By: Ruhan Kasarla
I’m a huge movie guy. I watch movies ranging from Bollywood to Hollywood. If I’m looking for a way to kill time, I’ll go watch a movie, whether it’s something new at the theatre or a classic at my house. This hobby that I have is something I share with many people. I know that there are a lot of film junkies out there who wouldn’t want to do anything else but put on a movie. Even if people don’t necessarily enjoy watching movies, they will still watch them for many other reasons. For example, some of my friends have a celebrity crush on Constance Wu, a famous Asian American actress. Because of their celebrity crush, my friends went and bought tickets to Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers, two big hits that she starred in. Some of my other friends are patriotic, so they enjoy watching movies like Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen, and Angel Has Fallen. I hope after these examples you understand my point; the film industry is humongous, and it appeals to all types of people.
Speaking of the film industry, the first motion picture was created in 1888, and its popularity has been increasing from there. Throughout the years, people have been trying to make movies better and better by improving camera quality, graphics, and storyline. According to Statista, The global revenue for movies raised to 30 billion US dollars by 2016 and it is estimated to be at 50 million by the end of 2020. These statistics show that more and more money is being spent on watching movies each year. As movies started to get more popular, more efforts to not harm animals were made, which is great. The productions of these huge blockbusters may not have harmed animals directly, but they indirectly harmed all living things by having negative effects on the environment.
During the filming of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the set traveled to Barcelona, Peru, England, and Hawaii to get the perfect shots, which means hundreds of people each got on multiple planes. Just by flying, Jurassic world’s set released a huge amount of carbon emissions into the air, keep in mind that aviation accounts for 2% of the world’s global carbon emission. Movies also put a toll on the environment without using any vehicles. According to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, a single hour of television produced in the U.K. produces 13 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That’s nearly as much CO2 as an average American generates in a year. Apart from carbon emissions, movies have harmed the environment in other ways. For example, the crew on 2017’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales allegedly dumped chemical waste while filming in Queensland, Australia, potentially tainting local water.
Filmmaking also has direct environmental impacts. It may disturb wildlife and habitats, through sound and light pollution, trampling vegetation, constructing sets and increasing waste generation. A direct example of this is the filming of Mad Max: Fury Road. The filming of this movie resulted in the damage of sensitive areas on the African Atlantic’s coast, endangering local reptiles and cacti. Also, as set locations become known, more and more viewers come to watch how the movie is being filmed, which results in more disturbance to the environment. These examples just emphasize that machinery and technology needed for movies are not the only ways they harm our environment.
To conclude, movies and filmmaking aren’t the top things hurting our environment, but they are up there. Cinema has just been so integrated into our lives that we haven’t even noticed the damage it is doing to our home. A stand needs to be taken, but how much change can be made to one of the largest industries in the world? What is one way to bring change to this problem? If solutions are created, will there even be change? What can an individual do to help?
25 comments:
Im also a huge fan of the movies and this aspect has never crossed my mind. I have certainly thought about the exotic places in which movies are shot, especially in Bollywood when the song is played with the actors roaming in beautiful scenic location. This article has opened my eyes and explained the consequences of creating a masterpiece by the emissions leaked into the environment. But it seems hard for things to change as the movie industry is so widespread it becomes very difficult for the people watching to make a change without having to get through the big shots and obstacles. I would say that protesting movies is a solution but that would involve worldwide agreement and is not plausible. I think that this again is a problem that needs to be solved at the top and is hard to make a difference at the bottom. But it is important to be educated about the effects and consequences of mass producing these movies.
It breaks my heart to know that when I go to the movies I am supporting an industry that does relatively a lot of damage to the environment for my entertainment. I would say that the government should place regulations on filming, but then that would encourage film industries to outsource and move elsewhere. Instead the government could instead incentivize more ethical practices by giving tax cuts or subsidies to companies that make efforts to reduce their footprint. One way to bring change to this problem is to make this knowledge more widespread in the form of an expose news article or television documentary. It may seem ironic to fight film waste with film, but many people find the media compelling and it can quickly become viral and spread the issue. Individuals can make a difference by boycotting movies until the film industry changes their practice; movies are expensive and rely on ticket sales to make up the difference. However, I do believe that the movie industry is just too popular to take down in this way. An individual can make a difference by being aware of the effects of supporting the industry and going to the movies less often and possibly participating in a boycott/
I had never considered before what effect filmmaking has on the environment, so this article was very eye opening to me. The only way I could see individuals being able to make a difference on this issue is by trying to hold these companies accountable and calling them out on their bad practices. Besides this though, I feel there must be large government action taken as no industry should be able to harm the environment so much without repercussions. With so much devastation caused by the making of a single television episode, it is hard to imagine the impact the industry has made over the years that it has been in place. Perhaps by placing more regulations on where they can film, what they can do in the area, and how much equipment can be there we could start to address this issue. If these companies can’t find an environmentally friendly way to produce film, they have no business being in show business.
