Going green a true focus of their production

Hollywood is known for its pro-environment stance, but the industry itself has always been extremely resource intensive. In recent years, a number of productions have made the effort to go carbon neutral, but for the most part, this has involved calculating a film’s carbon footprint and purchasing offsets. Now a Seattle-based independent production, The Off Hours, is taking sustainability to a whole new level by reducing the film’s carbon footprint from the get-go.

The Off Hours follows a group of characters who work the night shift in a 24-hour diner. Though small in budget, the film has attracted Hollywood talent. Schedules permitting, Aidan Quinn, Alicia Silverstone, and Billy Baldwin are on board as co-stars. Shooting is tentatively planned for this fall, when the Northwest nights will be long and dark enough to meet the requirements of the script.

Writer/director Megan Griffiths and her team, producers Lacey Leavitt, Mischa Jakupcak, and Joy Saez, have made going green a true focus of their production. Some of their initiatives are fairly simple, such as using biodiesel, buying locally grown and organic food, using eco-friendly cleaning supplies and paints, and running a paper-free office whenever possible.

Other ideas go beyond the basics to a whole new way of thinking about filming. The Off Hours will use secondhand wardrobe, set, and construction materials rather than creating new pieces. The team has established partnerships with Goodwill Industries and Second Use Building Materials, which will loan production items from their stores, to be returned after filming.

To further reduce waste, the team will work with Shoot It Green, a new Seattle company established to provide recycling services to film productions. “We have all experienced how a production normally runs, and the amount of waste that is generated,” says Griffiths. “Even though most of us are responsible and recycle at home, when you get in an on-set environment, it’s more difficult.”

“The nature of location shooting doesn’t really enable an already tapped production to provide the infrastructure to recycle,” says Shoot It Green founder Alison Kelly, who will provide recycling of aluminum cans, plastic bottles, glass, paper, and compostable waste. The Off Hours will be Shoot It Green’s pilot production.

Griffiths calculates that The Off Hours will reduce its carbon footprint by 80 percent compared to standard industry practices.

Lindsey Johnson, interim manager of the Washington State Film Office (WSFO), says The Off Hours is blazing a trail by going beyond carbon offsetting to making actual changes in the production process. The WSFO is creating a resource guide to promote green filming and plans to use The Off Hours as an example.

The Off Hours team aims to demonstrate that it is possible to significantly reduce a film’s carbon footprint - and that you don’t need a big budget to do so. They also hope to produce a ripple effect.

“Film works with so many industries,” says Griffiths. “If we can help people start to be more sustainable in their own industries, that will create a big impact.”