By Kelsey Bingham is a fourth-year student majoring in journalism, Courtesy Grady Newsource
University of Georgia master’s of fine arts student Matt Hudgins just received a sustainability grant for his project “And…Action! Bringing sustainability on-set with the MFA in Film, Television, and Digital Media.” The project was devised to “help reduce the environmental footprint of UGA student film productions, as well as enhance sustainability for the future of film in Georgia.”
Why It’s Newsworthy: Georgia is one of the most popular filming locations in the United States and not all productions have an emphasis on sustainability. The Sustainable Production Alliance, found that between 2016 and 2019 major motion pictures produced an average carbon footprint of 33 metric tons per shooting day.
Making a movie is not an easy job. A movie that lasts an hour and a half can take months of hard work and planning. A film crew’s typical work day is 12 hours long, during which they’re being fed meals and snacks. Hudgins witnessed first hand the kind of waste this generates.
Hudgins worked in craft services for eight years where he provided food and beverage to hard-working crews across numerous film and TV sets.
“I can’t tell you some of the sets that don’t even have recycling available,” said Hudgins. “In Georgia, you’re filming outside with a crew of 200 people; it’s hundreds and hundreds of plastic water bottles everyday that just go straight to the landfill.” See more here.
