Alessandro Magnabosco (writer/director/editor) is an Italian filmmaker based in London. Born and raised in northern Italy, he moved to London in September 2020 to attend a Practical Filmmaking BA at MetFilm School. In the summer of 2021 he wrote, directed, starred in and edited his first short film, “Achilles’ Prayer”, which has recently begun its festival run. Now, his second project begins: “The Star Who Fell To Earth”.

Rahel Peker (producer) is a Swiss filmmaker based in London. She has been nominated for Best Experimental Short Film at the Las Vegas Film Convention, has been a finalist at the London Lift-Off Film Festival and several others. After travelling around half the globe to find her passion for moving pictures, she’s now attending a BA at MetFilm School London and is ready to reach for the stars.

“The Star Who Fell To Earth” is a modern fairy tale of friendship and loneliness. It follows Harry, a young astronomer who leads an ordinary, monotone life and whose nights of stargazing are his only escape. It is on one of these nights, right after spotting a shooting star, that he meets a mysterious young woman. The two begin to bond under the starry night sky, and gradually bring joy to each other’s lives. But something lurks beneath the surface, something that threatens the very existence of this newfound friendship.

Inspired by his own long-standing passion for all things astronomy and by the enchanting works of one of his favourite authors, Neil Gaiman, Alessandro crafted a sweet story of wonder and magic. Stunning visions of stars and nebulae captured his imagination and compelled him to translate them into a short screenplay very dear to his heart. During the last stages of post-production on his first film, “Achilles’ Prayer”, “The Star Who Fell To Earth” began to take form.

Regardless of how many contributions we manage to raise, we have prepared an approximate budget that explains how much we will spend in each department of the production.

The area that will take up most of our budget is finding the locations. While we are confident to find a flat to film in for free, it’s unlikely that the same will be possible for the main character’s office or the hill where he and the mysterious woman meet and bond. If necessary, however, we are prepared to dress one of MetFilm School’s room as Harry’s office and film there for free with the support of the school.

On the matter of set dressing, props and costumes, this is definitely another area that will require a good amount of money, especially if we end up filming at MetFilm School. Dressing the set of Harry’s office, acquiring a telescope, and finding a dress for the mysterious woman will all need their significant share of budget.

As for the other areas highlighted in the pie chart below, there aren’t any special needs other than the standard ones for a shoot of our size.

As with all films, the making of “The Star Who Fell To Earth” will be split into three sections: pre-production, production and post-production.

Pre-production work has already begun, with our writer/director working on drafts of the screenplay and visual ideas for the film, while our producer has been securing cast and crew for the shoot. Auditions will be held and locations will be scouted. Soon, there will be discussions with the director of photography, the gaffer and the art director to prepare the aesthetic foundation of the film.

At the end of March, production will start with principal photography taking place over a long weekend. During the course of three days, cast and crew will shoot scenes in three distinct locations that are yet to be defined: an academic office, a flat, and a hill.

Right after the end of our production period, post-production will begin. Our editor (who also just so happens to be the director) will take over the footage and assemble it. As this process takes place, our sound designer and composer will work hand in hand in crating the soundscape for the film, while our colourist will add the final touches to the completed picture. Some VFX work is expected, though the details are yet to be decided. The final deadline for the completion of the film is set for the end of June 2022.

Much like the director and the producer, most of the crewmembers are current students at MetFilm School London (with some exceptions, such as our marketing manager and our graphic designer). We’re all passionate filmmakers who take a lot of pride and joy in their work, and have all been part of several other productions.

Writer/Director/Editor: Alessandro Magnabosco

Producer: Rahel Peker

1st Assistant Director: Alexander O’Neill

Director of Photography: Luke de Borde

Marketing Manager: Tabea Heinemann

Graphic Designer/Colourist: Enrico Artuso

By far the biggest challenge we will face as a production is tied to a location: the hill. Finding a place is already a challenge by itself, but it is only augmented by the fact that we will be filming there at night in March. Night shoots bring with them a number of difficulties, including in this case the risk of rain, which would significantly complicate the production. Furthermore, significant set dressing will be required for the office, but luckily we have a great art department ready to work on it.

Additionally, due to the fantastical nature of the film, there are some elements that we can not film practically, such as the beautiful starry night sky (filming in London definitely doesn’t help) and a key character trait that we can not mention without spoiling the film. However, we have already put plans in place for both of these issues so they should not represent a problem.

Managed by marketing student Tabea Heinemann and powered by the visuals from our talented graphic designer Enrico Artuso, our Instagram page keeps followers up to date with the production and allows a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of the film.

Give us a follow and like & share our content if you want to support us and stay informed about our production.

We appreciate donations, but if that's not possible for you, we're just as happy to have your support on Instagram!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestarwhofelltoearth/