I’ll be honest, it took me some time to buy into the whole “green” movement. It just seemed so drastic and sudden that I couldn’t help but be mildly skeptical of people’s genuine motives. Out of nowhere, people are carrying groceries in burlap sacks and using light bulbs that make your kitchen feel like an operating room. Regardless of my delayed adoption, I get it now. I could certainly be more environmentally-friendly, but I’m determined to not be the generation responsible for the end of the world. You can get tips for greener living in countless magazines, websites, books, newspapers and TV shows but what about extending your efforts to your filmmaking? Should your love for Mother Earth pause when you’re on set? I think not. So let’s make films… greener.
One of our loyal sponsors this year is Reel Green Media and their mission statement has inspired this blog post. They are an environmental consulting and creative media agency specifically designed for the Entertainment Industry. It’s not easy to take an age-old artform such as filmmaking and make it green. I’m sure you can think of a few surface-level materials and habits that can be modified or abandoned altogether to make your production more environmentally-friendly, but is that good enough?
Hiring a consultant or agency to transform your production, staff and talent into a lean, green machine is the best way to ensure you’ve got your bases covered. Let’s not be too hard on ourselves though. Making any effort is always better than no effort at all. So if bringing an expert on-board isn’t in your budget, do your homework and find creative and inexpensive ways to make your film pro-Earth. Many film commissions nationwide are offering tax breaks and local incentives for green productions so be sure to take advantage. Be green and prosper!