The 400-way World Record was set in February 2006 and still stands proudly uncontested today. A movie is being made to tell the story of this incredible feat of teamwork. We caught up with producer Gulcin Gilbert to ask her some questions about this exciting project…
How did the idea for the movie come about?
Between 2011 and 2013, I screened my skydiving documentary, Pink Skies all over the USA, Canada, Europe and also in Haifa Israel, Kyiv, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
After one of our screenings, I was chatting with a friend and fellow 400-way teammate, we were reminiscing. I said it would be so cool to have a film that really told the story of the making of the 400-way because there was so much that went into that event, that even the participants didn’t know about. The 5-15 minute videos you can see on YouTube celebrate the incredible visual accomplishment. But they don’t go into the details of the engineering, design, diplomacy required or the behind-the-scenes stories. My friend said, “Why don’t you do it!?!” So, I started putting together a plan.
Around that time. BJ Worth also spoke with me about doing a doc about World Team in a similar format to what I’d done with Pink Skies about the Women’s World Record.
When was this?
2013 to 2014, which was also around the time of the last two World Team events; the 222-way sequential dives in Eloy, Arizona. I decided then to start collecting stories from participants. I set up my camera and started asking questions. A filmmaker friend gave me the best piece of advice when I started making Pink Skies. I was overwhelmed by the task and asked her, “where do I start?” She replied, “Just start shooting”. She was so right. Initially I made a lot of mistakes. I played with various tones during those initial shoots and, along with the technical aspects, I found my stride. I started getting better the more shots I set up. So that’s what I started doing again for 400 The Movie.
What is the approach of the movie going to be?
After the 222-way dives, I started World Team Stories, a group on Facebook, to collect people’s stories before they forgot them. Initially, I was thinking I would just have an interesting sequence of anecdotes, but that doesn’t necessarily have much of a dramatic arc. As I was interviewing more World Team members, I began asking them about various components involved in the making of the 400 dives. Then I had a long conversation with BJ about the diplomatic efforts involved and it turns out there were some fascinating stories.
400 The Movie, will feature the fun experiences participants had and some of the drama incurred during the event. It will also have a bit of a chronology and describe the components of the dive so that non-skydivers can enjoy it.
I’ve seen you interviewing people all around the world, where have you been and where else is planned?
So far, along with the United States, I’ve interviewed people in several places in Germany, France, Spain, and Thailand. I wanted to shoot video in a few other countries to lend a little bit more of the “world “aspect of World Team to the film. I can’t get to all 32 countries but I’ll round it out with some Zoom interviews.
During one of these trips, I realized what the sub-theme of the film would be, “When the world came together.” It took the best skydivers that each country could offer to make this record.
Why do you think the record has held for almost 20 years?
I think a bigger formation is possible from an engineering and skydiving point of view. BJ and other organizers have even done preliminary planning. But the world has become more divided. Not all of the countries that were involved then, and were instrumental in making the record, could even be involved now, due to politics and travel restrictions. The US has also become more divided. When we were making the record in 2006 there wasn’t a single sign of political, national or religious divide amongst the team. Because of wars and skirmishes around the world now, troop transport aircraft like the C130, are much less available. And it is less likely that there would be a country willing to host an event of that scale.
How long more do you think it will be held for?
It may never be broken. At least not until the world becomes a more peaceful and unified place.
When do you anticipate 400 The Movie being released?
We are planning to release the film officially in February 2026, for the 20th anniversary of the 400-way record, primarily at drop zones around the world. We will also be entering it into various Film Festivals worldwide, so there may be opportunities to see it, in a variety of places.
How has film technology changed since the record was set?
The 400-way world record was captured in 16 and 35 mm film by Craig O’Brien, but most of the other cameramen and women just shot stills or DVR video. What we called high-def or 1080p video was in its infancy. I’m shooting the current interviews in 2K, even though 4 and 8K are available, because I don’t want to have a jarring leap from the current interview videos with up-resed versions of the videos from 2006.
What are the biggest challenges of putting this movie together?
