Sustainable Filmmaking

Above is our final footprint for our production for The Oil Machine / Black Black Oil documentary. 4.39 tonnes of CO2. 

Our biggest carbon contributor was our Travel and Transport as we filmed all over Scotland and the UK and there was additional travel during post production within Scotland. We decided to hire a hybrid production car which was a challenge – availability was at an all time low. Another challenge was charging the car during overnight stays. 

We worked with a minimal crew – 2-3 people max per location, and ride-shared as much as was possible, in order to minimise travel and accommodation CO2 while being mindful of crew exposure to Covid-19. Our postproduction took place in spaces powered by 100% renewable energy.

The reason why we wanted to create The Oil Machine / Black Black Oil was to make a case for a more sustainable future and share the urgent message that we have five years to make significant changes and look beyond oil for our energy needs.

Despite the challenges filming during COVID restrictions, we are very proud of our production crew and advisors who helped us make the film in the most sustainable way possible.

Learning from this production, please have a think about how else you can help reduce the productions carbon footprint and produce less waste in future productions!

Albert or the BBC provide training opportunities regularly.

If you haven’t already visited, there is a wealth of information available via the below URL plus a short video explaining why the sustainability is important to the BBC: https://bbc.in/3zmGq6p

Sustainability training is available here: https://staff.bbc.com/gateway/sustainability/training/ 

Albert free training sessions: https://wearealbert.org/free-training/

And if you have any feedback or suggestions on how we could improve our sustainability – please do share!

PS: What is albert?

Albert is a collaborative BAFTA, indie and broadcaster backed project that provides the film and TV industries with the necessary expertise and opportunities to take action on environmental sustainability. The project aims for all UK screen content to be made in a way that benefits individuals, industry organisations and the planet.
Find out more: https://wearealbert.org/

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