It’s a brilliant little psych experiment. Throw money, social pressure, and natural fear in a blender, mix it up, and see what comes out.
It was a Sundance Film entry. The rules were simple:
There is money involved. You are on camera – and you KNOW it. Others are watching.
And you are in a new, and scary situation.
A diving board 33 feet of the ground is a big deal for someone whose never done it before.
Watch:
Here is the description as it originally appeared with the writing:
Published on Feb 8, 2017
In this documentary short titled Ten Meter Tower, Swedish filmmakers Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson paid 67 people $30 to climb to the top of a ten meter (33 foot) high dive for the very first time all while being filmed. Would they decide to jump? Would they be too scared? The resulting footage is surprisingly riveting as people slowly come to terms with their fears and make a decision. It’s one thing to admit defeat in private, but adding the cameras must add a near insurmountable amount of pressure. The filmmakers share with the New York Times:
In our films, which we often call studies, we want to portray human behavior, rather than tell our own stories about it. We hope the result is a series of meaningful references, in the form of moving images. “Ten Meter Tower” may take place in Sweden, but we think it elucidates something essentially human, that transcends culture and origins. Overcoming our most cautious impulses with bravery unites all humankind. It’s something that has shaped us through the ages.
Ten Meter Tower premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
Which leads us to the question:
Would you take the money, or would you chicken out?
Can you think of any other feats of courage would you rather have seen instead of diving?
