Nature needs to get a credit

At the Shades of Green panel at the Berlinale, that Green Film Shooting organized in cooperation with Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH), European representatives from film funds and sustainability organizations discussed if the producers needs rules in order to go green. According to a study by the Green EBU group, two percent of global greenhouse gas emissions result from Information and Communication Technology. While there are more or less strict requirements in the car and energy industries, in the Film/ TV sector which is supported with public money, there are no limits set for the carbon emission output yet.

But all over Europe are also green initiatives coming out of the ground. The Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein launched a new sustainable support measure in the beginning of 2015. A film that received funding from the FFHSH can also apply for a green supervisor. If the concept is convincing, the costs will be covered.
“It is really important that there are team members in any department who care about sustainability and discuss their efforts with a green supervisor. This way, the whole team can develop a bigger awareness”, states Eva Hubert, Executive Director, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH) in Germany.

“You have to have as many people involved as you can have, then it is everybody’s responsibility”, emphasizes Siebe Dumon, Head of Training and Research at the Flanders Audiovisual Fund in Belgium. “If there is just one person responsible, then everybody can say ‘Oh, I don’t have to care about it because it is his job’. But if everybody gets responsibility on it, then you see that everybody takes the responsibilty. Therefore, a green supervisor is really essential to get to results when you have someone who is taking the lead.” The green clock keeps ticking. “The time frame is really very narrow”, says Siebe Dumon. “That is why I want to go fast.”

According to Joanna Gallardo, Ecoprod Coordinator at the Ile-de-France Film Commission in France, the development of an European carbon calculator is already an issue in the Green EBU group. “Inside the group there are two carbon calculator providers”, points out Joanna Gallardo. While the BBC has Albert, in France Ecoprod members such as the TV stations TF1 and France Télévision developed the Carbon Clap. “A European carbon calculator is quite difficult in terms of calculation because we don’t have the same standards. But at least a European guideline would be interesting because there are more and more co-productions.”

The approach to work more closely together on a European level is natural for Els Rientjes, Sustainability Manager in the Netherlands, who considers to adapt the carbon calculator from Belgium. “Why should we spend our money on the development of a new carbon calculator if f there is already something available at VAF”, concludes the former creative producer. The sustainability efforts should also get a credit in a film production. “It would be nice if we read at the end of all films: ‘In this production, nature and environment weren’t harmed in any way’.”