There were several key parties who have worked tirelessly over the last several months to bring the second edition of Sustainability Behind the Lens together, including the Guild’s very own Head of Memberships Amy Deegan who worked closely with our Sustainability Committee, Sky Studios Elstree, FilmFixer and The Generator Project to organise the open day.
Sustainability Committee Chair Amelia Price said: "One of the reasons we wanted to do this event was so that all of the suppliers could be in one place together and then all of the people that they are selling their products to can come to one place, rather than lots of separate conversations happening. It has also been a really good opportunity for the suppliers to collaborate with each other, which is a very exciting prospect!"
This year’s event took place at Sky Studios Elstree, the ideal venue to hold it in with sustainability at the forefront from productions to operations, the site is powered 100% by renewable energy.
From the time the open day kicked off the place was awash with a lively buzzy atmosphere and a palpable energy that was felt by everyone in the space. We chatted to some of the attendees to find out what they thought about the day.
Unit Production Manager Roger Evans said: “The sustainability event was a great opportunity to see an array of different suppliers, it’s really good to see them altogether in the same place and learn about the new opportunities and future technology that we can help make this industry a lot greener.”
Cinematographer and VFX Supervisor David Helton was equally positive commenting: “What attracted me to the event was the fact it was a one-stop shop to find all the aspects of what zero carbon footprint is about. Working as a freelancer, having time where you can take a day, but only have to go to the one place, because all the organisations that you want to speak to need is there, really ticked all the boxes for me. I’ve made some good links being able to network - which is really important – and I’ve learnt a lot.”
Neil Ashton Director of Pholex, a sustainable power vendor showcasing on the day, said “We’ve met loads of people from the industry, from sustainability departments to location people, so it’s been brilliant, at least a hundred people we’ve spoken to, which is great!”
Sustainably focused companies exhibiting at this year’s event included: Access Bookings, Aggreko UK, Anton/Bauer, ASAP Distribution / Acton Stationers & Printers Ltd, CAMA, Fews, GeoPura, Get Set Hire, Green Voltage Ltd, IDE Systems, Instagrid, Location One Ltd, Neptune Sustainability, No Floor No More, NXTGENbps, Olio, OnBio Ltd, Pholex Ltd, Spotless h20 limited, Sunbelt Rentals, Supply 2 Location, Sustainable Film, BAFTA albert, E-vis Energy Ltd, SPACE-2 Consulting Ltd & LOCATIONZ, Carbon Aware Productions, Brazen Productions (partnered with TripleC and CallIt!), Final Pixel, Nixon Hire, Illumin8 Lights (Boels Rental Ltd), Universal Production Services and Big Boy Catering.
