The last two days film producer/director Miranda Bailey has guest posted sharing her trials and tribulations at trying to make indie film green. Today she shares her tips.
Miranda’s Ten Tips for Greening Your Film.
1.) Take a deep breath and realize you will not be able to be completely green. Acknowledge what you can green – Trash, Catering, Water Bottles – and go from there.
2.) Make sure there is a recycling bin next to EVERY GARBAGE CAN. EVERY SINGLE ONE.
3.) Give everyone a reusable water bottle and show them where they can fill it up instead of using plastic disposable ones. As soon as they lose them, which should be with in the first 48hours of giving them out, give them another one and use the money you saved by not buying water bottles on buying a gazillion Sigg bottles.
4.) Tell Craft Services it is very important to you to use non-disposable plates and utensils at meals.
5.) Look in the trash. See that soda can or bottle in there that should be in the recycling bin that is right next to it!… pick it out and put it in the proper bin. Then tell a PA you don’t want to have to do that again and that you will give them quarter for every person they tell to recycle from here on in.
6.) Go raise your budget to include $100 a day for the PA you had to hire that has to guard the trashcans.
7.) When you are on set a week later, and you notice that there are trash cans located everywhere, but no recycling bins anymore. Find that PA and tell him/her to put the recycling bin that got moved and forgotten about back next to the trash can. Tell them to make sure there is ALWAYS a recycling bin next to the trash can. And when they say they are too busy because we are actually making a movie not a recycling competition…hire another one whose sole purpose is to make sure we recycle.
8.) When you are at lunch and you realize you are eating with a plastic fork, complain to catering and ask why it isn’t silverware. Demand Silverware.
9.) Go raise your budget AGAIN to hire your catering another dishwasher because they refuse to use non-disposable plates and utensils on the budget you originally negotiated with them.
10.) Never drive where you can walk. And always use recycled paper if you can afford it.
I do understand that these are the more REALISTIC greening tips than ones that Lauren Selman our Green Consultant and all around awesome chic would say, so I’ll mention her tips as well. Because, hers are the ones we all strive for…or should anyway.
Laurens Greening Tips: (as printed in The Independent -http://bit.ly/a5WaYl)
– Have a green point person.
– Train the production assistants and crew early.
– Get reusable water bottles.
– Get recycling bins for sets and trailers.
– Pass sets forward, to other productions, or donate.
– Get reusable canvas bags for PA runs.
– Get reusable garment bags for wardrobe.
– Encourage departments to carpool.
– Get a printer that prints double sided, and use recycled paper.
– Get reusable coffee mugs.
– Don’t throw away food.
– Don’t use Styrofoam.
Recently there are ton of resources that have sprouted up on best practices for greening films. Here are some of them:
Film Biz Recycling – http://www.filmbizrecycling.org/
EMA Make Your Production Green – http://www.ema-online.org/for_productions.php
California Film Commission Green Resource Guide-http://www.film.ca.gov/GreenFilmmaking.htm
Good Luck!
Miranda Bailey
Miranda Bailey is a Producer, Actress and now Documentary Film Director. She is a Partner at the production company Ambush Entertainment in Hollywood. Upcoming films from Miranda include Every Day, & Super- out in 2010. Her past films include: Squid and the Whale, Wonderful World Oh in Ohio, Against the Current. Her website:www.ambushentertainment.com
