(C) Daisy Blunden, Climate Change protest, London, 2019
A review of environmental action in the film industry.
When consuming entertainment, we don’t really take into consideration the environmental impacts of the process. Whilst getting completely emersed in moving picture and sometimes realistic acting, it’s hard to recognise that what we see isn’t and wasn’t naturally there. The carbon footprint as a result of movie production location choice is huge. It is known that the ‘film and television sector is the number one industry contributor to Los Angeles air pollution’ (university of Southern California, 2006). Yet, it remains an issue. Over the last decade there has been a slow increase in campaigning and action taken against climate change within the industry, helped by industry professionals and actors themselves such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett. However, with the current knowledge of the state of our planet- the issues within the entertainment industry has become more of a looming prospect.
Albert is a website based campaign created in 2009 that brings the film and TV industries together to tackle environmental issues to induce action in film production and inspire audiences for a more sustainable future. It ultimately offers information and an education on how to do this. They believe that the creative industries have the greatest opportunity to make change- mostly everyone consumes film and TV, therefore, it provides the platform to inform, reform and educate.
They have two main objectives:
1. To enable every part of the screen industry to eliminate waste and carbon emissions from production
2. To empower industry creatives to make editorial content that supports a vision for a sustainable future
It includes handbooks and guides on how to make “greener productions” and how to create content to gain environmentally aware audiences. It also includes multiple articles and case study’s of how people have decreased carbon emissions and ultimately created a more sustainable climate that can be applied within the filming industries. Some of these case study’s come from known figures such as chef and author Jamie Oliver, and the increasingly popular young climate change activist Greta Thunberg who informs us on “how to cut flights from your production”. Above this, information on climate change events happening around England as well as free training opportunities are present. The website has a signing up option where you can gain access to monthly newsletters allowing you to keep up with the latest news from team Albert.
Review:
The website is highly informative in how to be actively involved in changing the nature of film production altogether. It has the power to influence not only individuals but also whole company’s and productions, which in turn can lead to significant change in the way we make and consume film.
I would rate this website a 4/5. I think its very informative and the overall aesthetics of the website are interesting, however, at first glance the website can seem confusing, especially if you’re not familiar with the subject matter. Therefore, maybe I would make the intention of the website clearer in the home page so that people will feel confident and interested enough to continue to pursue ‘Albert’.
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