Articles
All articles GFM has published in the last 10 years
about sustainability in film and TV.
Message from your sustainability manager: And now the next step, we can do it!
by Els Rientjes – Six months after the shutdown of our film sets. Now we know we will have to continue to keep the 1.5 meter distance for the foreseeable future. Recently, most production companies have started back up again, we’re finishing previously suspended productions and new films can be seen in the still rather quiet cinemas. But we’re running again! And everyone tries to follow the new Covid protocol as best they can.
Foldable solar panels: special demonstration in Utrecht
A cloudy day, last March 12th. Exactly the day of a demonstration of solar panels for on set. Just before the pandemic broke out, we met the British team of Renovagen with their Fast Fold; a battery system with foldable solar panels. Last month we contacted them for our update on applications in development and found out we could arrange a special demonstration in the Netherlands. In collaboration with the always helpful Wim Horst of the Municipality of Utrecht, Head of Business Development Colin and R&D manager Dan unfolded the Fast Fold system in the Griftpark. A location especially selected by Wim, since they are already experimenting with solar panels there, for example embedded in the pavement.
Update on drinking tap water: mapping public taps
We are doing well with refilling water bottles on the set! Since the tap water pilot in 2017 in collaboration with Join The Pipe, we are increasingly seeing productions opt for refillable water bottles instead of disposable plastic. This is in line with the general trend in the Netherlands; a recent study by SodaStream found that 72% of Dutch people plan to use less disposable plastic by 2020. That’s more than trying to quit smoking!
What’s up with…? Sustainable applications in development revisited
In the last years we often reported on new sustainable applications being developed, as inspiration or perhaps to use on set in the future. As a filmmaker you are naturally mostly concerned with when these will be available for use, but in practice development often takes years. That’s why we decided to follow up on various ‘Greenspirations’ from the 2015/2016 period and see wether they are already for sale or rent. Or if the dream is over…
On the set of a new Blazhoffski drama series
by Els Rientjes
It is mid-May 2019 and I’m in a meeting with executive producer Marjon van Welzen and production manager Diana van Wegen at production company Blazhoffski. It’s two weeks until their first shooting day of a major new drama series. More than 80 shooting days are planned between June 1st and the end of November for a series that is ambitious in appearance, but low in budget. On the wall of their office is a series of portraits of the cast. Largely young faces, with a few open spots where negotiations are still under way.
Blazhoffski has stated they want to make sustainable production a habit, which is why Green Film Making has this discussion with the heart of this production.
Report Workshop Sustainable Energy & Launch Film Harvest Map
Green Film Making ended a busy 2019 with the launch of our Film Harvest Map in Mediamatic in Amsterdam! On Tuesday November 5, participants braved the dreary weather and were treated to an interactive workshop on sustainable energy on set. It was a varied evening with, among other things, a case study of the live broadcast of the Prinsengracht concert, Wim Horst from the Municipality of Utrecht showed the public electricity points for sustainable power in town and various suppliers showcased their sustainable generators and battery packs. All the entries for these good examples were of course shown live on the Film Harvest Map, developed together with Superuse Studios. You can now find sustainable power solutions at a glance across the country!