Film & TV productions that shoot on location power their Unit Base, i. e., the production and technical vehicles, with diesel generators which consume an average of 80 liters of diesel over a twelve-hour operational period. In order to achieve the Mayor’s goal of London becoming a zero- carbon city powered by clean energy by 2050, Film London developed the Grid Project which will supply green energy via the city’s electrical grid to seven key Unit Base locations that are frequently used by productions filming on location.
At each of these London Unit Bases, one or two electrical supply cabinets will be permanently installed so that productions can simply tie in to electrical power. These highly secure cabinets, which are constructed in steel, will offer remote metering It is foreseen that each cabinet will be outfitted with between seven and nine single and 3-phase outlets each. The first stage of implementation takes place at a pilot site in a controlled area that is frequently used as a film and TV production location. The Grid Project is supported by the Industry Advisory Group (IAG), which is composed of experienced location managers, unit managers, and facilities captains.
As the first location for the Grid Project electrical cabinets, Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets is chosen. UK Power Networks provided detailed estimates for installation and connection of the cabinets to the nearest substation. The Grid Project cabinets will eventually be installed at Victoria Park / Tower Hamlets, North Horse Ride / Westminster and Battersea Park / Wandsworth.
In order to analyze the environmental impact of the electrical cabinets in Victoria Park, the IAG and the service company Arup collected information from productions on the specific types and sizes of diesel generators that were used, as well as their peak- and low-usage times. According to Arup’s analysis, in 2018 generators in Victoria Park consumed 64,082 liters of diesel and 1,656 liters of petrol, which emitted 169,556 kg of CO2.
By installing electrical supply cabinets at certain locations, the aim is for productions to plug into these rather than the diesel generators. The environmental benefits to switch film and TV producctions from diesel generators to mains powered electricity are significant. A feasibility study demonstrated that CO2 emissions, NOX and PM will be reduced drastically. Furthermore, fuel costs will be reduced and productions can monitor and diversify their spend.
“The Grid Project is exciting not just for Film London but for the Film and TV industry and London as a whole”, says Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission. “A move to green electricity has the potential to not only significantly cut emissions and noise pollution from diesel generators on location, but could also see reduced fuel costs for Film and TV productions at selected sites in the capital.”
The Grid Project started as part of the European Interreg project Green Screen and has the support of respective Boroughs, Royal Parks, TfL, The Mayor’s Office, the GLA, the Production Guild and BAFTA. With seven potential locations in and around London, a pilot is set to go ahead at a selected location, before rolling out further research and refining models. Thanks to the funding from Interreg Europe and Good Growth Fund, the Grid project is going to embark on the Victoria Park pilot.
“The time for half-measures and climate denial is over. Unless we move quickly away from fossil fuels, we’re going to destroy the air we breathe, the water we drink, the health of our children, grandchildren and future generations. If we’re going to avoid the worst of the impacts, then we’ve just got to act boldly. And we must act immediately."
Robert Redford
Actor, Director, Producer, Environmentalist
"The media has a powerful role to play in the fight against climate change. Through films, television, and all media outlets, we must continue to deliver the message that solutions are out there and are happening now. We have to make it attractive for people to take action. Movies like Avatar, The Day After Tomorrow, and documentaries like Years of Living Dangerously, which I was proud to be a part of, have been very popular, reaching and inspiring millions of people. And I believe films in particular can really inspire and make people want to take action. It’s great to see some of my film-industry friends working with climate related organizations to push forward those messages."
„It‘s high time to reorganize film production in Germany in a ‚greener‘ and more sustainable way. So far, I am flabbergasted by how much our industry works in environmentally harmful ways.To this very day, it starts with until today one-sided print-outs of scripts, and then it continues with plastic bottles in production offices and lots of plastic waste with every catered meal, and it doesn‘t stop with the limousines that pull up to a red carpet.
