Reel Green at AFCI in Los Angeles

On Friday April 5th Marnie Orr, Acting British Columbia Film Commissioner and Julie Bernard, Manager, Production Services joined Shannon Bart, Director of Sustainability, NBCUniversal and Michael Walbrecht, Vice President, Public Affairs, Warner Bros. Entertainment at the AFCI education day on a panel moderated by Zena Harris, President at Green Spark Group.

Reel Green was excited to be a hot topic in this panel through Julie Bernard at Creative BC and to have representation at home and abroad to push the subject of sustainable production!

The panel topic was focused on Sustainable Production and Industry Stewardship and panelists discussed the interplay between each topic including tools and resources available; from best practices and calculators by the Green Production Guide to the network of stakeholders that strive for collective action.  

British Columbia was hailed as a model for collaboration in the realm of sustainable production with the charge being led by Creative BC and their Reel Green Initiative. Notably, BC was recognized for these efforts by industry, labour and municipal organizations and stakeholders from the U.S. major studios. Julie Bernard mentioned that Creative BC highlights the importance of sustainability in the welcome letter provided to all productions filming in BC. This helps both at home and visiting productions understand the culture BC is forging by integrating sustainability throughout the industry.

Panelists launched into conversations on present challenges and improvements for the motion picture industry. It was noted that the more environmentally sustainable production becomes, the more the community will want the industry to be present. This intangible effect can manifest into positive momenta such as job creation, economic strength, improvements in social justice and equity, and participation in community involvement.  

There was a call to action that Film commissions need to play a role in this mission by convening stakeholders, providing local resource information for filmmakers seeking a lighter footprint and developing community partners.

Ultimately, Reel Green is thrilled to be part of an international conversation on the importance and urgency of sustainable production practices. BC will continue to improve and work to be a leader in greening the motion picture industry.