Honestly, I never noticed how much the movie industry negatively effects the planet until now. I don’t think that many big changes can be made to improve this industry because, like mentioned in this blog, movies make up such a big part of our culture. However, I think one of the main changes we can make is converting from current energy sources into sources that are more environmentally sustainable, especially in areas where a lot of movies are filmed. This would aid the reduction of the amount of carbon emissions in the atmosphere due to actions of the film industry. The government could also implement regulations that would limit the amount of environmental harm the production of a movie could do. We could also limit the production of movies in general; however, as mentioned before, I do not believe that this is a very plausible solution. Individuals can spread awareness about the topic through public announcements, etc. so that people would be more willing to accept the provisions described above.
This blog brings an interesting perspective on how the film-industry is negatively effecting the planet. However, these negative effects to the environment are common among many industries. The point expressed about how the building of film-sets destroys habitats is similar to the housing industry, but on a smaller scale. The effects of carbon emissions due to the endless transportation of a film’s cast and production team is a byproduct of the massive transportation industry. To single out the film-industry as a major cause for the degradation of the environment would be unfair. The film-industry is simply using the resources and products offered by other major industries and businesses to entertain and generate a revenue. A proper way of eliminating, or at least decreasing, the negative effects this industry has on the environment would be to add restrictions and limits to the way they use the Earth’s natural resources and the environment. Movies and TV shows should also be required to repair any damage done to the environment and ensure the safety of the inhabitants of a particular set or filming location.
I have never thought about the impacts that the film industry has on the environment. Though awareness doesn’t necessarily cause improvement to an issue, I think it’s important for people to learn more about what their money is supporting. I’m not sure what can be done to help solve the problem, other than government regulations. With movie editing technology quickly advancing, regulations can be added without the sacrifice of movie quality. In regards to the transportation, many other industries contribute to the problem through air travel as well. Therefore, putting restrictions on the film industry and no other industry would not be fair.
It is an interesting concept that filmmaking can have a significant environmental impact but I think most of them are very preventable. It seems that a major issue with the environment has to do with waste management and the way that production manages the area that they are filming in. The biggest issue is with preventing future impacts, but it would take a lot of development in foreign countries where the filming is done. It seems beyond the stretch of America to hold other countries to pressure companies to work responsibly. It is a very interesting situation.
Honestly, I’ve never reckoned the effects making movies have on our ecosystem. I am in the arts, thus I enjoy movies! I think the only way we could make a significant difference is by using environment-friendly sources instead of the ones used now. The change in the sources can make a huge difference and could stop pollution and other disturbances to the environment. I think we can reduce carbon emissions with carbon tax, this is the best solution because it is a sustainable method to prevent the damages. To mitigate the waste and carbon emissions, we could set up locations for filmmaking specifically to sort their waste or give away items used in the film. This solution can help clear a lot of the unwanted items that are negatively affecting the environment.
I think this is so ironic considering so many movies have themes on being eco friendly whether it’s literally trying to protect the earth from turning into some apocalyptic end time disaster or some sci-fi themed movie of the same concept. Most of the time big studios only care about the profit and popularity they will gain from their films, and unfortunately, as consumers we are essentially just as guilty for endorsing their products. While I am a major fan of TV shows and movie series, it hurts to see how much damage these movies can cause on the environment. Especially when usually the best movies with the highest budget allows them to divulge themselves into using massive props, sets, and special effects that can do a number of harmful things to the environment. I really hope in the future we can develop some way to regulate and create technologies that can maybe simulate the things you would normally find on set without making a huge ecological footprint on the earth.
