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Killhouse is a Ukrainian tactical action film directed by Liubomyr Levytskyi. Its creators describe it as the first film of this genre in Ukraine to use FPV drones as part of the filmmaking process. Military personnel and veterans were involved in the production to help portray the realities of modern warfare more accurately. For remote shooting locations, the production team used satellite internet provided by Adaptis.
Adaptis, a Ukrainian technology company and a member of IT Ukraine Association, provided the team behind Killhouse with satellite internet for work on remote locations, where stable connectivity was important for coordination, file transfer and the continuity of the production process.
According to Anton Sadykov, Chief Innovation Officer at Adaptis, the way Ukrainian special operations are now seen as examples of unconventional thinking and precise execution has a parallel in technology. The war has made one Ukrainian trait especially visible: the ability to adapt quickly, find practical solutions and work effectively even when resources and ready-made infrastructure are limited. Adaptis is one example of this approach: instead of overcomplicating the task, the company focuses on solutions that work in the field and under non-standard conditions.
That is why the partnership with Killhouse felt natural for the company. The film is positioned as the first Ukrainian tactical action film in which FPV drones became part of the shooting process, while military professionals with combat experience helped the team portray modern warfare without decorative simplification. In a project like this, connectivity is no longer just a technical background. It becomes part of the production process: it keeps the team working at the same pace, allows them to quickly review footage, work with playback, graphics, pre-viz and VFX directly on location.
This continuity makes complex shooting in field conditions possible, where time, coordination and speed of decision-making directly affect the result. Adaptis’ solution helped the team maintain this pace and keep the process manageable in places where conventional infrastructure could not provide a stable connection.
Technically, Adaptis’ involvement in Killhouse had two parts.
The first was operational. Adaptis provided the production team with satellite internet for remote shooting locations where mobile connectivity was either unavailable or unstable. Two Starlink Gen3 kits were used for this purpose. They supported practical production tasks during filming and later during post-production: Zoom calls with partners, transfer of playbacks and dailies, synchronization between departments, as well as work with graphics, pre-viz and VFX directly from the location.
The second part was visual authenticity on screen. The film itself featured Adaptis adaptations based on Starlink Gen2, without active terminals in the frame. This was a deliberate choice, as the events of the film take place in 2024, and this form factor would have been the most plausible for that period. Adaptis supported the production by selecting the right solution, consulting the production team and the production designer on the form factor and visual appearance, carrying out a basic installation on one of the locations, setting up the system and briefing the crew. After that, the film team was able to deploy the system independently for their own tasks.
When it comes to signal stability in extreme conditions, it is important to understand that stable satellite connectivity does not depend on the terminal alone, but on the entire system around it.
Several factors are critical: proper placement of the terminal with a clear view of the sky, stable power supply, reliable mounting, protected cable routing and basic team training so that the kit can be quickly repositioned or restarted on location. In such scenarios, record speed figures matter less than a predictable connection that allows the team to keep working: transfer materials, review playback, synchronize internally and avoid losing pace because of every infrastructure failure.
When discussing frontline or combat conditions, it is important to separate two things: stable field connectivity and operation in an environment of active electronic warfare. No civilian solution can provide a guarantee under targeted EW impact. However, where mobile connectivity is unstable, damaged or absent, a satellite channel can often provide a more manageable backup or primary connection, provided that the system is properly installed, the power supply is planned and the team understands how to work with it.
That is why, in field and near-combat scenarios, installation discipline, power autonomy, protection of key nodes and deployment speed become critical. In practice, these are the factors that determine whether connectivity remains a working tool or turns into another problem in the middle of a task.
Regarding power supply, Adaptis did not provide a separate power system for Killhouse. However, the team received guidance on compatible operating scenarios, including the use of portable power stations, inverters or generators, depending on the location and the format of the shooting day. The actual power configuration could vary from one site to another.
