Every single film production can be a sustainable film production. Sustainable practices are great for the planet, but you get the added bonus of them being great for your budget as well.
Think about it.
For starters, production offices save money by eliminating paper, bankers boxes, shipping, and storage costs. Tack on incentives that may be available when you make your production a green production and it really adds up.
How to get started? Or if you’ve already implemented some sustainable practices, are you missing anything?
Check out these 9 sustainable film production practices for Earth Day 2024.
1. Plan green practices in pre-production
It may sound self-explanatory, but the earlier you get going on mapping out green practices the easier and more effective they’ll be during the entire production lifecycle.
2. Hire an eco manager
Thinking about building green practices into your production means hiring an environmental steward, eco manager, or sustainability consultant in pre-production. It will be their job to come up with the programs you’ll use in your production.
They often have fun ways of getting the cast and crew to participate as well, and the savings the green practices offer your production often cover a part or all of their salary.
3. Ditch paper from call sheets to timecards
This is 2023 and there’s really no need to be using paper call sheets and timecards. Cut down on cases and cases of paper by going digital.
With GreenSlate, 100% of your start work, timecards, and production accounting can be completely digital with our all-in-one app.
4. Rent, reuse, and repurpose
Consider your set building practices. You can rent set pieces or build with reuse in mind.
What does building with reuse in mind mean? It could be something as simple as using screws instead of nails so your sets can be taken apart and materials donated when finished.
Whether the production is large or small, look for ways to reuse materials, be it on your set construction, in your costume department (do you rent or buy?), or anywhere you’ll be using materials.
5. Recycle and compost to reduce landfill waste
Have recycling bins located throughout the production office and on set or on location. It makes it easy to reduce the waste that ends up in the landfill.
You can also have compost bins as well, reducing the amount of food that ends up in landfills. Let the cast and crew know there’s environmentally friendly waste options on set when you kick off production and follow through by making sure you have a plan in place to empty the bins as needed.
6. Use a bank with green options
Consider the bank you select for your production and check to see what green options they offer, such as digital document delivery, online bill pay, and other green initiatives.
7. Source local restaurants for meals
When sourcing meals for cast and crew, find local restaurants with farm-to-table initiatives. Check the way the meals will be packaged and look for recyclable or compostable options.
8. Offer remote work opportunities
Want to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of your production and save time and money? Then consider which jobs and roles can be done remotely. You might end up saving big on rented office space which is great for budget savings.
And if you’ve got some remote crew then it can save them time (exactly zero people enjoy commuting) as well. That reduction in commuting crew also reduces emissions.
9. Consider house shares for the crew
When thinking about housing the crew on location, consider house shares. We’re not saying pack them in like sardines, but gathering folks in one location means a lower carbon footprint and makes ridesharing feasible as well.
One last thing...
At GreenSlate, we follow green business practices daily. Our all-in-one app is built from the ground up with sustainability in mind and we offer the only fully digital, all-in-one production accounting and payroll solution. Complete everything you need from greenlight to the big (or little) screen in our app.
✅ To learn more, see a demo or contact sales for a personalized consultation.
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