We had a challenging shoot at Skydive Perris recently to re-enact the flight where 32 AADs either popped or froze due to an over-pressure incident in one of the Hercs. I directed, Craig O’Brien acted as Director of Photography, Scott Smith produced and BJ Worth consulted and shot behind the scenes photos. We also had an amazing demolitions expert/rigger, George, rig the reserves so we could surreptitiously pop them on cue. It was great fun working with all the professional skydivers that showed up to help and this amazing crew. It was also quite a challenge as there were so many parts to this shoot. It required several weeks of prep time, a day of rehearsal and one solid case of food poisoning.
The next big challenge will be knitting the film together. Scott Smith has provided great footage of the event and some interviews that his crew shot in 2006. I’ve been filming current interviews to capture the nuts and bolts of how the event was put together and some of the great stories. I’ve worn so many hats! Writing, producing, filming, doing PR, graphics and building our presence on social media. It’s been hard trying to keep all the balls in the air to keep us on track. While we’ve had had some really great grass roots funding from friends and World Team members, more fundraising needs to happen to pay our professional editor and for the score. I’ve been doing it all myself to save money, but at a certain point…
How do they compare to the challenges of building the 400-way?
The effort that BJ and Bobbie Worth and Larry Henderson put into getting the permissions from all the various branches of the government and military in Thailand, was over-the-top. Then, recruiting and vetting all the skydivers, arranging transportation, hotels, food, medical and 1000 other things, took another super-human effort. BJ said, it was like herding cats. Each person who took part in the project had to bring their A game. It was about something larger than any single individual and they created an amazing team. Every member of the staff was wearing multiple hats daily.
Who else is involved?
BJ Worth has been a partner from the beginning. I recently did a series of interviews with BJ and his wife Bobbie, in Montana, to get as much detail as I could about the planning efforts and diplomacy involved in putting the 400-way World Team together.
I asked Scott Smith about using the video that he shot on the ground during the 400-way. Scott has been so supportive and helpful. He’s happily contributing his footage and lent his expertise on the re-enactment.
Craig O’Brien has donated the film footage he shot in Thailand, which we are transferring to video. He also took center stage in the AAD popping re-enactment we just shot, providing excellent video.
Melanie and Pat Conatser and Skydive Perris have been instrumental in the re-enactment shoots, providing aircraft, staging hangars and even lunch.
Other 400-way cameramen will also be partners. Finding all the angles is taking time because some of the work is somewhat buried and, in some cases, lost.
What other films of this nature have you made?
I have made a number of shorts and teasers and one full length documentary, Pink Skies. It was about the making of the “Jump For The Cause” 181-way women’s world record jump in 2009.
When I watched Pink Skies, I was incredibly impressed how you combined the story of the women’s world record with fascinating information about cancer prevention. Is there a way readers can watch Pink Skies now?
Yes! It’s also free on US TubiTV, Plexx and Roku. Here’s one link: Pink Skies on TubiTV
A 20-minute short I edited from Pink Skies, for the Hall of Fame presentation for Jump for the Cause, last year is on my YouTube Channel, here
Gulcin, how did you come to combine the jobs of Film Producer and Airline Pilot?
I have an undergraduate degree in filmmaking and theater. I worked in the entertainment business for about 10 years, mostly in front of the camera and in stunts. In the late 80s I switched over to aviation. I was glad to have a change from Hollywood! I started my own flight school in 1988 called The Aviation Workshop. We developed a very good reputation. Three years later, I sold it then started another flight school, Cloverfield Aviation. Almost all of those instructors have gone on to become airline pilots along with me. Flying for a major airline gave me some real travel advantages. It also offered schedule flexibility. I finally had the time and money to pursue wonderful big-way opportunities with World Team and others.
When I jumped on the 2005 Jump For the Cause, I felt a lot of heart on the project. When Kate and Mallory announced the final JFTC in 2009, I knew I not only had to attend, but that I wanted to do a documentary on it. A lot had changed since I was in film school, especially on the technical side. It was like going to film school all over again! I had a really great editor, Zac Heileson, who also did the score with Michael Wine. It was so much work, but I really enjoyed the challenge.
Which is the greater challenge, pilot or producer?
