When you think about it, there are hundreds of visually staggering and devilishly clever promotional videos that have notched up well over a million views on YouTube. All of which have been funded by corporate organisations to communicate a message of some description.

We've been making films about environmental and social issues for three years now. We usually get commissioned to produce a film to help communicate a message about sustainability – in one way or another. What's interesting is that we've started to notice that an unexpected by-product in the film production process is created: empowerment. We often deal with sensitive issues that people feel passionately about. When people usually get asked for their opinion – in a survey or during a meeting – there isn't the same sense that their thoughts are being listened to and properly documented.

 

I recently asked myself the question: what would a zero-carbon film production look like? Could it actually be done?? At Nice and Serious we always do our best to minimise the environmental impact of our productions. Whether it's reducing energy use in the office or using low-carbon transport options to reach filming locations. But the fact remains; whilst these measures do indeed lesson our environmental impact, we still consume electricity – the vast majority of which still comes from non-renewable resources in the UK – and a train or low-emission vehicle still consumes fossil fuel. If, as a society, we're serious about curbing our emissions by 80% by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, then surely it's high time that we start thinking what our operations would look like if we cut our emissions by 80% or more. In fact, why just think about it? Why not give it a bash?