For many years, people have sneered at me when I brought my own cup or I declined to eat cheap meat served on paper or plastic plates with plastic knives and forks. It would be great if the Green Shooting Card could change all that.“
Director (Ben X, Time of My Life)
„It’s absolutely great that filmmakers all over the world are trying to clean up their act, and are trying to film as sustainable as we possibly can. Still, I think we shouldn’t underestimate the incredible power of the moving image to also change the hearts and minds of people.
So, apart from trying to be more environmentally aware in our business, I think the big gain lies in how we might make everyone more environmentally aware. Yes, cinema can change the world.
I think filmmakers should start using the powerful weapon in our hands that is the camera.
Let’s not only try to do ‘less bad’. Let’s try to do right, and help drive the change that we all know needs to arrive.“
“We are living in a time in which we can’t afford to behave irresponsibly towards nature. The more important is it that film productions try to work as environmentally friendly as possible. A film team produces every day tons of garbage. I try to avoid using plastic cups on set, I bring my own cup, use ecofriendly cosmetics and avoid needless single rides.”
Photo ® Maddalena Arosio
Darren Aronofsky, Director, Noah / Jury President, 65th Berlin International Film Festival
“When we did Noah we knew we were making a film about the first steward of the earth, so we wanted to be good stewards ourselves. There’s so much waste on film sets. Because of groups like Earth Angel, we were able to change that a little bit.”
"As a TV and film producer I try to incorporate environmental storylines into my projects as much as possible. But it’s just as important, if not more, to ‚go green‘ behind the scenes! Therefore, I help run the Producers Guild of America’s Green Initiative.
We provide resources such as a Best Practices and a Carbon Calculator to help producers green their productions. We also partnered with all the major studios to create www.greenproductionguide.com which is a free green vendor database with over 2,000 vendors offering sustainable production solutions worldwide!"
‚Green screens excepted, we will do everything in our power to be as innovative as we can in order to make our production as green as possible.‘
Photo: (c) herbXfilm Dieter Mayr
Lars Jessen
Director (Fraktus, Dorfpunks, Am Tag als Bobby Ewing starb)
‘It is somewhat embarrassing that green filming is only now becoming an issue in our industry because there have long since been many possibilities to shoot more efficiently.
Technical innovations such as energy efficient lighting are as much a part of this as the awareness of every crew member.’
I do work with a company in the States called Sungevity that leases solar panels to homes. They figured out how to move forward environmentally and how to make it economically successful.
So that’s my small but steadfast global contribution. I think everybody doing a little bit is all that’s made any difference, ever.‘
Producer, Director and Visual Effects Supervisor (2001: A Space Odysee, Blade Runner)
"Trumbull Studios in Massachusetts is dedicated to being green as much as possible, including the use of LED lighting, solar power, and solar laptops. This is not just because our location has limited amperage and no three-phase, we believe we have a responsibility to our community and our planet to be a clean industry.
We are planning for digital photography in 3D 4K at 120 frames per second from remote and inaccessible locations that will not have available power. Solar is the way to go."
Dieter Kosslick, Director Berlin International Film Festival
„The Berlinale is already actively addressing the sustainability subject since years. We appreciate it very much that a growing number of filmmakers, among them this year‘s jury presiden Darren Aranofsky, is following green guidelines on set.“
Benoit Delhomme
Director of Photography (A Most Wanted Man)
‘I never have been told precisely what the rules are for shooting a green movie, but we are trying to do it. This is something new for me. Sometimes people overlight scenes at night. I don’t. If I can see with my own eyes, then it is enough for the film. In that sense I am a green DoP.’
Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons who stars in the Berlinale Competition entry The Night Train To Lisbon is a fan of source segregated recycling. „Especially in Germany you have done a lot for that. You are examplary in the matter of waste separation.“
The Hollywood actor travelled around the world to promote the environmntal documentary feature film Trashed by Candida Brady which deals with the global garbage problem: „We buy it, we bury it, we burn it and then we ignore it“, says Brady. „With Jeremy Irons as our guide, we discover what happens to the billion or so tons of waste that goes unaccounted for each year.“
Since the world premiere at the International Cannes Film Festival in 2012 Trashed picked up various nominations and awards at international festivals.