When watching a movie or TV show, I have never really considered the environmental damage that is caused as a result of its production. I do think about how certain shots or scenes were filmed, but never how they impacted the environment. Its is disheartening to think that pretty much everything these days has detrimental environmental effects. It is strange to think that most movies have a section in their credits dedicated to ensuring their audience that no animals were harmed during the making of their film when in reality an entire ecosystem could have been disturbed. A lot of movies, especially those centered around the environment, donate money towards nature NGOs, but that doesn't excuse them for the harm they have caused. Millions and sometimes even billions of dollars are spent to film, produce, and distribute movies, allowing studios to throw caution to the wind as they do whatever it takes to make a movie that will reap in huge profits. I think movies should be rated on how much damage they did to the environment, just like they are rated for their appropriateness. Nevertheless, I don't now how much I would change my movie and TV watching habits to support eco-friendly productions. Maybe I will have to start pirating everything to enjoy the content without putting money into the pockets of those who critically damage the environment.
I have never considered the effects of the movie industry on the environment before. Thanks to your article, I finally understand and I believe we must do something about it. One option that we have is to push lawmakers to create new laws regarding movies. Perhaps these lawmakers could come up with a scale of how environmentally impactful a movie’s creation is, and restrict producers to be within a certain level on the scale. Hopefully people realize the environmental impacts of movie production and band together to save the environment.
I think the movie industry may further be damaging the environment through theaters/cinemas where a huge amount of resources is wasted: due to the portion sizes excess food is often thrown out, the often plastic/non recyclable food/drink containers in movie theaters will continue to accumulate in landfills, and this isn't even mentioning the massive amount of energy required to power the air conditioning and huge screens in movie theaters. One solution to the problems outlined in the blog above is to designate a certain amount of the movie budget/revenue to making sure that the filming locations are left as they were before the crew got there or donate a certain percentage of the revenue earned to the environment or wildlife showcased in the movie.
I personally love going to see movies and I never have thought about the impact that they have on the environment. Movies, whether they shoot in an outdoor location or not, use an incredible amount of energy and travel expenses and transportation take a huge toll. I think that shooting in a studio I’d probably more energy efficient than shooting on location in foreign countries, although typically shooting on sight gets better reviews and yields a better moviegoing experience. With how developed technology is, it is possible to digitally create or alter backgrounds and effects to avoid damaging ecosystems around the world. I would be interested in comparing the environmental impacts of both cgi and additional digital effects with actual effects and shooting, as both could have damaging consequences.
With recent movies gaining international popularity, such as those of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these effects on the environment will only be accelerated in the future. I am surprised by how far-reaching these problems can get in all aspects of the environment, from destructive film sets to wasteful electricity usage. Another effect of the film industry is the food wastage problem. Movie theaters across the country discard thousands of pounds of uneaten popcorn, snacks, and meals. All this wasted food is ever more unfortunate, knowing the number of families that are unable to put enough food on the table. A possible solution to this could be forcing movie theaters to maximum capacity. Often, movies will continue to play and waste electricity while a very few number of people are watching at that time. If the expected attendance is below a certain level, the theater should not continue along the same schedule. This could simultaneously help save money and conserve our limited resources.
It's kind of sad how something I love so much could actually be so harmful to the environment. I would vouch for a limit on how much money a movie set can place on making the set, but at the same time, I'm pretty sure these big industries would try to find loopholes in these rules and still hurt the environment significantly as a result. A more effective method I suggest is placing some regulations on reclamation of the environment after a movie set is done using the area (similar to how mining companies have to invest in reclamation costs in order restore the habitat in the area after using the land). However, I don't know how to convince people to enforce this type of regulation. Maybe there could be more advertisements on this issue, and possibly, there could be a charity or nonprofit organization where people can donate money to these reclamation causes. In the end though, I hope people could eventually find a way to bring more awareness to this environmental damage problem that our lives create.
I don’t think many people realize how harmful the film industry can be to the environment. It’s heartbreaking to realize how much carbon is released into the atmosphere via filming vehicles or how habitats are disturbed during the shoot. It may be helpful to enact laws limiting how long a crew can shoot in a wilderness area, similar to reclamation in a way in that they must leave the environment how the found it. Reducing carbon emissions would be extremely tough; airplanes cannot be easily replaced with a more environmentally conscious vehicle, but I’m positive technology will be able to come up with a way to do so. Obviously the film industry will be difficult to change as it is one of the largest global industries, but it’s still imperative to take the first steps to reducing its harmful effects.
