March 28, 2024 3:51 AM
Search
Close this search box.
Share this post:

Reed Exhibitions video enacts Baumgartner’s skydive from space

A Reed Exhibitions promo video went viral on YouTube by re-enacting Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking skydive from space using toy LEGO pieces.


Produced to promote the Vienna Model Makers Fair held Oct. 25-28, the two-minute film recreated Baumgartner’s jump in 1:35 scale over a turnip field in Moosbrunn using a tiny helium balloon, three miniature cameras, an army of LEGO characters and a capsule fashioned from a recycled salad-dressing container.

The video has drawn more than 8 million views on YouTube and has been covered by media around the globe.

“You simply cannot buy this kind of publicity,” said Lukas Trybus, social media manager, Reed Exhibitions Austria.

The viral video was the last in a series of three films commissioned by Reed Exhibitions Austria and produced by Ogilvy & Mather Vienna to promote the Model Makers Fair by focusing on miniaturized versions of everyday experiences and events.

“Model-makers are often portrayed as a bit geeky when in fact our event is full of cool, fun stuff for people of all ages,” said Trybus. “We wanted to create a series of promo videos that would capture the public’s imagination, make people smile and get them thinking about the possibilities of model-making and of our event.”

After Baumgartner had to postpone his original attempt due to poor weather conditions on Oct. 7, the idea for the LEGO Stratos jump came to Ogilvy & Mather’s creative team, which conceived, wrote, filmed and edited the video before the rescheduled space jump on Oct. 14.

“The build-up to Felix’s jump was tremendous, and suspense kept being ratcheted up by the delays” said Gerd Schulte-Doeinghaus, creative director, Ogilvy & Mather. “The public was hungry for those first images of the jump. We knew that if we could get our film out just before the real thing, we could really make an impact.”

The footage was captured by two cameras attached to the capsule, one inside and one outside, and the third to LEGO Felix’s helmet. A remote control release mechanism pushed LEGO Felix out of the capsule when it reached nearly 400 feet.

Just like the real jump, it was the weather rather than the technology that almost put an end to the stunt.

“Just like the Stratos team, we only had a very short weather window to film on the morning of Oct. 11 and had to work through the night to ensure we were ready on time,” said Schulte-Doeinghaus.

Four hours before Baumgartner’s scheduled jump, the team pushed the parody out on social media while implying the jump had been brought forward to capitalize on more favorable weather conditions. The film went viral, and the publicity that followed exceeded expectations. Felix Baumgartner even sent the team a message congratulating them on their “mind-blowing video” and posted the film on his Facebook page, which has 1.4 million followers.

More than 51,000 visitors to the Model Makers Fair had the opportunity to meet the full cast of LEGO characters and have their photos taken alongside them. And a life-size LEGO Felix cardboard cut-out provided further opportunities for taking photos and sharing them on social media.

 

  • Superior Logistics

Related Stories

Trending Now

  • Employco
  • Full Circle Events Sidebar Ad