Film industry experts will teach locals to “Green the Screen”

Film industry experts will teach locals to “Green the Screen”
Best environmental practices to be taught by producers from across the country, free seminar open to public October 28, reservations required.

For immediate release
Contact: Danielle Nelson, 504-940-
5780, Danielle@novacvideo.org or
Diane Wheeler-Nicholson , 504- 224-2244,
dwheeler@secondlinestages.com

New Orleans, LA. Second Line Stages, a local production facility, and non-profit NOVAC (New Orleans Video Access Center) will present “Greening the Screen” an environmentally-focused training program and public seminar in New Orleans, October 27 – 28. Some big names in the entertainment industry will roll into town to talk to the local film community about producing creative work in a more environmentally sustainable way.

Instructors and speakers will include producers from major film studios and experts in ecofriendly techniques, such as Jane Evans, EVP, Physical Production, Focus Features (The American, Milk, Brokeback Mountain); Executive Producer Mari Jo Winkler (Dan in Real Life, Away We Go, Fair Game; Producer Kathleen Courtney (Daredevil, Because of Winn Dixie, Law Abiding Citizen, Bowfinger) and Joshua Throne, Production Manager (The Expendables, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt) Also coming are Meredith Bergmann and Katie Carpenter whose company Green Media Solutions has worked directly with NBC / Universal, among others, greening their productions over the past few years; their credits include HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, It’s Complicated and Saturday Night Live.
The workforce training component of the series is being sponsored by The New Orleans Office of Film and Video, Community Production Capital, LLC, the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the State Office of Community Development and the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Since 2008 there has been a comprehensive move toward environmentally responsible production practices in the entertainment industry on a national level. For example, five major
studios have committed to environmental sustainability and created ‘best practices’ guidelines; and several existing studio buildings in Los Angeles are being converted to more eco-friendly structures. To the east and west coast ‘green’ is on its way to becoming the standard. “More than ever producers, actors, directors, and crew of all kinds are getting behind the concept of making our industry a cleaner, more environmentally friendly, one”, said Diane Wheeler-Nicholson, Director of Sustainability and Outreach of Second Line Stages. Hers is the only LEED film production facility in the United States and is run with ecologically sound practices. Second Line’s clients are also provided with local resources for ‘green’ goods and services, as well as facility services such as comprehensive recycling and composting. Liz Dunnebacke, NOVAC’s Executive Director, explains that “as one of the leading production locales in the country, New Orleans and Louisiana should be well informed and proactive about this issue, both to keep step with the environmental benefits as well as to continue our leadership position within the industry.” A “Greening the Screen” training program for producers and filmmaking students will be held October 27 and 28. The program curriculum will be based in part on the GreenScreen Training of the Producers Guild of America and will provide an in-depth look, department by department, at what “green” looks like for the film production industry at this time and going forward. Curriculum for the Greening the Screen training is geared toward the coordinator and above positions.
A free evening seminar and panel discussion on October 28th, open to the public, will provide an opportunity for the members of the local industry and government to hear from leading professionals, both at the studio and production levels, about what it means to “Green the Screen’, why it’s important, what it entails, and what New Orleans/Louisiana crew, vendors and service providers should be thinking about. The seminar will be held at Second Line Stages, 800 Richard St. in New Orleans, October 28th from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Reservations are required for the panel discussion/seminar; call 504-224-2245 or e-mail boseka@secondlinestages.com to RSVP. Light refreshments will be available for purchase prior to the panel by eco friendly caterers Headwaters Cafe and La Divina Gelateria.
Producers for the HBO television series Treme will also partner in the effort as a way to train new hires. Trainees referred by Treme will participate in the environmental training following a three-day production assistant class and then attend a networking event in conjunction with the Greening the Screen seminar. The classes will help these students take their first step to “getting their feet in the door” of the expanding film industry in Louisiana.
For more information about the training, call NOVAC at 504-940-5780.
Second Line Stages is the nation’s first green, independent film studio whose operations are designed to enable cleaner, smarter, more responsible physical production practices. http://www.secondlinestages.com
NOVAC is a 501 c3 nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate a sustainable film community by providing access to resources, education and locally generated content. Our programs are made possible through a Recovery Workforce Training Program Grant, provided by the Louisiana Recovery Authority in collaboration with the State Office of Community Development’s Disaster Recovery Unit and the Louisiana Workforce Commission as well as generous funding . Our programs are also supported by a grant from the Arts Council of New Orleans, the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a Community Arts Grant made possible by the City of New Orleans and by a Decentralized Arts grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Both the Community Arts Grant and the Decentralized Arts grant are administered through the Arts Council of New Orleans. Further support for our programs is generously provided by the RosaMary Foundation, the Keller Family Foundation, the Mary Freeman Wisdom Foundation, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Louisiana Department of Economic Development’s Office of Entertainment Industry Development and the City of New Orleans Office of Film and Video.
Rev 10-25
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