How to be an Environmentally Friendly Filmmaker

What does it take to be an environmentally friendly filmmaker?

In this video, we take a look at a few simple ideas that can help you as a filmmaker to become more environmentally friendly.

Sustainable filmmaking is not something that is often talked about and so hopefully this video can help to start spreading that discussion.

Please share this with anyone you think will appreciate it.

How can you help the environment as a filmmaker? 

This may not be something that's often bought up on jobs you're doing and while it may not be possible to make the process of filmmaking completely environmentally friendly, there is still a lot we can do to help reduce the negative impact we have on the world around us.

We're going to take a look at a few fairly simple ideas that can help to make a big difference.

The Three Rs

This is a term that you have likely come across before but may not have considered how it can be implemented on set and in the workplace.

The three "R"s  - Reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reducing the number of waste products on set, recycling and encouraging the use of reusable items such as water or coffee containers. These things may seem obvious, but they are not always done.

Reduce Travel

Reducing the amount of travel needed for a shoot can make a real difference.

During pre-production and location scouting, plan how you can reduce the amount of travel as much as possible. Where travel is necessary, consider car-sharing and using vehicles that have less impact on the environment such as electric or hybrid cars.

In a perfect world, we could all walk or bike to set but of course this isn't often possible. 

With good planning and consideration when it comes to filming on location, you might be surprised how much you can reduce travel time.

Go paper-free!

Where possible, go digital with anything that may have been on paper in the past. This includes things such as scripts, release forms and anything else that needs a signature. 

This is probably one of the easiest things to do, we all have phones or tablets that are capable these basic digital tasks. 

Not only does this save the amount of wasted paper, I'd say it makes life a lot easier and more secure.

Leave nothing behind

Wherever it is you are filming, particularly in nature though, make sure you leave no trace behind, anything you bought with you, needs to be taken away again.

This is something that shouldn't really need to be said, as I'd like to think everyone is doing this already but I know this sometimes isn't the case.

At the end of a shoot, when everyone is rushing to get home, it's worth taking that last 5-10 minutes just to double-check and make sure you haven't left anything behind.

Buy Local

Whether you are a solo filmmaker who just needs snacks and lunch for yourself or you are working with a big crew and need craft services on set, you can buy local produce. 

This helps to not only support local suppliers in the area but also reduces the impact on the environmental supply chain in the area.

Use natural light

This is a tricky one because it may not always be possible but where it is, consider making good use of natural light. This can be achieved with good planning and making use of apps such as sun seeker so you know exactly where the sun will be on any given day and how much light you'll have to work with.

This point ties nicely into the next one, which is...

Turn off the power 

When natural light isn't possible and the need for big generators and lights is necessary, turn off the power when they are not in use. Obviously, some lights need warm-up time, but this can be taken into account and ideally can be timed around breaks and scenes.

It isn't necessary to have everything running all of the time.

Use eco-friendly suppliers

For things such as make-up, costumes and props. there may be eco-friendly suppliers that can help you out. 

Even if there isn't something for every you need, every little bit helps.

Using real locations

One thing to consider that can make a surprising difference is using real locations as much as possible.

This means location scouting for places that are as close to what you need as possible without the need for a lot of set design.

A good example of this would perhaps be if you are filming a period piece that is say set in the 60s, find a location that still looks like that or as close as, so you can bring in as little additional set design as possible. 

Sometimes we settle for a location that is close to what we need and have to make a lot of changes once there. Spending that little bit of extra time finding somewhere even better can help to make a difference and save a lot of wasted materials. 

Carbon offset

If you think you've done everything you possibly can to reduce the impact your shoot will have on the environment, you can calculate your total c02 emissions and carbon offset this through a variety of ways such as planting trees or donating to other climate reduction projects.

There are plenty of tools and guidance to help you do this online and I'll link a few in the description.

Share what you know

Talk with your friends, colleagues, whoever about ideas like this and how you can make a difference.

Some of these things may seem trivial and that they may not have any sort of impact but take what you know to your next job and see what kind of difference, even the smallest of changes can make.

To quote the wonderful Sir David Attenborough

Surely we have a responsibility to care for the planet on which we live? The future of humanity, and indeed of all life on Earth, now depends on us doing so,

Thank you for watching, I hope you found this video useful. Please share it with anyone you think may appreciate it as well.

I'll see you next time, take care.