too afraid to take that leap.