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Best practices for the industry

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- Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH) has created a green label as a brand of approval for sustainable productions

Best practices for the industry

With the introduction of the Green Shooting Card, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH) has created a green label as a brand of approval for sustainable productions and it has received positive industry feedback. To date, seventeen TV movies and feature-length films, as well as TV series and short films, have received the green label for verified sustainable production methods.

"The number of producers who are willing to produce sustainably is far greater than we expected", reports Eva Hubert, Executive Director of Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein. Among the productions that were sustainably filmed in the region are: Michael Bully Herbig's comedy Buddy [+see also:
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; the TV comedy Bloß kein Stress by Lars Jessen; the series Großstadtrevier and Der Landarzt; the German-Danish co-production Companion by Samanou A. Salstrøm; and several student films produced at the Hamburg Media School (HMS).

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The FFHSH Director has received positive feedback from the German Producers Alliance for the introduction of the Green Shooting Card. Producer Sven Burgemeister even suggested that "producers make commitments to sustainable filming." Feature film producer Tom Zickler has already applied for support from FFHSH. He wants his next feature, Honig im Kopf, to be sustainably produced. Til Schweiger will direct and it will star the director's daughter Emma as well as veteran comedian Dieter Hallervorden, cast in the role of her grandfather who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

Many producers are concerned that green production means higher expenses. "You'll have to invest more time in preparation", acknowledges Eva Hubert. Using energy-efficient LED lights and hybrid cars also comes at a cost. "Film funding institutions, not to mention the entire industry, must look for solutions here", the FFHSH Director emphasizes, "just as they are already doing in other countries."

Starting 2014, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein will offer Best Practice seminars featuring hands-on demonstrations of how to save money through sustainable production methods. "With a TV series, this is easy to do. Theatrical feature film productions require some more thought on our part as to what measures have to be introduced in order to create incentives for the production of green feature films."

Producers can already take advantage of a complimentary CO2 calculator for the film industry that was developed by nserve, a FFHSH partner. Hanseatische Materialverwaltung is a service provider that has undertaken the culturally ambitious project of recycling props. They collect disused material from film and theatre productions free of charge and make them available to others so they can be recycled by schools, theaters, etc. "These initiatives are taking effect", summarizes Eva Hubert. "This is reflected by the wide range of productions that have been awarded a Green Shooting Card."

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