The song says it's not easy bein' green, but a new code released on February 3rd, 2009, aims to make it a little more straightforward. Filmmakers for Conservation (FFC), American University's Center for Social Media and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking have teamed up to create the Code of Best Practices in Sustainable Filmmaking, a new guide to help filmmakers assess their carbon footprint and make their shoots more eco-friendly. IDA's Board endorsed the Code last month.
AU School of Communication professor and documentary filmmaker Larry Engel, coauthor of the code, said in a statement, "Filmmakers want to be sustainable, but few tools exist to help them do this. This code is the first clear, comprehensive guide in sustainability supported by scientific review and specifically designed to account for the challenges filmmakers face on a daily basis."
The code is based on the results of a global survey of best practices
in sustainable filmmaking, conducted by American University, involving
more than 175 filmmakers and companies. It includes trackers and checklists to aide filmmakers in figuring out the carbon emissions and waste produced by their projects after all possible steps toward reduction have been made. Ideally, these would then be offset at the conclusion of production.
The Code focuses on four key areas:
1. Calculation: Know how much energy we are actually using.
2. Consumption: Lower overall carbon debt and environmental impact by using less.
3. Travel: Reduce the carbon debt created through travel.
4. Compensation: Since we cannot completely eliminate our footprint, we should compensate for it through organizations that offer a carbon reduction equal to our carbon production.
Chris Palmer, director of AU's Center for Environmental Filmaking commented that environmental and wildlife filmmakers have a special responsibility to reflect best practices in sustainable filmmaking, as they are the ones often in the most fragile places on earth.
The code is meant to be an evolving document and AU and FFC want feedback from filmmakers, producers and broadcasters to help improve it. You can find the code at www.sustainablefilmmaking.org.