UT FILM INSTITUTE SUSTAINABLE FILMMAKING INITIATIVE:

The UT Film Institute is planning a project to study local film production with respect to carbon neutrality, the ultimate goal of which is to provide the entire film industry with the tools to go carbon neutral.


The Issue:

The increased addition of anthropogenic carbon to the atmosphere is believed to be the primary driver of climate change. An emerging movement in the entertainment industry is carbon neutral production.  To date, three Hollywood feature films, The Day After Tomorrow, Syriana, and An Inconvenient Truth, have been produced “carbon neutral.”

While existing technologies may offer solutions for limiting a film production’s carbon emissions by increasing efficiency, there exists no way to produce a commercial feature film that is carbon neutral by virtue of its own production process.  As a result, the company or an outside consultant assesses the carbon footprint of the entire production (including but not exclusive to the production office, ground transport, air travel, hotel and other accommodations, shipping, studio and location electricity usage, waste management, and food miles) and subsequently creates and executes a plan to offset carbon emissions.  Offsetting is usually carried out by the footprint consultant or a third party and has been comprised of reforestation, subsidizing renewable energy sources, and subsidizing energy efficient appliances for households and businesses.

The initial phase of our research study will investigate the carbon emissions and energy use patterns of film productions.  Subsequent phases will develop industry-specific formulae to calculate carbon emissions, and, during the production process of our own films, UTFI will experiment with methods and technologies that may result in more energy efficient operations. 

Our research will also compare the economics of existing production methods with the suggested energy efficient methods to address the financial burden of sustainable filmmaking.  Finally we will offer a template to calculate the hard cost of offsetting carbon emissions per ton given both standard and suggested, energy efficient, production strategies. 

The partnership will present findings in scholarly journals and industry publications and provide outreach through workshops and symposia (at film festivals, sustainability conferences, etc).


PARTICIPANTS:

The project will be managed by the UT Film Institute with assistance from the UT Environmental Sciences Institute, UT Department of Economics, UT Department of Chemical Engineering, UT Center for Sustainable Development, City of Austin, Austin Energy, Texas Film Commission, Burnt Orange Productions, Front Gate Tickets, Austin Film Society, and SXSW Film and Music Festival.  Partners may be added during the study’s planning phase.