A professional skydiver turned Emirate’s flight attendant, Nicole Smith-Ludvik, caused quite the storm over the weekend as she posed atop Dubai’s Burj Khalifa skyscraper to celebrate the UAE’s move from the UK’s red to amber list. Read on to find out exactly how it happened.
Flying High
Emirates shared a video ad across their social media platforms over the weekend featuring emirate’s flight attendant Nicole Smith-Ludvik, a skydiver, standing at the top of the spire of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, dressed in her Emirates uniform. In the video, Nicole can be seen holding up signs expressing the airline’s excitement at the addition of the UAE to the UK amber list, with one of the signs reading that they feel “on top of the world.” As the camera pans out, viewers can see where she is standing, offering a breathtaking view of the city. You can watch the video for yourself here.
Speaking of the stunt, the stunt woman gushed that it was “without a doubt, one of the most amazing and exciting stunts [I have] ever done”. This is not the first time Emirates has pushed the boundaries to celebrate an event or achievement in style. Back in April, the airline flew and documented its first fully vaccinated flight.
Safety First
Whilst the ad was impressively filmed without using any kind of green screen or special effects, the ad’s success was down to rigorous planning, training and safety protocol. Safety remained the top priority throughout filming, hence why a stunt woman was chosen, despite some willing members of Emirates’s cabin crew. At the top of the building, which stands 828 metres high and is the tallest in the world, there was just a circumference of 1.2 metres to move around. A custom platform with a pole was made for Nicole to stand on, with Nicole being attached to the pole and also a hidden harness attached to the building.
The production company, Prime Productions AMG, used a helicopter and a drone to shoot the video. Filming began at sunrise to catch the morning golden hour and lasted approximately 5 hours, leaving the stunt woman on top of the spire for quite some time. Prime Productions AMG called Nicole Smith-Ludvik the “bravest woman on the planet”, and many would agree after the stunt went viral on social media. Emirates certainly made its message clear.
What do you think of the stunt? Are you eager to travel to the UAE? Share your thoughts with us.
Incredible! Deserves a documentary on how it was done but would Nicole go back up again?!
The only thing that could better this would be someone diving off the top into the pool below.