An astronaut, marooned in space and with a team trying to bring her back to earth was our top level story, but, as revealed late on in the film: also our substitute for the patient journey back to health.

Bringing the film to life was an 8-day adventure across multiple locations: a university campus in North London, Shepperton Studios for any filming within our full size spaceship interior and the world famous Pinewood Studios for the underwater filming necessary for our zero gravity shots. Principal photography was spread across three weeks with crew building sets and transporting props from one filming location to another.

Post-production began as soon as the first day of filming wrapped. Footage was backed up and prepared for the editor who worked on assembling the scenes as they were shot. This gave the crew and actors a knowledge and assurance that everything shot looked superb and the film was heading in the right direction. The day after the last shoot the first edit was delivered, with original music and a temporary colour grade to give an indication of what the final film will look like.

Two versions of the film were produced: the full 38 minute version which has rich character development, deliberate pacing and dramatic peaks with the plot twist and emotional conclusion tying together perfectly. There’s also a 15 minute version that aims to get across the key healthcare debate points in as succinct and dramatic a way as possible.

To supplement the original film there are also seven behind the scenes featurettes that explore all the key processes: directing actors, building the spaceship, the healthcare debate and other fascinating aspects of this unique production. So unique and successful in fact that it has already been accepted into multiple festivals and won a handful of awards.

The film was launched to the public at the prestigious New Scientist Live event at the Excel Centre in London and was a massive talking point of the exhibition.