Ha ha, that’s a good one! Being an airline pilot certainly has its stresses and there is a tremendous amount of recurrent training as well as day-to-day learning. But it’s mostly a fun job and it’s pretty well laid out. You also have a really large team supporting you, and you get paid!
Being a documentary filmmaker requires one to be multi-disciplined. I’ve had some wonderful volunteers, but at the end of the day, I’m the one that has to get it done. There is also always a lot of learning involved as the technical aspects of filmmaking as well as distribution and PR are ever changing. Things have changed radically even since I made Pink Skies. It’s about being so passionate about a topic that you are willing to put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the project with no guarantee of compensation. Most people don’t even watch documentaries. But once in a while someone does watch it, learns something and enjoys it. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.
You were on the 400-way, can you share any thoughts with us?
I have had the honor and privilege of jumping with the best, literally. I’ve been able to watch people like BJ Worth engineer some of the most amazing large-way formations ever. I’ve also been on big-ways organized by many other great organizers. But there was something pretty incredible about the World Team records set in Thailand. It was an honor to get up at 4:30 every morning and be at the drop zone by 6, ready with my A-game. Some days we had to wait around a lot and maybe only get one or two jumps in, but each one was amazing. The Royal Thai Air Force, who hosted us also worked tirelessly and was so committed. It seemed like the whole country of Thailand was all in. We were even transported in His Majesty the King’s, Airbus.
What made it special for you personally?
I loved the international feel of the skydive cities we set up at each of the Thai Air Force Bases where we built the records. It was really special to live and work with the wonderful, diverse group of skydivers from 32 countries. All the cultures. All the different languages.
We were also able to interface with the top Royal Thai Airforce brass, pilots, packers and locals as well as our skydiver friends. Everyone involved was so disciplined and we came together perfectly to create an extraordinary world record. It was also a great deal of fun. It was a great honor to be part of World Team, the highlight of a lifetime.
How are you funding 400 The Movie?
We did some crowd funding with Indiegogo and raised around $15,000, including funds from our special angel sponsor, Pat Thomas at Sun Path Products.
I really need to do more fundraising and get asks out for sponsorship from the skydive manufacturing community and also some of the other sponsors in Thailand and around the world. Fundraising is not my forte, I’m thrilled by what we’ve been able to raise so far, it’s been so grass roots. We have a great community! If anybody has fundraising experience and would offer help in this area, I would be so grateful!
We are still in need of funding, there is a link below if any of your readers would like to help. We would like to release the film in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of this great 400-way world record, in February of 2026!
Direct link to donate: pay.400themovie.com
Is there any other way people can help?
Along with helping fundraise, it’s wonderful when people like posts and share them! I hope to have lots of participation and help at the screenings we are planning. I could use some help with PR as well.
People have posted excellent narratives on our World Team Stories Facebook site. Unfortunately, I can’t travel to interview everyone. But we have Zoom and smart phones. I’m going to be reaching out to a few people whose stories should be in the film, to ask for a little video of some of the iconic areas around where they live, which I could use for B-roll and then interview them via Zoom.
How can we find out more about the project, is there a website?
Yes! I finally got that up! www.400themovie.com. There is a place to enter your email address. Once we start having screenings and engage with film festivals, people on the email list will get the information individually. So, sign up!
It also has a contribution button! I’ve already received donations from World Team members in countries that couldn’t contribute on the Indiegogo site.
You can keep updated at our Facebook and Instagram sites under “400 The Movie’.
Is there anything you would like to add?
More than anything, I’d like everyone to walk away from viewing this film inspired by what can be achieved when we all work together for a brilliant common goal, no matter how impossible it might seem.
Gulcin’s Travels Gallery
Below are a few photos from some of Gulcin’s roving interviews for 400 – The Movie
The Ask
“Additional funding needed! We have gathered a great team to make 400 The Movie. The filming is mostly complete. We are currently re-transferring older DVR footage and improving its resolution. The initial seed money we raised has been invaluable for this and gathering the stories! The film now needs to be edited and have a score created amongst the many other steps necessary to make a great documentary.Help us get this film completed! We aim to release the film in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of this great 400-way world record, in February of 2026!” – Gulcin Gilbert
Donate here: pay.400themovie.com
