New EIF project case study announcement...
Star Wars On Location: How Film and TV Productions Can Improve Outcomes for Communities and Nature
https://lnkd.in/esjsf_yH
Many Star Wars fans root for the Rebels, adore the Porgs, and condemn the Empire’s destruction of worlds in a galaxy far, far away. But how do Star Wars production teams treat people and animals on location shoots here in Britain?
In the fourth and final case study from my AHRC-funded Environmental Impact of Filmmaking project, I explore how film and TV location shoots impact on local communities and nature. I've conducted surveys, interviews and field trips across Scotland, Wales, and England.
There are 6 EIF project communities and nature recommendations:
1. Create clear, evidence-based good-practice guidelines for production teams.
2. Provide resources for land owners and land/wildlife management teams.
3. Implement specific community and wildlife training across all production teams, and consider new liaison roles.
4. Share timely updates and records of all location shoots with the public.
5. Introduce nature policies that are specific to film & TV productions.
6. Prioritise funding for projects that evidence provision for nature protections and/or offer funding for this purpose.
Summary
Monitoring and reducing carbon emissions on shoots is essential to minimise the screen industries’ contributions to global heating. But people’s access to nature is in decline, and biodiversity loss is widespread (species abundance has declined 19% since 1970 according to the 2023 State of NatureReport).
It’s critical that film and TV crews establish better practices to protect communities and wild lives during location shoots. Crews—along with public bodies, local councils, and governments—need to take a more holistic approach to ensure that productions minimise disruption to humans and non-humans alike.
The research included sites such as Ben Cruachan, Taf Fechan forest, Cleveleys, Middle Peak Quarry (Derbyshire), Puzzlewood (Gloucestershire) Barbican and Canary Wharf, and Winspit Quarry (Dorset).
Key findings
Knowledge of location shoot activity is often poor among local communities, with a lack of transparency from land owners/managers and production teams leading to unnecessary confusion;
83% of survey 28 participants believed monetary reward was the most important factor in deciding whether to let location shoots go ahead;
The work of a community liaison officer at a location used during Andor’s production in 2020 led to significant improvements in local people’s experiences of the shoot;
The scale and scope of nature protection laws across the three British nations can be confusing for production teams, and robust industry guidelines are needed to establish good practice;
More can and should be done to prioritise the needs of wild lives and minimise the impact of shoots on their habitats.