Archive for Eco-friendly film
The Green Screen Declares Paranormal Activity An Eco-friendly Film
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The Green Screen is back with another movie review to determine if it can be classified as an eco-friendly film. Today, we take a closer look at the carbon footprint of producing the film Paranormal Activity. So, is it an eco-friendly film? I say definitively yes.
Why? Well, this horror was filmed with a paltry $15,000 budget. That is unheard of in Hollywood these days. Lower production costs means reduced waste, less energy consumption and fewer fossil fuels burned to make the movie. Directed, produced, written and edited by Oren Peli and filmed in his own house in Rancho Penasquitos, San Diego, Paranormal Activity delivers on the scare factor with a simple premise involving a couple and a demonic presence creeping into their bedroom at night. Peli, an Israeli-born video game designer had no formal training in film. He shot the $15,000 movie in a week in 2006 with an unrecognizable cast, a crew of several San Diego friends and a hand-held video camera. The movie has since made over 100 million dollars at the box office.
Movie sets today generate so much waste in landfills and consume enormous amounts of energy. This little horror gem had 2 primary actors, a few extras, and one location – the director’s home. I’d bet there was no Kraft food services catering meals every day. And the movie delivered, the actor’s made it seem like this was a real couple in a very real and frightening situation.
Tags: Amber Tamblyn, carbon footprint, Eco Friendly, Eco-friendly film, energy consumption, Fossil Fuels, Green Screen, Jaws, low-budget horror, Oren Peli, Paranormal Activity, planet forward, reduce waste, The Blair Witch Project, The RingThe Green Screen – An Eco-friendly Film and Television Review
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We’re introducing a recurring theme to The Sustainable Scribe called The Green Screen where we will write about our eco-observations in film and television. Sometimes they will be given kudos and other times jeers. Our first entry has both.
I’m going to continue the nod to NBC’s Green Week mentioned yesterday in the Green Gazette with an eco-friendly review of their much-hyped “Green Episodes”. NBC brought “Green is Universal” back for its third straight year starting November 15th, 2009. The jury is still out on whether this whole Green Week thing is a pure of heart effort to spread eco-awareness or a shameless bandwagon, ratings grab. I tuned in tonight to watch the Green Episodes of both The Office and 30 Rock and I still don’t know the answer unfortunately.
The Office
The opening scene had Dwight as Recyclops – an earth loving super hero trying to save the planet through education and awareness. Recyclops gave tips on how to minimize consumption and waste and encouraged recycling. He also called people out on their eco-infractions. Every year he returned angrier at the lack of awareness and activism until he was almost taken over by Polluticom and became an earth enemy. Angry Recyclops returned spraying aerosol, drinking from pop cans with a straw and throwing them away in the garbage and basically causing destruction wherever he went. That was the opening scene. I was hoping for more but that’s where the “green” ended. The very next scene Michael was preparing to go to an awards ceremony and waiting for his gas-guzzling limo (not an eco-friendly choice) to pick him up and that was pretty much the end of the green. I’m a fan of The Office but why bother? Jeers.
30 Rock
Tags: 30 Rock, Al Gore, composting, eco-friendly cars, Eco-friendly film, Eco-friendly Television, eco-friendly television programming, Green Episodes, Green Review, Green Screen, NBC, NBC TV, NBC's Green Week, planet forward, recycle, Recycling, Steve Carrell, sustainable choices, sustainable lifestyle, The Office, Tina Fey
