Green Consciousness on the Set

Since Spring 2013, student films at the Hamburg Media School have been produced sustainably. The students plan their productions according to the criteria that are required to receive Green Shooting Card certification, which is issued by the Film Förderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH).

"From the very beginning, it was clear that we would have to take this initiative to the film schools", explains Christiane Scholz, a representative of Hamburg Film Commission who has just sealed a cooperation agreement with Professor Richard Reitinger, Head of Film Studies at the Hamburg Media School. "It was very much a case of preaching to the converted with students and teachers alike."

During their two-year course, film students at the Hamburg Media School produce three short films. The Film Commission supports them in developing and implementing environmental-friendly production strategies. Producer Andrea Schütte, whose company Tamtam Film has produced several films using sustainable production methods, provides green advice as a guest lecturer.

Alexandra Staib and her five fellow students in the school’s production class have benefitted from this kind of know-how. For their second-semester films they hired a ‘Green Runner’ who was responsible for compliance with green criteria. He advocated sustainable solutions during his consultations with the different production and workshop divisions.

Recycled paper in the office, priority for digital communication (Dropbox), waste separation and management, the use of porcelain cups for catered meals and returnable bottles for drinks were on the agenda as well as the reduced consumption of meat in favor of organic food for meals. The set designers re-used material while goods and people travelled in car pools or on public transport. "Not everything can be realized in a student production", says Staib. "That is especially true for lighting and make-up."