Prep, shoot, wrap: Insights from a screen sustainability coordinator

Prep

Ideally, the sustainability team, which will generally consist of a consultant working remotely and a manager/coordinator on the ground, starts on a production at the beginning of prep to be involved in conversations as early as possible. A lot is possible, across every department, but we need time to work out any potential cost savings or increases and then time to implement what’s been agreed.

Travel and transport, power and materials/waste are the main polluters on productions. This means we need to track the vehicles, generators and batteries hired, and the fuel and new materials purchased from the beginning of a production, so we get correct data while we work to reduce their impact. This requires a team effort when completing the expense form and purchase order description boxes so that our accounts team can file/tag items under a specific ‘tag’ such as ‘F’ for ‘fuel’. For example, say I purchased 26 litres of petrol using a production payment card. When submitting expenses I’d input ‘26L P [specific CAR REG]’ so that this amount is added to the total litres of petrol purchased across the entire production. At the end of the production, the accounts team can run off a ‘green tagging’ report for me of all the specific areas I asked them to flag. This helps when we’re completing a certification such as BAFTA albert’s Carbon Calculator and Production Certification.

Travel

It’s highly unlikely that all the cast will live in Scotland, so their travel needs to be considered. Sometimes crew need to travel outside of Scotland too. Albert certification requires a production to provide valid reasons for any flights that cast members and crew need. If we can’t show that we considered train journeys or driving instead, the flights might be deemed invalid. If the journey will take longer than 6.5 hours, or you can document the necessity of the flight, then it can be exempted. Albert’s full domestic flight guidelines (PDF 261 KB) are on their website. I’ve noticed more and more cast members are adopting green riders that request domestic train travel only.

Power

If our production office has electric vehicle (EV) chargers or we can afford to hire portable EV chargers, my advice is to hire as many electric vehicles as we can. Self-charging hybrids and diesels compatible with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) should be next on the priority list but, since it’s not available on forecourts yet, the production needs to facilitate the HVO refuelling. While that won’t be possible on every production at the moment, it is a goal I hope the sector will strive for.

Power is required for unit base, technical equipment, locations, catering, the list goes on depending on the size of production, and for the past couple of years, HVO replacing diesel has become standard practice for most broadcasters and streamers. However, HVO should be thought of as a ‘transition fuel’ and we should be trying to switch to grid connections, batteries and green hydrogen using fuel cell generators.

Prep is also the best time to ask about sustainability-on-screen opportunities, such as characters driving EVs, cooking on induction hobs and having separate bins in their kitchens. Last summer, I worked on ITV’s six-part drama, Coldwater (all episodes available on ITVX) and we included an EV, EV charger, heat pump and smart charger.

Shoot

The accumulated data across a full production can be overwhelming during wrap, so I ask the accounts team for at least one report during the shoot. This also allows me to see where/if any issues are arising so that I can sort it early and avoid a large data gap at the end of production.

I make regular set visits to chat with crew. This is useful and interesting, not only because, in my experience, the sustainability role is usually a department of one, but because they might be doing something I wasn’t aware of, like plugging lights into mains power instead of using a generator or batteries.

Waste and materials

Similarly to borough councils, waste companies provide different coloured bags for different waste streams, so one of the things I often do at the beginning of a shoot is stand next to the bins at lunch to help people understand which bins to use for what and to influence their behaviour.

The props department might need to remove items that aren’t needed again to make room for items needed in other sets, so I’ll let them know I’m there to help and check in regularly in case there’s something they need help getting rid of. I’ve found that local charities, schools and community organisations can normally accept donations but Filmbang’s Reuse Hub and websites like the Circular Arts Network and Freecycle are also great resources. NB: All these sites require you to sign up for a free account.

Wrap

Materials

When filming comes to an end, items like sets, props and costumes are either stored for another season or sold/donated forward. Most departments are working against the clear-out clock, which can make sustainable disposal trickier.

I’ve found that most crew have their trusted charities they donate to, but that doesn’t mean the charities always have the capacity to accept donations, so I usually research local homeless charities, schools and theatre groups that might be interested in items from shoots I’m working on.

Cast and crew sales are also a useful way to try recoup some of the money invested in the latest sustainable tech.

Data

In between organising collections and delivering donations, I take time to make sense of the data and calculate the production’s carbon footprint. Using a carbon calculator like the one from albert makes this much easier.

The reports from the accounts team and the descriptions the crew have used throughout the production are a lifesaver at this point. That’s why it’s so important to get everybody onboard with tracking to begin with.

Conclusion

These are the basics on any production but, depending on the budget, commitment and timeframes, I’ll see what more I can achieve to reduce the production’s emissions even further.