ROUND TABLE
François Polarczyk Sustainability director, Accedo
Barry Bassett Owner, VMI
Paul de Carvalho Head of studios, 3 Mills Studios
The film industry is facing a sustainability crisis. How do we set the scene for a more environmentally friendly future? And what’s standing in the way of progress? A trio of experts share their thoughts
they are taking the right actions to make a difference. Paul de Carvalho: There are, of course, a huge range of big issues affecting sustainability across the whole life cycle of screen production – from pre-production to post-production and distribution. The biggest issue is how we can ensure that all parts of the production process are committed to sustainability, and that those disparate parts can easily share information and resources to ensure massive action. The most prominent roadblocks are time and cost. Addressing sustainability across the industry needs all players to commit time and money to the process – and both of these commitments will affect short-term profits, which makes it a tough decision to focus on. This investment is absolutely worth it in the long term, and players need to take responsibility to do whatever they can to take massive action right now on sustainability.
Definition: What are the biggest sustainability issues in the film industry right now, and what are the most significant roadblocks hindering progress towards better, more environmentally friendly practices? François Polarczyk: There’s no denying that sustainability is a complicated issue encompassing many different aspects, including both environmental impact and social responsibility. It includes the impact of materials and resources used in set production and costumes, the carbon footprint associated with travel when transporting equipment and crew,
energy consumption from lighting and other equipment, emissions generated by generators, as well as the impact of the content on audience behaviour and its ability to promote positive change. A lot of companies, both in the film industry and beyond, find the scale of the issue quite overwhelming, so it’s not surprising that it can be difficult for an individual media company to know where to start. There are a lot of grey areas, as well as difficulties around choosing the right framework for measuring and reporting, which can put organisations off acting because of uncertainty over whether
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