Video production company, High Tide, is treating the environment as importantly as creative and budgets with their new service.
Before every production, High Tide will now look at what the production’s impact would have been on the environment if the only decision-making factors were budgetary and creative elements. Then decisions are made to reduce the impact on the environment and include using hybrid or electronic vehicles to travel to set,
ensuring all catering is plant based, using second-hand props and costumes, selecting locations that are close together and using LED lights rather than tungsten or incandescent lighting.
The team had been aware that their productions were having an impact on the environment for some time, but they didn’t know to what extent. When co-founder, Alex Porter-Smith, undertook the BIMA Carbon Negative programme, she learnt the importance of measuring the starting point of the carbon footprint – so that it can be
understood where reduction needs to take place. It was this experience that prompted the team to look at where in the business the most impact was happening, and especially on productions.
When Historic Environment Scotland asked High Tide to pitch to make a series ofwork educating audiences about Sustainable Tourism during COP26, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to pilot the new service. It was a great success, and the production had a reduction of 114kg of CO2 compared to the 308kg of CO2 they would have emitted had they not considered and measured this impact.
Historic Environment Scotland’s Content Officer, Jennifer Farquharson, said:
“High Tide’s environmental report really helped us to understand the impact of the film projects we commission. We’re looking forward to using this as a toolkit in the future to help us make more sustainable decisions when it comes to film making.”
The new service would not have been made possible without Libby Penman, sustainability consultant and wildlife filmmaker. Libby was responsible for guiding the filming team throughout the process and measured the impact of the different production factors. Using the BAFTA Albert Carbon calculator, she wrote a report
that was given to Historic Environment Scotland and made recommendations on how to continue to reduce the impact on future productions.
Finally, Historic Environment Scotland and High Tide chose to offset the impact the production did have by donating to Scotland The Big Picture a charity that works to drive the recovery of nature across Scotland
through rewilding, in response to the growing climate and biodiversity crises.
High Tide are looking forward to their next production where the environment will be as important as budgets and creativity. To see the film about Sustainable Tourism for Historic Environment Scotland, please click below.
Historic Enviroment Scotland: What is Sustainable Tourism? from High Tide on Vimeo.