Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to Storyteller In-Depth, a podcast where we go behind the scenes to learn more about the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design's people, places and things. I'm your host, Pat Quigley. This episode is an eye opening journey into the world of sustainability in the film and television industry. Whether you're already passionate about this cause or simply curious about how sustainability fits into this creative field, you've come to the right place. This episode will help shed light on some of the essential changes happening behind the scenes of steps that productions can take to make a big difference, and so much more. Who's going to guide us through this critical info? Today we have Mark Shapland, a 2018 graduate of the Film and Television - Business program. Mark is an associate manager and climate lens facilitator at the Independent Production Fund. What he does is take a holistic look at the organization's operations and its influence on the productions funded through its programs. This means ensuring that the new and emerging creators funded through the program have proper sustainable production and climate storytelling training, while also employing application requirements that benefit those productions and help them reach their sustainability goals. Without further ado, let's get into the episode.
[00:01:18] Speaker B: Thank you so much, Mark, for being on the podcast today.
[00:01:21] Speaker C: Yeah, thanks so much for having me, Pat. I'm really looking forward to this conversation.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: Yeah, no, it's going to be an amazing conversation. I'm going to learn a lot about you and everything that you do. And, you know, you were a 2018 business, film and television business graduate, and I thought we could start with what first sparked your interest in the film and television industry and what made you pursue this side of the industry after completing your bachelor's degree in film studies?
[00:01:45] Speaker C: Yeah. So this was not always the plan. I grow. I grew up not really having much interest or investment in the arts, in film, in screen media. It really took until high school, when I had a media teacher in grade eleven that showed us a couple really interesting movies and gave his perspective on why they were important to him, what he thought about them, what they said about society. And I saw Bonnie and Clyde and I really connected to that duo, not necessarily the bank robbing or the murdering aspect, but more so the misfits in a culture and society that they didn't feel a part of. And it was the first time where I kind of saw a little bit of myself on screen, and it really broke through to me. And talking with my media teacher, I figured out that this suddenly became a really strong passion and it led to me taking film studies at Carleton University I wanted to understand the medium more. I wanted to understand the visual language more. I wrote a lot, you know, read a lot of theory, thought critically about film.
And when I graduated, there's not a whole lot of job opportunities coming from a film studies program. You can be a professor, you can be a theorist, you can write film criticism, but beyond that, it gave you skills, and it, and it learned, you learned how to be a more connected person and understand and be more empathetic to, towards people that are different from yourself and understand other people's stories. But in terms of job prospects, it was limited. And so I then realized quickly after graduating that I watched a lot of films that were lesser seen, limited releases, and I had a passion for telling people about them. I really wanted others to see them, understand other people's perspective, be open to something that they weren't before. And so there was this inkling that I wanted to spread word of mouth. And so I thought maybe distribution, focusing on the distribution of film and tv might get it in front of more people's eyeballs. And so I found the film and tv business program at Centennial College, hoping to kind of pursue that path.
And I did. I worked briefly during an internship at a distribution company, but the whole buying and selling aspect didn't really feel right to me. And so I found this other opportunity at the independent Production Fund and the Bell Fund, a financier of content in Canada, that really did sort of fulfill my passion.
Yeah. So it wasn't always the plan to work on this side of the industry, but, yeah, through passion I did.
[00:04:32] Speaker B: That's awesome. I've never really thought about that when I thought about this industry in general. Like, there's so many different parts of it. Right. And that's kind of one of the most important when it really gets down to it, the distribution of it. Like, you can make this thing, but.
[00:04:45] Speaker C: How does it get out?
How does it get seen? Right? And, you know, there are so many creators that make things that are scenes by so few people. And I think that's still a valuable process. You're still expressing yourself, you're still telling your story, but I think it is valuable for people to see it. And distribution plays, it plays a huge part in that, expanding it to other markets around the world as well, getting it to reach out to different platforms. So it was really interesting, but it's not really where I wanted to end up after having the experience.
[00:05:19] Speaker B: So did you find that the program helped launch you into your career in this industry or provide you with the skills you need to expand your reach in this industry.
[00:05:26] Speaker C: Yeah, it did immediately when I was in the program, the independent production fund, when they receive applications for web series, as they were called at the time, they reach out for student evaluators to review the creative and business aspects of an application. And so through one of our professors that had a connection, she put the offer out on the table to all of us students. And I took the opportunity. I reviewed ten applications and I wrote notes and I gave them scores out of 100. I went into the student evaluator day where we watched all of the trailers that were made for the shows, which was still a part of the process for applications at the time.
