A more sustainable future for film and video production.

Sustainable Video Production: A Greener Future for Storytelling

When sustainability comes up, limiting the discussion to industries like energy production and manufacturing is easy. Video production is often ignored in the conversation.

?After all, how much pollution can a simple shoot produce?

?Quite a lot. According to Albert, BAFTA's environmental agency, an average day of TV production generates 9.2 tonnes of carbon. This output equals a loss of about 3 square metres of sea ice per day.

?Transport to different locations, resource-heavy set production, energy-intensive lighting rigs, single-use plastics on location and in person conferences and meetings all contribute to an ever expanding carbon footprint.

?However, there’s been a response from the video production industry. Partly spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic and empowered by technology, there’s been a change in how video is made and distributed.

?Sustainable Video Production Practices:

Focusing on sustainable operations when producing video isn’t new. In 2006, the Canadian Film Board introduced the Reel Green initiative, aiming to improve production practices and reduce the environmental impact of video production.

?Since 2006, other countries’ film boards have followed suit. In 2011, the UK introduced the British Standard , which set similar guidelines.

?During the COVID-19 pandemic, CO2 emissions from video productions dropped by 52% while still filming, proving that sustainable practices were viable.

?Companies' practices are increasingly scrutinised with the rise of environmental consciousness among the general population. Many consumers will judge a company's environmental practices throughout the supply chain.

?As a result, companies who choose a sustainable option demonstrate environmental commitment at more than just a surface level.

Production companies can embrace different methods to help businesses create videos sustainably. Here are a few worth noting:?

?Virtual Production:

Virtual production rose to prominence during the pandemic, when location filming was restricted and a limited number of people were allowed on film sets.

?Production companies needed new ways to create complicated sets and locations and run the production process without excessive travel and manpower.

?Many started using 3D game engines to create stunning photorealistic sets and locations, which can be fused with live action using a green screen to create an impressive final look using a fraction of the resources and reducing carbon footprint.

?“The Mandalorian," a Star Wars TV series, is a prime example of cutting-edge virtual production techniques. Shot on a 3D engine called Stagecraft, it was a hit when released in 2021 and cut carbon emissions by 30 tonnes. Similarly the BBC’s coverage in 2020 of the Tokyo Olympics saw the whole presenting team commentate remotely from a virtual set, vastly reducing the channels environmental impact that year.

?Virtual production enables smaller crews and remote working, reducing the need to travel between sets and, ultimately, carbon emissions.

?Furthermore, building a set can be resource-intensive and virtual production eliminates this. A report by the Los Angeles Times found that big movies can produce up to 50 tonnes of set debris .

?Likewise, the set for the 1959 Biblical epic Ben-Hur took over 1,000 people and an entire year to produce . Nowadays this could largely be completed in 3D.

?While you probably won’t need 1,000 people for your project, it’s worth noting that solving the climate issue is a game of inches. Opting for virtual production might not seem like much, but if enough people do it, big changes will happen.

?Our green screen multicamera studios have the Mo-Sys star tracker Max system . This allows us to seamlessly fuse live action with virtual worlds. All of this is powered by Brainstorm’s Infinity set with motion graphics by Aston 3D.

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Streaming:

Like virtual production, streaming has also risen in popularity in recent years.

?Traditionally, conferences, seminars and product launches were mass participation events that involved global travel and a large, in-person audience.

?COVID-19 forced organisations to host these events virtually, but many companies still do them after the pandemic.?

?For example, Apple uses live streams to showcase products annually. Its September Wonderlust 2023 event was live-streamed to YouTube and has earned over 29,000,000 views.

Video companies are crucial to these events, providing cameras, sound equipment and a streaming platform.

?For example, we helped DIF Capital celebrate International Women’s Day by hosting a keynote panel discussion on key feminist issues surrounding women in finance. The event was hybrid, with hosts in Amsterdam and London, and streamed to 1000s of employees worldwide.

?The environmental effects are clear: Reductions in travel and resource usage from attendees can reduce an event’s carbon footprint by up to 94%.

?As companies move to emphasise sustainable practices at all levels, we can expect mass participation events to become the exception rather than the norm.

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LED Lighting:

When shooting, it’s easy to overlook the sheer amount of energy needed to run the set.?

?Lights are incredibly resource-intensive and pose a significant roadblock in truly sustainable video production.

?Traditionally, production teams used tungsten bulbs to light sets. Recently, LED lighting, which is significantly more efficient, has taken a more prominent role.

?Filmmakers first used a full LED setup in 2003’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico, which gained acclaim for its colours and lighting composition by famed film critic Roger Ebert .

?Since then, LED lighting has become essential to many modern production companies, including a complete overhaul in 2020 at our studios.

?Single-Use Plastic Ban:

Aside from the carbon footprint of a video shoot, production can often produce a massive amount of physical waste – up to 347 tons, by some estimates.

?Hundreds of plastic water bottles, utensils, and plates on every set are all needed to sustain the crew. Large studios can use up to 38,400 plastic bottles in 60 days .

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Big film studios are starting to recognise this issue. Last year, Hollywood executives and leading actors formed the ‘Green Council’ with the goal of banning single-use plastics in film production.

?Smaller filmmakers are doing similar initiatives. One Philadelphia-based company, Fishtown Films , produced 453 grams of plastic waste in one shoot.

?One filmmaker, Kat Corahave, went a step further and removed single-use plastics from the film itself, exclusively using, and therefore promoting , reusables instead.

?At Broadley, we have endeavouring to create a complete ban on single-use plastics in our 20th year, next year. We have significantly reduced the amount we use and encourage our clients not to bring any with them. We have found that most clients are really happy to oblige and it doesn’t affect our ability to shoot effectively. We live in hope that more effective legislation for supermarkets and food producers comes into play soon.

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Sustainable Video Production at Broadley:

Finding a green supplier isn’t always easy, but shooting sustainably is.

At Broadley, we believe in giving back to the planet. We pride ourselves on our environmentally sustainable initiatives, including a complete virtual production set, our in-house virtual live stream platform, a 100% LED lighting setup, and a ban on single-use plastics.

If you’re interested in having a chat about any of our sustainable initiatives or a sustainable video shoot of your own, please give us a call at 020 77255858 or email [email protected] .

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