| Big Talk about a
Very Small Film: Production Notes for Stealing Altitude.
The class in which the film was made was then called known
by
the numeric designator "310". This class offered film students their first
try at 16mm filmmaking.
At this level students were restricted to black &
white 16mm film, or color video. Further restrictions included an 8 minute time
limit and that no lip-sync dialog be used.
"310" students typically concentrated on
fictional storytelling; documentary & experimental films weren't as common.
Those who wished to try their hand at documentary or experimental film could enroll in a
special section of 310 that offered a teaching environment more suited to these genres.
In this special section most of classic 310 limits were
imposed. One exception was the 8min time limit which was increased to 10 minutes.
Also unique in this special section was the requirement that the traditional two-person
team produce only one film, sharing equal responsibility and credit for all of the film's
many demanding requirements.
Having gotten each other's names off of a roster for
prospective members of this class, Roger and I met in December 1989. We quickly
learned we were drawn to similar themes, and agreed to be partners on a documentary
project. We signed up for the class. Unfortunately, we couldn't readily settle
on a topic for our film.
I've always remembered something Roger said around this
time, he said "I want to make a film that exposes a raw nerve in the city."
Aviation was then, and remains today, a key interest in my life. I had
come into the partnership originally planning on making a personal documentary about my
father's USAF fighter pilot career. I began to fear that mine and Roger's
interests would never find common ground.
Then one morning while having coffee in downtown Los
Angeles, Roger shoved a newspaper across the table. He pointed to an article.
"Chutist Dies in Nighttime Jump From Office Tower" read the article's
headline. The article spoke of "BASE Jumpers" -- people who parachute from
fixed objects such as skyscrapers -- and revealed that this was actually an organized
sport, and that such jumps occurred frequently.
Roger had found his "raw nerve", and I my
aviation subject.
Immediately we began the process of finalizing our
production proposal on this yet untitled film. I for one was surprised when the
production faculty committee accepted our proposal. I was sure they'd reject
it on the basis of it's inherent dangers -- both life & limb, and legal.
With this in mind, we began filming in January 1990.
The deeper we got into the bizarre world of urban BASE
jumping, the more each of us found our subjects to be compelling and otherwise
down-to-earth individuals. The once nameless man whose obituary inspired our film
became Dick Pedley, a father and husband whose legacy was honored when his fellow BASE
jumpers dedicated their participation in our film to his memory.
In the course of making Stealing Altitude, Roger
and I filmed several jumps. None of the jumps were staged, and no stock footage
was used. We snuck into the buildings with our subjects, and captured
our own footage.
This was simplified by the fact that the buildings were
naked construction sites; we had only to overcome construction barricades and fences.
The night guards we worried so much about never materialized.
However, there is one incident worth mentioning.
Near the end of the production, we had been invited by a
BASE jumper to film him making a rare daylight jump. By then we'd gotten all of the
jump footage we needed -- including risky daylight jumps. So we shied away from this
final offer.
The day came and went, and I couldn't help wondering if
we'd blown a great opportunity.
Imagine my surprise the next day when a fellow film
student approached me on campus, handed me a newspaper clipping and asked "Is this
your guy?" The headline on the clipping read: "Man Parachutes from
Building Near Bush Hotel"
 Roger and I had missed one hell of a show -- thank goodness.
On the morning of that jump, then President George Bush
was staying across the street at the Century Plaza Hotel. When Secret Service agents
observed our hapless friend descending under his parachute into the parking lot they
wasted no time pursuing him.
Because the agents were not dressed in uniform, the jumper
thought they were merely parking lot attendants who had snapped and wanted an end to the
parachuting activity that had plagued their parking lot for months. Upon landing,
the jumper stuffed his parachute in his car and sped away. As he roared past the
Secret Service agents, they fired shots into his car.
Rumor has it that, to this day, Charles "Chuck"
Sweeney proudly maintains those bullet holes in his car. He was later arrested
at his home & subsequently released. His story remains the stuff of local BASE
lore.
From then on Roger and I practically lived in the USC
editing facility. There we tackled the task of editing the film -- a task more
difficult than either of us had anticipated.
By the time we'd finished editing the film, the process
had eroded us down to the point where both of us felt we had failed miserably, and that
the film would be an embarrassing event at the upcoming student film screenings.
We were greatly relieved and graciously rewarded for our
efforts when Stealing Altitude stole the show at the USC screening. It
subsequently became an award-winning film festival favorite in the months and years to
come. Yes, I think we even got an "A" in the class.
- John Starr |
