Freerunning
These are freerunning legend Jason Paul's 9 biggest and wildest video hits
In his own words, renowned freerunner Jason Paul talks you through his remarkable catalogue of career highlight video clips.
German freerunning star Jason Paul has returned to our screens in serious style with his incredible new video The Lunchbox.
Paul, who got into the sport when he watched a clip with a friend back in 2005, turns the maze-like streets of Indian mega-city Mumbai into monumental freerunning course as he chases one of the city's famous dabbawala lunch delivery men. Watch it in now in the player above.
The 31-year-old has made a name for himself over the years with a number of viral videos that have taken freerunning to another level, amassing huge online viewing figures along the way.
Here, Paul talks us through just some of his hits to date.
01
Arcade Run – 2014
3 min
Jason Paul Arcade Run
Freerunner Jason Paul goes a 2D journey as he recreates his favourite computer games, with a twist.
Growing up, the young Jason Paul always wanted to be a video game hero. His dream came true when he transformed himself into a 2D character for this clip inspired by classic ’80s computer games. In Arcade Run, Paul battles with adversaries, jumps blocks and even attempts to defeat a boss.
“The crazy thing is that it was gaming that originally turned me on to freerunning. When I stood in this cool setting, the 14-year-old gamer exploded inside me. We did something completely different. The shooting was extremely demanding and complex but at the same time, everybody felt the fun factor and the twinkle-in-the-eye-element."
02
Running Illusions – 2015
2 min
Running illusions
Rarely is a clip so sick it actually makes you feel sick, but that’s Jason Paul in his latest edit.
Paul teamed up with Pasha Petkuns to create a sequence of mind-bending visual trickery that takes the viewer through a world of illusions. The duo began their one-of-a-kind video at an upside-down house in Germany before continuing elsewhere with some crazy tricks achieved by playing with perspective and camera angles.
“The most fun thing about this was that while we were shooting, everything just seemed super weird. When I flipped the camera around, I tricked myself. Even though I knew I wasn’t doing it, it tricked me 100 percent every time. For some of them, the timing, speed, angles and everything had to be perfect.”
03
Last Call for Mr Paul – 2016
4 min
Last Call For Mr. Paul
Ever get that feeling you're going to miss your flight? You're going to wish you were Jason Paul.
Paul credited his hero Jackie Chan for the inspiration behind this escapade in which he transformed Munich Airport into an urban playground. Paul used conveyor belts, luggage trolleys and an airport buggy to rush past fellow passengers in his last-ditch attempt to catch a flight. The clip went viral with more than 158 million views on Red Bull YouTube to date.
“To me Jackie Chan was an absolute inspiration. In preparation for the film shoot, I watched all of his movies, every single one of them! It was a truly unique experience. When else do you have the pleasure of utilising an airport like the one in Munich the way you as freerunner have always dreamed about?”
04
Freezerunning – 2017
3 min
Freezerunning
Icy action from the frostiest city on earth! This is Jason Paul’s Freezerunning feast.
A Siberian winter wonderland in minus 25 degrees was the setting for this film. Every year the North Chinese city of Harbin is sculpted into an ice palace the size of 12 football pitches with the help of more than 10,000 workers. Paul took his skills to another level by inventing new moves on the ice.
“What an epic playground for freerunners. I was overwhelmed when I entered the ice city for the first time. The idea was to take freerunning to the next level. I wanted to show tricks and choreographies that are only possible on ice. I managed to invent new moves in the ice city. I found a new facet of my sport in Harbin.”
05
Jason Paul Goes back in time – 2017
5 min
Jason Paul goes back in time
Jason Paul travels back in time to 17th-century Japan, where his skills are put to the ultimate test.
Paul travelled to a theme park like no other to put his freerunning skills to the test in this adventure. Edo Wonderland represents everything about being in Japan in the 17th century and set the scene for Paul being chased by ninjas and samurais in front of startled villagers.
“Ninja, Samurai and time-travel? One of those things alone is badass enough to make a video! Edo Wonderland was a perfect location, with the accurate set and the Samurai actors it actually felt like I had travelled back in time. What made this project interesting is that it completed a circle. I was always inspired by the way Ninjas move and the discipline of the Samurai. I took that inspiration into my work.”
06
Running Reverse – 2019
6 min
Running reverse
Watch freerunner Jason Paul put things right with a series of breathtaking and high-stakes moves.
Is he running forwards, or backwards? Jumping up, or down? No, that's not your eyes playing tricks on you, in Running Reverse Paul blurs reality as he explores downtown Frankfurt like never before.
Truly a one-of-a-kind freerunning video, Running Reverse took everything Paul and the film crew had to pull off in just three days. "The shoot was great fun, but it was also very exhausting – for me and the entire film crew," he said. "For most takes, we had a maximum of two attempts and everything was so complex." However, the mind-bending final result made it all worthwhile, we're sure you'll agree.
07
Wild Phone Chase – 2020
10 min
Wild phone chase
Freerunner Jason Paul makes the impossible possible in the city of Hamburg as he searches for his lost phone.
Paul dropping his phone from the roof of Hamburg's Maritime Museum kick-starts a frantic chase to recover it in his 2020 release, Wild Phone Chase.
Definitely not one for anyone with vertigo, while his phone takes a sedate ride around the famous port city's waterways on a tourist boat, Paul delivers breathtaking tricks on water, streets and dizzying rooftops.
08
Jason Paul's Wild Ride – 2022
13 min
Jason Paul’s Wild Ride
Pro freerunner Jason Paul and friends head to Germany’s Mammut roller coaster for a unique parkour session.
What's better than riding a rollercoaster? Getting free reign to freerun all over the framework of one of Europe's biggest wooden coasters – and that's exactly what Paul and friends Silke Sollfrank and Krystian Kowalewski got to do in Jason Paul's Even Wilder Ride.
The trio put their freerunning abilities to the test like never before when they turned the famous Mammut roller coaster at Germany's Tripsdrill theme park into their own parkour playground. "You make the jump yourself and, of course, parkour isn't a team sport, but for us it's still a lot of fun to work together as a crew because everyone brings their individual skills," said Paul.
09
The Lunchbox – 2022
9 min
Lunchbox – how it was made
See how Jason Paul’s inspiration and process led to creating his action-packed freerunning video in Mumbai.
Put a parkour athlete smack bang in the middle of one of the world's mega cities and options for unbelievable freerunning are endless, as Paul's latest edit The Lunchbox shows.
India's largest city, Mumbai, is the setting for Paul's most ambitious project yet, as he chases one of the city's famous dabbawala lunch delivery men through the bustling avenues and alleyways in a flurry of big tricks in one-off locations.
"Being a parkour athlete is like the best way of being a tourist. I get to spend a lot of time in the place, meet the people; interact with them," said Paul. "We got a very positive reaction everywhere and that kind of creates some fun moments in itself. There were places where I had to jump off people's rooftops, so we had to interact with them, ask them if it was OK, be respectful and make sure we didn’t damage their stuff during filming. It gives a more intricate look into people’s lives."