Personally, I believe that this situation would be expected. Any new advancement to technology we seem to do always finds a way to destruct the planet. With human well being comes to a cost to the environment, and I feel that this is just a common trend umong these news articles. We always face the conflict of choosing our personal well being or the environment, so seeing that the film industry is damaging our environment doesn’t seem a surprise to me. The only effective method that I suggest is making the filmakers aware of what they are doing to the environment and before getting the job, they have to have knowlege of what environmental impact they can do. We can also inform them the different strategies scientists may come up with and maybe even hire specific reclamation crew to clean up after the set is over.
I never realized that even movies had a negative impact on the environment. I don't think there is any way to reduce the number of movies that are made or watched, as they are too integrated into our culture. However, movie production could be made more environmentally friendly. Sets could use clean energy to power their transportation and equipment, In addition, much like in the mining industry, production teams could be required to "reclaim" any land they use for filming. This might help reduce the impact they have on the environment they film in.
It never occurred to me how impactful movie production is on the environment. Unfortunately, there is no way to truly avoid harming the environment if people are filming outside. Either way, people need transportation to move and will require vehicles to transport movie sets. However, as technology continues to advance, animation and graphic design will improve. This means movies can be created using CGI or animation and avoid needing to interact with the environment. An individual could help but it’s a double-edged sword. One could illegally watch a movie but that wouldn’t be supporting the creators which would result in less movies. On the other hand, one could raise awareness surrounding the negative effects of movie production.
I had no idea that the movie industry had such a negative impact on the environment. I believe that government regulations should be placed on filming, however, that would prompt film industries to move elsewhere to freely film. A solution to this problem would be to spread awareness so that the public would have more knowledge regarding this issue. This could be done by uploading campaign posters on social media so that the problem can be resolved. On the other hand, the movie industry has gained lots of popularity and support, so this may be difficult to handle. But if enough people support this cause, a change can and will be made.
I had never considered before what effect filmmaking has on the environment, so this article shed light on an important issue. One of the only ways that seems to be ideal to control this situation is to call companies out whenever they have a negative impact on the environment. Other than this, however, I feel there must be government action taken because no industry should be able leave such terrible effects on the environment without facing the consequences that they should justifiably deserve. With the knowledge that a single hour of a TV show can have such a large impact, who knows the effects of the movie industry. If these companies were to follow regulations as to how many crew members, filming equipment, and traveling was needed for a movie, these effects could be diminished. With all the support the movie industry has been gaining, I am sure movie enthusiasts can support a movement which will allow film producers to create movies in a more environmentally sustainable manner.
I love watching movies. To be honest, who doesn’t? I especially love the Pirates of The Caribbean movie series. I was completely disheartened after reading that the crew for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales dumped chemicals into Australia’s waters. The effect that movies had on the environment was completely new information to me, and I hope that changes will be made soon. Crew members for TV shows, for example, could set strict regulations on how much carbon they emit into the air. Also, spreading awareness about the harmful environmental effects of the movie industry through social media could motivate filmmakers and their crew to make more conscious decisions on how much they are effecting the environment.
I had no idea that the movie industry was so harmful to the environment. I love watching movies and tv shows but I didn’t realize that a single hour of television in the UK could produce so much carbon dioxide. As technology develops, maybe more films can be less reliant on real sets, and more reliant on cgi or special effects. I am not sure how much can be changed as movies are so influential in today’s culture. So many things rely on movies, such as The Oscars and other award shows, so I think it would be difficult to truly put a huge dent in the movie industry. I think the example of Pirates of The Caribbean is saddening and hopefully set makers and filmmakers can realize the consequences of their actions.
I never knew how badly the movie industry was affecting the environment. It's horrifying that an hour of television produced in the UK produces so much carbon dioxide. I suppose the movie industry could try to create their own sets instead of going out and harming the environment. Into the Woods had a very large set that was completely artificial and they did not have to fly on planes to get to where they needed to film. Additionally, cgi and special effects could be used as well, green screens could give the effect of an exotic habitat without film producers traveling and destroying the ecosystem there. We all need to take a step back and consider our values. What do we value more, movies, or the environment we live in? It seems like an obvious choice, but considering where we are now, we have not made the right choice.
I never considered the impact that the movie industry has on the environment. Finding out about the amount of carbon dioxide that an hour of television produces was an eye-opener. It's saddening to find out just how much simple indulgences, such as television and cinema, can hurt the environment. I think that some ways we can prevent future degradation is by utilizing CGI and artificial sets instead of natural landscapes. This will ensure that natural landscapes are preserved and are not at risk of being disturbed by tourism.
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