Dozens of random people were paid to jump off a ten-metre diving board for the first time. Their frightened reactions at the top were hilarious.. so would YOU dare to dive?

  • A social experiment challenged people to walk to the edge of the diving board 
  • Called the 'Ten Meter Tower' the aim was to capture to human emotion of doubt
  • The fascinating film appeared at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival

By Giulia Crouch For Mailonline

Published: 11:30 EST, 1 February 2017 | Updated: 11:32 EST, 1 February 2017

A social experiment which challenged people to jump from a ten-metre diving board makes for strangely mesmerising viewing.

The video shows different people and their different reactions as they stood at the board's edge.

The fascinating footage is simple, focusing in on the participants as they decide whether to jump or not.

A social experiment which challenged people to jump from a ten-metre diving board makes for strangely mesmerising viewing

There's no music to accompany the video but instead you can hear nervous breathing and mutterings.

Later on in the 15-minute video different camera angles show the viewer what the participants can see - a staggering drop into the blue pool.

Each participant was paid around £25 to climb up the diving board and walk to its edge.

Called the 'Ten Meter Tower' the aim of the experiment was to capture to human emotion of doubt.

The video shows different people and their different reactions as they stood at the board's edge

Each participant was paid around £25 to climb up the diving board and walk to its edge

There's no music to accompany the video but instead you can hear nervous breathing and mutterings

Its makers told the New York Times: 'We were as interested in the people who decided to climb back down as the ones jumping.

The film appeared at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. 

Its makers told the New York Times: 'We were as interested in the people who decided to climb back down as the ones jumping.

'We filmed it all with six cameras and several microphones. 

'It was important for us not to conceal the fact that this was an arranged situation, and thus we chose to show the microphones within the frame. 

'Ultimately, about 70 percent of those who climbed did jump. 

'We noticed that the presence of the camera as well as the social pressure (from those awaiting their turn beside the pool) pushed some of the participants to jump, which made their behavior even more interesting.'

'Ultimately, about 70 percent of those who climbed did jump'

 

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