Location

The ephemeral nature of New Zealand’s screen production industry presents particular challenges for the introduction of environmentally responsible practices. One of these challenges is reducing the environmental impacts associated with working on location including special effects that may involve the use of fire, explosives, water and artificial snow. With no fixed office or studio base, it can be difficult for productions to develop and maintain environmental management systems. The suggestions below have been developed to assist screen production companies and professionals in managing their environmental impacts on location.

Wrap

Plan to have suitable storage and recycling containers available so that packing up and dismantling of sets, props and equipment is fast and efficient.
If donating set materials to colleges, schools or other groups, arrange in advance for them to collect the materials from the production site.
Audit the site against the environmental protection control measures in the call sheets and lodge a record of the audit with other production records.
If the production has opted to offset carbon dioxide emissions, ensure that electricity, fuel, air travel and other relevant fossil fuel consumption data are collected and recorded.
Provide feedback to the producer and unit assistant on the resources used, waste generated and any incidents and opportunities for improving environmental performance.
Ensure that any post-production events and parties are environmentally responsible by following the suggestions for catering and waste disposal.

Before the party to celebrate the completion of the production, sets are dismantled and the production site is cleaned-up and checked to ensure that it is left clean, tidy and undamaged. There may be a requirement for a representative from the local authority, the Department of Conservation or the landowner to inspect the site to ensure that consent conditions have been met.

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