And I really loved it. And when I was graduating, the independent production Fund reached out to me and said, there's a position open. If you're interested, consider applying. And so I did. The independent Production Fund is a certified independent production fund in Canada. So we finance productions through development and production. And in the course we had a funding and financing course. So when I started working, I understood the guidelines inside out. I was able to also understand the producer's perspective and what they were going to trying to fulfill their financing structure to make their budget for their series. So I understood both worlds really well because of the program. Yeah.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Wow. So I want to dive into a topic of sustainability in the film and television industry. It's definitely an extensive topic, but also, of course, a much needed one to have conversations about. So as the associate manager and climate lens facilitator with the independent Production Fund, as well as one of the early ambassadors of the Ontario green screen, can you first share some of the ways the film and television industry may not have considered sustainability efforts in the past and what negative impact that has caused on the environment for those who might not be aware of its footprint?
[00:07:23] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. And I should say that, you know, my work has changed since I started at the IPF. I have gotten the role as climate lens facilitator two years ago, starting in 2022. And that was sort of born about my climate activism and the volunteering I did outside of work hours. And my boss was, you know, open eared enough to listen to what I was doing outside of work and thought, well, why don't you bring these actions that you're taking to the IPF and see what change you can make within our industry? So I really appreciate him for listening and taking it on and creating this new role that didn't exist before this. And I think a lot of our conversation moving forward today is talking about sustainability. So it's a little bit of a shift, but for sure, I think it reflects real life, that a lot of people don't think about climate change or the climate crisis in the last decade unless it was in their own backyard, as a lot of people say.
Of course that's becoming difficult and near impossible to ignore. And I think that's reflective of the screen industry as well.
And I didn't really think about it. I was an extra for six years on sets and I never thought about sustainability. I was not a climate activist before 2019.
And so I think that's just reflective of the industry and reality as a whole.
But yeah, something that is just an interesting statistic is the most recent data we have from Canada is that per capita, an average canadian emits on average 13.6 tons of CO2 emissions. And telefilm's report that came out in 2023, estimating the carbon footprint of the audio visual sector, they broke it down into different budget levels. And so one production that is less than a million dollars emits about twelve tons per hour. So just about the equivalent of a canadian living for an entire year. Of course the tons increase as the budgets go up. That is sort of the lowest end of the spectrum. And what we fund at the IPF in the US, it's a lot different. There are studies that show that the average tent pole film in the US is 3370 tons of CO2 emissions. So that's 3000 Canadians living for an entire year over the course of a production that lasts maybe a month, maybe a month and a half. So in a relatively short amount of time, contributes greatly. But that's one individual production. When you begin to extrapolate from there and you think about the 500 scripted shows that are produced each year in the state in North America, how many feature films are produced each year, the emissions are huge. We make it a big impact. We also make a big impact because we reach so many people. As I mentioned before, big films and big tv shows reach millions of people. And I think climate storytelling can have a big impact on how people view the climate crisis if and when they take action in their own life and also make them feel more comfortable to talk about it with their friends and colleagues.
Yeah, I think it went under seen for a long time, but it is slowly becoming impossible to ignore and very apparent within the world.
[00:10:40] Speaker B: Well, just the numbers you were saying and the percentages, my jaw dropped. Honestly, I can't believe that. That's crazy.
[00:10:49] Speaker C: I think it did for me too. Once you consider how many productions there are in a year, and that even the smallest one is one Canadian living for an entire year.
Yeah. So I agree.
[00:11:04] Speaker B: So, based on your experience, what are a few examples of sustainable solutions and environmentally, environmentally sustainable change in this industry?
[00:11:12] Speaker C: Yeah. So I really like to focus on the ones that have the most impact. So when you break down a production into different categories, and so here I'm referencing the Albert carbon calculator.
The two highest sources of emissions on a production are transportation and materials. And within materials, it includes food.
