Articles
All articles GFM has published in the last 10 years
about sustainability in film and TV.
Second season of Killing Eve partly shot in Amsterdam
The second season of the successful British series Killing Eve was partially shot in the capital last September, including scenes at the Rijksmuseum and the Red Light District. Killing Eve is about a security officer who tracks down a serial killer and is created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, also known for the popular series Fleabag. The lead roles are played by Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer and this season there is a supporting role for Dutch actor Roeland Fernhout. The Dutch part of the production was in the hands of Topkapi Films, who try to run every production as sustainable as possible. No exception here.
If the shoe fits …: which clothing lines are really sustainable?
Photo: Fabrice Monteiro, from the series The Prophecy
Every production faces this question, from the evening news to a period drama: how do you dress the talent in front of the camera in a sustainable way? We researched the state of affairs at various costume departments last year (report in Dutch). And this showed that renting, storing for reuse and buying second-hand made the sector already considerably sustainable. Renting is, of course, a form of reuse. Many special costumes are stored and reused and clothing is bought second-hand or even used from personal wardrobes because of limited budgets. But there obviously are situations where new items are purchased or custom made. Lead actors, for example, often have to wear a tailor-made costume of good quality. In these cases it is still difficult to know whether the entire supply chain of a garment is sustainable. And there is too little knowledge about which fabrics have been manufactured sustainably and which are absolutely not. So we rummaged in the back of the closet again and wondered: is it possible to work more sustainably in the fashion industry? What if you do not have the time to mill around flea markets or second-hand shops and have no space for storage? And which stores offer the most sustainable collections if you have to buy new?
Filming in a nature reserve: Zomer Zonder Mama and Redbad
photo above: Martijn van der Vaart Photography
What do the productions Zomer Zonder Mama (Summer Without Mom) and Redbad have in common? Besides that they both shot on location in a protected nature reserve, they also had the same location manager: Willem Doorman. Willem has been trying to introduce sustainable solutions on set for years. For example he often uses electric gators for transport, as can be seen in this video report on Prooi by Dick Maas. Ofcourse a nature reserve requires extra care in terms of environmental impact: Zomer Zonder Mama shot scenes in a shifting sand area in the province of Utrecht and Redbad, among others, in De Alde Feanen National Park in Friesland. A great opportunity to take a closer look again at how our local Dutch productions introduce sustainable measures on location.
35 KVA GreenBattery generator almost ready!
Good news for gaffers who want to use an electric generator on the set of larger productions: the GreenBattery will soon also be available in medium format, with a capacity of 30-35 KVA! It’s light and easy to transport plus it fits any regular parking spot in the city center. And of course the biggest advantage on set: it’s completely silent. These latest edition GreenBatteries are being tested at different festivals this month and will soon be available to rent for productions.
That’s how you do it: Americans produce sustainably on Dutch soil
It has been busy the last months in and around Amsterdam with plenty of shooting days for two different American feature films. NL Film is co-producer of Lyrebird, about the Dutch master forger Han van Meegeren, directed by Dan Friedkin. Kaap Holland Film, previously responsible for the shooting of Nolan’s Dunkirk, now co-produces The Goldfinch by director John Crowley, based on the book by Donna Tartt and starring Nicole Kidman. At the specific request of the American producers, both productions were run as sustainable as possible!
Workshop Sustainable Catering: Call for online platform and Harvest Map
Everyone is willing and the solutions are available, we only need to connect with each other to share knowledge, to gain access to the right materials and to implement applications. That was the conclusion all those present on the evening of February 20th agreed on, at the end of an inspiring workshop on Sustainable Catering in BlueCity in Rotterdam. An enthusiastic group of caterers, location managers, producers and entrepreneurs came together to exchange ideas for a sustainable approach on set. And ideas were in abundance.