Galileo Programme : When every minute matters...

Galileo is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) created by the European Union through the European Space Agency (ESA), operated by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). The European Commission has the overall responsibility for raising awareness for this programme and launched a communication action for the Search and Rescue service and Galileo’s contribution to the international Cospas-Sarsat network. In order to inform the public about the Galileo programme we have produced a number of projects ranging from high tech crafts to a heart-bending film.

Aiming at raising awareness about the Search and Rescue service and Galileo -and for our over daring adventurers out there- we produced a short film depicting crisis situations -and their subsequent rescues- explaining how a rescue process assisted by Galileo works and helps save lives but also to reduce the exposure to danger of the rescue crews.

Certain things needed to be taken into consideration before jumping into this adventure. The film had to match the first episode, shot back 2015 -picturing a rescue action in open sea- in terms of look, feel and story-telling.

Shot during the pandemic era, the project initially included filming in 2 different countries in order to attain 2 very different atmospheres. We did location scouting in several countries, but eventually filming had to take place in Belgium.

We also had to match the program of the professional rescuers (because the rescuers in the film were not actors but actual professional rescuers with train dogs that we cast first) and endure the weather complexity (during a particular year with an exceptional amount of constant rain).

Since we shot mainly in open air, the production crew had to be very versatile and not too big, and the equipment had to be easy to carry but also super professional at the same time. Our priority was to pass on a real cinematographic feeling that, we believe, was achieved.

The final result was a cinematic-looking film of SAR beacons radiating from earth to space and helicopters cutting through the wind, matching the swiftness and efficiency of Galileo and the rescue team. Heart felt music was composed and added to the dramatic scenes, enhancing the feeling of emergency and distress and evolving to the urgency of the rescue and the flowing energy of the rescue crew, proving that safe and happy endings do exist.