And so I like to focus on the biggest ones that have the biggest potential and impact for change. So solutions include, of course, where possible and where feasible, switching from gas powered cars to electric vehicles or hybrid. But beyond that, if there's opportunities for your cast and crew to carpool together, if you think ahead and. And think of who lives near one another and how many people you can fit in the truck or van, even if you don't have an EV or hybrid. But getting to set and getting home from set, if you're able to carpool, you know, it saves on the amount of trips each day when you're location scouting, ensuring that locations are both close to transit for people coming to and from Seth on transit or via bicycle, but then also placing those locations close to one another. So if you're shooting in a park for a picnic scene and then a coffee shop for, you know, a coffee date and maybe a classroom, if you're able to location scout all of those places close to one another, it makes really, it makes it easy to transport cameras, lighting gear, sound gear, all of the materials you need in a really short distance each day, or if you're switching to multiple locations within one single day. So I think those are really good. I would also recommend, if you're shooting at a studio, to look in if there's grid tie in possibilities or if you're shooting on a location, as opposed to bringing generators in to generate all the electricity. If you're able to tie into the electricity grid, that makes a big difference. And then also generators. If you're shooting outside, outdoors on location, and you're using diesel generators wherever possible, think about renting electric or solar power generators. They may cost a little bit more. Same with electric vehicles, but you save on gas, and so it can actually be a cost effective way to budget and then within materials. I'll be quick here, but, yeah, food is a huge source of emissions. Meat, poultry that come from factory farming, they're a huge source of emissions. And I think food is a huge important thing on set. Everybody wants a good lunch, everybody wants a good breakfast. To be happy. They're long days, they can be stressful days, and people eat what they want to eat. But I think if you start shifting the priority, start shifting the default on the menu to be vegetarian or vegan, and they have to add meat or dairy to their dish, they can do it. But maybe you'll get a lot of people who are on the fence and don't really mind having a vegetarian meal or a vegan meal, make that switch, because they just have to add it on. And so that can, you know, reduce and then within materials, if you're building sets, you need lumber, you need props. Wherever possible, try to find reused items as opposed to buying new. That includes clothing and wardrobe thrift.
There was a great solution from one of our producers who told me about what they did recently in pre production.
The day before they started or a week before they started shooting, they held a clothing swap. It was an opportunity to meet cast and crew, but they also brought in all of their unused clothes and got to share each other with them. And it was a contemporary set series set in 2022. The people were very fashionable, both on screen and behind the screen, and so they were able to use the clothes from the clothing swap on screen for the characters. And they said they saved around $15 to $20,000 as opposed to buying new, fresh clothing. And then it also had a great emissions impact because you're just reusing wardrobe.
[00:15:25] Speaker B: So have you focused on any of the particular aspects in your work experience, or has it been pretty broad?
[00:15:31] Speaker C: Yeah, it's been pretty broad. As a funding point of view, I really try to help producers make these solutions feasible, easy, ensure they're thinking about it from the very beginning of their production cycle and implementing certain requirements that don't feel like a burden. Producers have so much to worry about when they're applying and making a show. And adding more documents to an application process is never a good sign on the producer side. But I think these, like a production schedule or a production budget, the checklists and the plans that we now require are going to help you long term. So I'd say it's pretty broad. We also ensure that our producers that are funded through our programs have the right training to use the carbon calculator to have best onset sustainability practices.
A lot of the producers we find are new and emerging. They're just starting out their careers in this industry, and I think they need to be aware of what's coming, what will be requirements from all of the broadcasters and streaming platforms. So we're really helping them on that journey and giving them a taste of what's to come, but then also ensuring that they're sustainability champions on this project. And every project moves moving forward.
[00:16:50] Speaker B: It's definitely getting the word out, too, right? Like making sure people understand what's happening so that they can then disseminate that information for years to come.
[00:16:58] Speaker C: Totally agree. Yeah. Talking about it, having some knowledge, caring about it, you can really influence productions.
If you're a vocal champion, you can get people behind you. Yeah, I agree.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: So in your opinion, why is it important to consider these solutions at all levels of filmmaking, like including all departments, each state of the project, etcetera? Yeah.
[00:17:23] Speaker C: Well, I just spoke with one of our producers from a couple years ago who had to implement their sustainability practice, track their carbon emissions through a calculator on a CBC production.
And unfortunately, they had somebody tied to this role, but they left, it got passed on to somebody else, and then they didn't really think about it until the end, and then they realized, well, we have all of these reporting documents, we have to report how many missions we created, and then they had to go back through all of their receipts. And it was a really laborious, time consuming process. And it reinforced me that you need to be thinking about this in the development phase.
