«Looking into the landscape intensively is
like looking into your own soul.»

The story

Everything began with Marco Fumasoli's passion. The filmmaker from Zurich has made thousands of helicopter flights over Switzerland since 1995. During these flights, he discovered a previously unknown side of Switzerland. Fumasoli wanted to share the miraculous world he saw. He installed a camera on board which he used to film all of his flights. Since then, he has been filming region by region in extreme low-level flight. SWISSVIEW is the result of this: far more than 1,600 films from all regions of Switzerland. And there is yet more to come.

Today, SWISSVIEW is a unique phenomenon around the globe!

Switzerland at its most beautiful at your fingertips: majestic Alpine summits, rough glaciers, calm mountain lakes. A documentation of picturesque villages and remote valleys which only rarely see people. The journey, however, also shows cities along vibrant highways and railroads or airports. SWISSVIEW shows all of Switzerland from a bird's eye view – and this in stunning quality. The charm of the films lies in their undistorted perspective. Their natural slowness and the lack of any cuts turn the viewers into travelers themselves, gliding over the landscape like birds. They enter a unique world, alone with their thoughts. Spherical sounds composed especially for each film and matching each individual scenery accompany the images. The combination of optical and acoustic sensations leads to an almost meditative experience which is beyond comparison.

SWISSVIEW had its breakthrough on Swiss TV: The TV station Schweiz 4 broadcast the aerial images in 1995. Since 2008, they have been broadcast by HD Suisse. What was actually considered a fill-in triggered an unexpectedly large response. The fan community has been growing ever since. This is all the more surprising since the product – in times of the Internet, webcams and general sensory overload – goes against the trend.

Marco Fumasoli: a life dedicated to Switzerland's beauty

Marco Fumasoli, born in 1951, grew up in the Rhine Valley, in Wädenswil and in Zurich. After attending art school, he worked for Swiss Television, the Berlin film academy and two advertising agencies as a cutter. After studying law in second-chance education, he worked as lic. iur. in marketing and at the Zurich district court. In 1987, he returned to SF DRS, this time around as director. In the position as creative director from 1990 to 1994, he revised the complete appearance of the Swiss national TV station and invented among others the legendary Schweiz 4 balloon. This gave rise to the vision of filming Switzerland from above. His first helicopter flight for SWISSVIEW was in 1995 and he took off from Schindellegi SZ. Later, he founded his own advertising agency and film production.

The technology:

Different helicopters are used depending on terrain, route and authorization. The low-noise "MD 902" is the helicopter of choice for flights over major cities due to its ideal aerodynamics. The lack of a tail rotor allows authentic and smooth filming. The "MD 520 Explorer" is preferred in mountain regions. It is adequate for any demanding situation from rescue missions to VIP transportation. The SWISSVIEW camera is always directly and firmly mounted to the helicopter. A five-axis gyro stabilized system guarantees shots without vibrations in any situation. Our partner is Fuchs Helikopter AG in Schindellegi SZ.