Etihad Airways set out to do the impossible - create a skydiving orchestra that can play the iconic Mission: Impossible theme song. But to do that, proved to be a monumental production feat. Not only did we need a skydiving cinematographer, but we also had to put out a global casting call for professional skydivers who were skilled enough with instruments to play while in freefall, finding the perfect combination of instruments to recreate the exact score we were licensed to use. This had never been done before so we had to figure out custom rigging, recording, and receiving mechanisms.

There is no specific cultural nuance in this work. It’s a global film that was promoted regionally, and has universal understanding.

In the film, you see people begin to play the Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One theme song. It’s only after the camera zooms out that you see those people are Etihad Cabin Crew, in a plane.

Without skipping a beat, they run out of the plane, into the open air, freefalling at 200 km/h. As wind whips past them and they barrel towards the earth, the crew continue to play, before ending as an orchestra all together.

It lands with one simple message, ‘At Etihad, nothing is impossible’.

Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One was one of the most anticipated movies of the year in 2023. And Etihad Airways scored a big role in this iconic franchise starring Tom Cruise, as a featured location in one of the biggest scenes in the movie. Etihad Airways knew they had to take advantage of this and amplify not only their new terminal but showcase what makes Etihad stand out, their all-star cabin crew. To do this, the brief was simple - do a stunt that not even Tom Cruise has done before.

The production for this film was always going to be tricky - just like real Mission:Impossible stunts, we couldn’t fake it. We recruited professional skydivers that could also play each of the instruments required.

Working with a team of expert stunt coordinators, cinematographers and conductors in Hollywood, we filmed the final stunt in 14 jumps. Each instrument had to be custom-fitted and adjusted to the skydiver's weight. Considerations such as wind drag were taken into account (drag against drums for instance is greater than a guitar due to surface area).

All instruments were tuned to play in free-fall according to the actual Mission Impossible composition. The final edit was a triumph over brutal physics, both in terms of gravity and acoustics.