Director Ziad Doueiri and Anna Mouglalis (Amélie Dorendeu) on the set of “Baron Noir”, who opted for ecotournage for its last season. – Jean-Claude Lother / KWAI / CANAL +
- The cinema and audiovisual sector produces more than one million tonnes of CO2 per year, which is the equivalent of more than 410,000 Paris – New York return flights per year.
- Faced with this sad observation, more and more producers are turning to eco-production.
- Recovery of sets, LED lighting and green studios… On the occasion of Earth Day, here is how filming becomes more eco-friendly.
A TV episode shot in Paris returns to broadcast 35 tons of CO2 , or the carbon footprint of 3.5 French people over one year! “The cinema and audiovisual sector still produces a great deal of waste today. This is more than a million tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of more than 410,000 Paris – New York return flights per year. And these are the figures for 2010 “, alerted Dominique Boutonnat, during a round table on”
Sustainable development: the major challenges »Organized by the CNC which he chairs, on the occasion of the last edition of the La Rochelle TV Fiction Festival, at which 20 minutes has assisted. Faced with this sad fact, more and more producers, television channels and other platforms are trying to reduce the environmental impact of fictions. On the occasion of Earth Day this Thursday, a look back at initiatives in the audiovisual sector to make filming more eco-responsible.
Of Black Baron at Such a great sun Passing by More beautiful life or UFO (S), many series and film shoots adopt a new production model,
eco-production.
“We must ensure that all our actions are considered upstream. The idea is to find alternatives that will reduce our CO2 impact ”, summarizes Pauline Gil, consultant in eco-production at 20 minutes.
Eco-manager, a new audiovisual profession
In Hollywood, “sustainable managers” are an integral part of studios and film crews. In France, “it is the beginning of the effervescence in eco-production. Some producers are now using it as a production strategy, ”says Pauline Gil.
“On the shoots, even if we have strong convictions, we are quickly caught up by our habits, regrets Carole Scotta, producer Haut et Court TV, to whom we owe in particular The New Pope. We need to know how to do it because we are a little lost in the mass of actions to be carried out. “
Created in 2009, the collective Ecoprod, which brings together the heavyweights of the French audiovisual sector (TF1, France Télévisions, the CNC, Canal +, etc.), supports professionals on these issues. “On the site, there is a guide, full of files and tools such as a carbon calculator,
Carbon’Clap », Says Pauline Gil. Since 2018, the company
Secoya supports productions in setting up new processes.
Zero waste target caterings
How does it work concretely on the set? “Eco-production is not applicable in the same way on all projects. Each project is so unique, with its technical and budgetary constraints. We are not going to have the same action plan from one project to another, ”says Pauline Gil straight away.
But, she continues, “there are things that go without saying, like reducing your waste. “. Ecoprod invites you to limit the printing of scenarios and other work plans. “This concerns all the consumables of a shoot”, continues the expert.
In green caterings, gourds replace plastic bottles. The managers favor reusable dishes, products in bulk or in large format and rely on local producers. They set up selective sorting on the trays. All the trades are getting started: “When making make-up, you can use washable and reusable cottons,” advises Pauline Gil.
Recycling for sets and costumes
The same goes for the costumes and sets. “We must ensure that we really have a circular economy,” recommends Pauline Gil. The arts reserve in the Paris region or
ArtStock in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region are specialized in the recovery and reconditioning of sets, costumes and accessories. “And if we have to do something new, we have to take the time to think about how we are going to throw it away, recycle it or give it away”, emphasizes Pauline Gil.
A green studio
A shoot also involves a lot of energy consumption. Ecoprod recommends giving priority to access to the local electricity network and abandoning the use of generators as much as possible. The supplier ERDF and the city of Paris have thus joined forces to supply electricity to the 80 main filming locations of the capital such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the banks of the Seine, so that the technical teams do not need generators.
The studios are also going green. “We put 28,000 m2 of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the studio, or 3.2 MW peak. The site produces a lot more energy than it consumes, ”says Olivier Marchetti, founder of the studio. Provence Studios, which hosted the shootings ofAlex Hugo or even The trainee. Ecoprod recommends equipping the trays with LED or HMI lighting, which reduces energy costs by 30% to 50%, and recommends rechargeable batteries for the sound department.
Provence Studios chose LED: “It’s an investment, but it’s very profitable. And these lamps also give off less heat ”. The studio is also equipped with a rainwater recovery system: “We use it when we need to rain on a shoot,” informs Olivier Marchetti, who has also set up a ventilation system for the film. studio “to refresh it” in a cleaner way.
Reducing your carbon footprint also means “reducing transport,” recalls Pauline Gil. “We must make sure to avoid the plane and take the train. And to try to bring people together in minibuses as much as possible, ”continues the expert. This implies an upstream organization on the line: making sure that the sets are not too far from each other, and hiring teams of technicians on site to avoid moving too many people. Agencies like Onstage propose to put local talents in relation with the productions.
To encourage producers to switch to eco-production, the CNC launched in 2014 a aid fund to support ecological initiatives in the cinema and audiovisual industries. “More and more regions are granting eco-bonuses”, congratulates Pauline Gil. But, believes the one who aspires to the labeling of eco-production, “we must also sanction” productions that do not respect the environment.
Faced with this great momentum, “alas, the Covid has slowed things down a lot. The health crisis has forced us to take a step back. We have to have a lot of disposable things, ”regrets Pauline Gil. Fortunately, “schools ask Ecoprod to raise awareness,” greets the eco-production consultant. A whole new generation of directors, producers and technicians who aspire to green shoots.