Despite the stresses of dissertation submissions, exposure to the big bad world and the pressures that come with your final year in college, Rory Merriman thoroughly enjoyed year 4th year studying at TU Dublin Journalism. Articles that Rory believes illustrate his work best is ‘Lights, camera, Recycle!’ That he wrote for his class's end of year magazine. The other article Rory takes a lot of pride in is a piece he wrote about snooker professional Aaron Hill, a genre in which he is very passionate about as he hopes to pursue his career in sports journalism.
On the one side, the filmmaking industry can significantly increase a community's economy. As a result of film and stage production activity in certain areas, a productions' purchases of lodging, transportation, catering, and other support services contribute to local employment, expenditures within regional areas, and local economies.
But on the other hand, it can potentially have a severe influence on the environment as a result of its high usage of energy during its life cycle.
The media and entertainment sector may not immediately spring to mind as an organization that needs to take-action when it comes to building a sustainable future. However, the creation of theatre, television shows and high-definition movies have a large carbon footprint.
On a set in both theatre and film, the crucial script is printed on numerous copies of paper, and the actors and staff are frequently fed and hydrated using disposable plastic cups. Large convoys of vehicles and power generators leaving a substantial carbon footprint, frequently discard props and costumes after use.
Dublin actor Donncha Tynan (23), who recently featured in RTÉ’s hit series “KIN”, spoke with Inniu about sustainability in the film and the TV sector. “I think generally from what I have seen, the industry is both conscious of and concerned about climate change.
“I think every industry (film/tv included) should continuously be working on bettering the sustainable practices that are in place within their industry. I think I remember reading something recently where screen Ireland is currently establishing a new benchmark of standards and expectations for productions in Ireland,” revealed Tynan.
There is no possible method to achieve zero carbon emissions immediately. It’s difficult to say who, what and how the key solution to solving the issue is. “It will boil down to financial incentives to bring about fundamental changes in the industry and how the work is produced in the Irish film Industry,” Tynan believes.
According to studies done by Forbes.com, the average amount of CO2 produced by blockbuster movies with budgets exceeding $70 million per production is 2,840 tons (it takes 3,700 acres of forest to absorb the equivalent in a year). 51% of these significant CO2 emissions are connected to transportation, which is common in international filming.
James Agnew, (21) a member of The LIR Academy of acting told Inniu, “Certainly that is an area for sustainable concern, there can be a lot of transport in film and tv. People will often be transported distances as short as from their trailer to the set which is simply not sustainable. Sometimes certain actors might be picked up from their house and driven to a set to shoot a film. If there are 10 leading actors in a film, they’ll each get an individual driver which is very harmful to the environment. So, its stuff like that where they could make changes.”
Pippa Moloney is a 23-year-old aspiring film producer who recently graduated in Film production, IADT. Moloney spoke with Inniu on behalf of the amateur sector of film production.
“When you’re living in poverty, how are you supposed to be environmentally conscious and sustainable when you’re struggling to make ends meet? I feel like the same applies in producing a film, you’re not going to shop organic when you have a budget of 200 euro with most of that going toward the equipment.”
Smart technology with real-time insight will play a significant role in actively eliminating carbon emissions and decreasing the carbon footprint as Media and Entertainment works to please the next generation of consumers, says Irishtimes.com.
Moloney believed that sustainable film production is something that can be taught in third level education and passed on to the next generation of producers, “The only way people will adhere to sustainable change in the industry is that if there is pressure put on them by the college or if people were graded on their ability to carry out their work in an environmentally friendly way. So that your grade will depend on the sustainability aspect of your filming.
When covid was around we had to do this mandatory course in college about how we can go about filming while covid rules are in place, and I feel like they could implement something like that for sustainable film making,” Moloney added.
Food waste is a major problem that affects both the economy and the environment on a global scale. As of now, 30% of food produced in the world goes to waste according to fastcompany.com. When it comes to food waste, the production in theatre and film industry is no angel.
Agnew of the LIR academy says, “Generally, there’s a consciousness (with food waste). People do their best not to waste food. But I’d say it’s probably down on a priority list on a set. Generally, in theatre where things can be reused, they are. It’s more from a financial standpoint rather than a fear for climate change. It’s not what people are focused on. It’s not considered important. There’s concern there but it’s not necessarily in practice.”
Productions may help to protect the planet, and more and more are trying to do so by improving the sustainability of their operations and integrating best practices and responsibilities into their corporate cultures. While individual productions won't be able to save the world, tiny efforts in the direction can go a long way.
“As you grow as an artist or film maker, you need to find out way of getting things done while still adhering to your values and morals,” says Moloney.
Nicknamed 'De breeze', Aaron hill is a 20-year-old professional snooker player from county Cork. Born on February 28th 2002, he entered the world with a fierce thirst for the game of snooker, proving his abilities from a very young age.
Starting at the limber age of twelve, Hill was quite a late bloomer on the snooker scene. “I always watched it on TV and my dad always said he’d bring me for a game once I got tall enough to see over the table,” said Hill.
“I was in every sport you could think of from the age of four to sixteen. I knew it was time to fully commit to snooker when at the age of 16, I finished number 1 (ranking) in Ireland, senior level and won the u18 European title in the same year. It was then I realised I could potentially be a professional; I am now and hopefully I won’t look back,” added Hill.
He began fighting professionally in 2020 and has won the European Championship three times. He defeated England's Hayden Staniland to win the EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championships in March 2020. His victory earned him a two-year World Snooker Tour card for the seasons 2020–2021 and 2021–2022.
De Breeze has made his mark on the snooker world tour since entering the scene. In the round of 64 of the 2020 European Masters, the native of Ireland took on Ronnie O'Sullivan, the reigning world champion and No. 1 player in the world, on September 24, 2020. In October of 2022, Hill took to the table world number two Judd Trump and defeated him four frames to one in the northern Irish open in Belfast, taking him to the next round of the tournament.
“It’s a great feeling playing against two of the best players to ever pick up a cue. Ronnie was a player I watched every-day on television when I was growing up. But I see myself beating these players and If I don’t, I’ll be disappointed, hopefully I meet them at some point later down the line in my career,” Hill admitted.
Some athletes will go to extreme lengths in their pursuit of maximising their performance weather it’s a goal, a good marathon time or in Hill’s case, potting a couple of snooker balls. For some individuals, using pre-match traditions in the belief that it will give them an advantage on the pitch is a necessity, in Hill’s case, he just sticks to the basics. “The week of a tournament I eat well and get good rest, I take it handy with my practice the week of a tournament as you don’t want to be burned out when the tournament comes.”
Many people have superstitions to bring them good luck and for De Breeze it’s no different. “I wear my lucky shamrock socks every time I play a match so I suppose you could call that a superstition,” Hill Laughed.
With his whole life ahead of him, Hill speaks confidently about his short-term goals such as keeping his pro-card with hopes to continue competing on the professional tour. In the long run, “The skies the limit. I believe there is a long career in this game for me so I’m looking forward to seeing where it takes me,” he added.
Aaron Hill is one of the few snooker talents to emerge from Ireland, since the beloved “Darling of Dublin” Ken Doherty broke into the professional scene back in the 1990’s. His advice for young people trying to make name for themselves in any aspect of life is “Hard work and dedication. Take risks, when it feels too scary to jump, that’s exactly when you jump, otherwise you’ll stay in the same place your whole life.”