You need to think about if you're going to work in climate into your storytelling, what sustainable actions can you take on your budget level that are feasible to complete and will have an impact, and then make steps to make those actions doable. And I think thinking about it from the very beginning and then talking in pre production to all of the heads of department to let them know that this is sustainable production. These are the actions we're implementing. I need you to just work this into your daily schedule. And it's really about disrupting business as usual, breaking normal patterns of production cycles. I think producers, after a couple of productions, figure out vendors, they figure out locations, they figure out people they want to work with, and they go on from there. They do the same thing every time, even though the content is different. And instead of packing on sustainability, it's really about integrating it from the beginning so it's natural and it's nothing, you know, a burden later on.
And I think that's why it's so important. So at the IPF, we require development. Check a sustainability checklist in development pretty quick. You check off things that you want to do, and then when you develop your project, you come up with a sustainability plan and you also come up with the draft carbon footprint, which I really like this idea. It's using your production budget, entering in all of the amounts of materials you use, gas you use, et cetera, how many people, how many days, and you come up with an idea of how many emissions your project is expected to emit. And then using your sustainability plan, hopefully, by the end, your final emissions are lower than what you initially predicted because your sustainability plan tackled the key impact items. And so I think by thinking about that at the beginning, coming up with a plan of how you're going to reduce, at the end, you'll have a bigger impact than if you. Yeah. Didn't do it at all.
[00:20:12] Speaker B: So is this doing the emissions reports and doing the environmental studies and all of these, is that a requirement when. When producing? Like, excuse my ignorance for this.
[00:20:22] Speaker A: I don't.
[00:20:23] Speaker B: I haven't, like, lived in that part of film in a very, very long time now. Um, but is that something that has to be done for all productions moving forward, or is that just something that's. It's a. It's a new thing that's happening?
[00:20:34] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a great question. Some broadcasters and some streaming platforms, CBC, Netflix, have certain requirements. They require you to use the carbon calculator at certain budget levels. For CBC, I believe it's $400,000 and up. Have to use the carbon calculator. For Netflix, I believe it's all of their productions, and there are many more broadcasters and platforms coming in with these requirements to. To really track. It's really important to know how many emissions are created so that you can reduce from there. You can set goals, you can set reduction targets for the IPF.
As of 2024, all of our series that go into production will now be required to track their emissions. There are no penalties if they're high or low or no rewards. It's really about getting that data for a year or two, and then we can start seeing trends, seeing averages, and then hopefully setting targets and goals for reductions.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: So you helped develop a set of requirements with the independent Production Fund. Can you share a bit about the process of creating those requirements and the various aspects you consider and, like, what has the response been to that?
[00:21:46] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. So the process was really listening and I reading about requirements and actions that other funding organizations and broadcasters were taking in the industry, and then talking with key stakeholders and getting their opinions on what I wanted to implement. I had a whole list of things I wanted to do, and I asked them, what will be the most important, what will have the biggest impact and what will be the least burden on producers and trying to find a that medium is what was important to me. And so that's how we came up with a checklist. But it was a checklist that was already created by CBC. So all of CBC productions already do this. It's already in the industry. We at the IPF didn't create something totally new from scratch that producers are unfamiliar with. We used something already existing and then from there, it's developing the sustainability plan and draft carbon footprint. And as I mentioned, because of all of my discussions with people who say, people who tack it on or it comes later in the production cycle that want to implement sustainability efforts, it becomes too difficult. And so I was like, right, we have to have things very early on in the development phase that will help these productions achieve their goals.
And the response has been good, I think, so far. I think people want to have sustainable productions. They want to have a positive influence on the climate, both in their storytelling and in their sustainable and in their production.
And I think these documents are new. And so there is like a tiny little bit of fear around them. But we reassure them that for this year, there's no scores given out. You know, they're not evaluated on these documents. They are really for the producer to have an impact. And so I think reducing the fear, providing training so that they know how to create these documents and make them good has been worthwhile. And I think the response has been positive so far.
[00:23:54] Speaker B: That's truly awesome. It's good to hear that people want to take it on and do it right, rather than the opposite, and be like, oh, we're not going to do that. It's not that important. Is kind of important.
[00:24:06] Speaker C: Exactly. Exactly. It's funny because being a funder, to get productions made in Canada, you need our money. So we can essentially establish any set of requirements we want. And if you want our money, you'll have to fulfill them. But we don't like to be so, so mean. We really want to work with the producer and benefit their career. And so, yeah, listening to their needs, I think our guidelines and our requirements will slightly change over time. Once the plans and the carbon footprints come in. In October, we'll have debrief meetings with the teams to see how it went. And once these productions go through the entire process, we'll also have feedback meetings and we will take their, you know, learn from them, take their feedback, and then adjust our programs accordingly and provide more training where possible.
