AQUILA
Proof of Concept
Eight Five Two Filmmaking will be producing Elia Gagliardi's graduation project - a short form POC for a Psychological Drama Feature Film
BUDGET
£2k
Locations: This is the quote to hire a gym with a basketball court for 5 shooting days.
£1.5K
Catering: This is the quote to keep all of the cast and crew fed for the 5 shooting days an 2 prep days.
£0.5K
Equipment: This is the quote for all of the hired-in equipment to achieve the desired visuals and look.
£1K
Casting: This is the quote to hire all of our cast for the shooting days and rehearsals.
CURRENTLY CROWDFUNDING
THE STORY
Leon, a driven, talented and ambitious basketball player with a recent ankle injury, faces basketball trials. Winning the trials will ensure him a spot in the starting 5 for a basketball game that is being monitored by international scouts, for elite athlete colleges which prepare their athletes for the NBA. With the goal of getting into the NBA Leon gives his everything, trying to hide his injury and play the best basketball of his life, regardless if he pushes his body to a breaking point.
The short follows Leon and his perspective through the process of the trials and selection process, how he deals with this high stress and fast paced environment in a physical and psychological manner. At first unsure, Leon is convinced by Noel, his close friend, to play. Leon and Noel like brothers, pushing each other to get better. However this quickly turns toxic and competitive during the deciding game.
THE TEAM
Meet a few of the heads of department and creatives leading the project.
Ewan Windebank
Producer
Ewan Windebank is an up-and-coming producer from Hong Kong. He found success early on, with his films winning awards like Across Asia Youth Film Festivals's 2018 Best Film and Dubai Youth Film Festivals's 2019 Best Performance. Now based in London, Ewan has continued to produce upstanding films and works at The Edge Picture Company, bringing a plethora of production experience to Aquila.
Elia Gagliardi
Writer/Director
Elia Gagliardi is an Italian/German and Swiss Writer/Director, based in London. 'The biggest obstacles are not those around us but within ourselves'. I am currently in film school and I am about to graduate. My aim is to create a film that inadvertently captures all my learnings is the past 3 years mixed with my love for basketball by creating an intense and intriguing experience.
Mats Kastellet
Director of Photography
Mats is a cinematographer-in-the-making from Norway, based in London. ‘I’m into bold visuals, camera movement, and using light to shape the mood—kind of like painting with shadows. I also work as a freelance lighting tech, so I’ve got a solid grip on the technical side too. I’m all about staying adaptable, solving problems on the fly, and making every shot count. Super excited to be part of this project and help bring the story to life visually.’
PROJECT TIMELINE
The production period is set to last from March to September, 2025, with principal photography scheduled for early June.
MARCH to APRIL
Pre-production
Location scouting, casting & crowdfunding launch.
Location scouting and casting are already in full swing, with auditions set to happen throughout April and production is in contact with multiple location options.
Crowdfunding launched in mid-April, with the goal of securing £5000 to propel the production further. Exact budget distribution can be found below.
MAY
Pre-production
Rehearsals & tech prep.
May will mark the beginning of rehearsals with the main cast. This is a crucial stage as the more we can nail down during the rehearsals, the less shooting days we'll need to achieve the desired results. With many shots involving a lot of moving parts - from camera moves to cast performing stunts, all the while playing basketball and acting, this will prove to be an invaluable month for the production's success.
JUNE
Principal Photography
Shooting!
The shoot is scheduled for the 6th to 10th of June. By this time, with all of prep work done by the team, we would know every single aspect of the production like the back of our hands. The intention is for principal photography to go as smooth as butter, but the team will no doubt be more than capable of fighting any fires the will inevitable crop up over the course of production.
JULY onwards
Post-production
Edit & Delivery
TBC...
CROWDFUNDING
We are now currently crowdfunding to make Aquila go from script to screen. If this project sounds as inspiring as we believe it will be, and if you have faith we can bring this to life, please do consider the followings tiers and be part of the journey!
You may also be thinking, why aren't we on a typical crowdfunding website like indiegogo or greenlit. As much as those sorts of sites are great for projects like ours, they unfortunately take quite a hefty cut out of the money raised, usually in the region of 3-5% of every penny raised. With our payment links below, your money goes straight into our production account, meaning 100% of what you put forwards goes directly into making this film better, without any middlemen taking their cuts and fees!
**FOR NON-UK ACCOUNTS**
Name: Ewan Windebank Bank: Monzo Bank
IBAN: GB35MONZ04000388987691 BIC: MONZGB2L
You may make transfers to the above account, please remember to leave your phone number as the transfer reference so we can reach out with tier rewards.
TIERS
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