[00:24:53] Speaker B: So how has the industry's approach to sustainability evolved over the past couple of years. And where do you see it kind of evolving, too?
[00:25:02] Speaker C: Yeah, I kind of mentioned this earlier, but the evolution has grown to a place where it's impossible not to talk about it with family and friends, and it's becoming more comfortable to discuss with people on set, with people in your own life.
And where do I see it going? I see more data coming in from carbon calculators to establish averages at different budget levels. And then hopefully I see reduction targets or thresholds that productions have to make and come under.
[00:25:37] Speaker B: So I know there's probably a lot of different things you can do, but what's one small change that productions can make that might have a surprisingly large environmental benefit?
[00:25:49] Speaker C: Yeah.
I want to talk briefly about the climate pass. It's where in which you come to a production maybe a little bit later in the production cycle. The scripts are written, but maybe not finalized. And I think you can take a climate pass no matter your role, whether you're a script editor, whether you're a producer, whether you're in the set decoration department, you take a look at the script, and if the script doesn't have a mention of climate change or a character doesn't know exists, there's no mention of it. You can take a look through the script and see if there's opportunities to write it into the dialogue that doesn't dramatically change the plot points. Maybe there's a poster or a sign that you could implement in the background of a set about a climate strike upcoming.
There are different ways to get it on screen. Even if the scripts are already written.
Seeing shows talk about climate change, deal with climate change in their storylines, can have a big impact on an audience member. It can make them feel more connected to the world, to the show, and maybe it'll inspire them to take action in their own life. And so I think for people coming to productions a little bit later, but have a little bit of influence, take a look at the scripts, see if you can implement it in a way that feels organic and feels natural and get it on screen, and maybe you'll inspire people that watch your show to take action in your own life.
[00:27:23] Speaker B: So just jumping back into the career side of things. For those listening right now who are passionate about environment and sustainability, especially in the film and television industry, what advice would you give to those who want to pursue a career similar to yours and get involved in this line of work?
[00:27:38] Speaker C: Yeah, I would say don't be afraid of not knowing everything. It's okay if you don't have all of the facts, all of the statistics.
It's okay. Just get started. If you have a passion for it, talk about it with your production teams. See what you're able to do and what you're able to implement, and also take action in your own life. There are so many groups all across Canada that you can join climate action groups. And I think if you're invested in your own life and you're taking action, you're more likely to take it and work. That's how it happened for me. I was in a climate action group that did amazing work and I wanted to bring it to the IPF and I didn't know everything. I didn't know all the stats. But you learn, you read, you grow. If you're a writer, think about the climate crisis affects everybody. It affects everybody differently, but it does affect everyone. And so figure out how you can work it into your scripts and your stories.
If you're a producer, think about as I've been talking about sustainability from the very beginning. And if you're just starting out, I'd recommend fitting it into whatever you do. And there are jobs like sustainability pas on sets. I think that would be a great way to get started. You could get trained and help people sort their waste, help give recommendations on set.
Be the holder of all of the receipts that you have to put into the carbon calculator. There are great entry points. And then for whatever job you want in this industry, there is a way to work in sustainability.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: Awesome. Well, Mark, thank you so much. I learned definitely a lot today. So thank you so much for being on the podcast.
[00:29:30] Speaker C: Yeah, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to talk about it all. I really appreciate it.
[00:29:35] Speaker B: That's great. And hopefully in five years, ten years, we're seeing a much different, more sustainable and environmentally friendly industry.
[00:29:43] Speaker C: Yes, I hope so too. I hope so too. And one last thing I'd like to say is there's a great question trick you can do.
It's called the climate reality check. And all you have to do is ask your story that you're making. Does climate change exist in your story? And does a character know it? If it passes both of those questions, you've passed the climate reality check. It's really easy and simple and I'd love to see all of the IPF productions and every show I see to pass that. So that's a goal that I have for the future in five years.
[00:30:20] Speaker A: Thank you so much, Mark, for being on the podcast. This was an incredibly insightful episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with a friend and let us know on our Instagram Story artcenter. Until next time, I'm your host, Pat Quigley, and this is storyteller in depth.
