Sustaining Art, Environment, & Business: Indie Film Studio Tandem Pictures Receives EMA's Gold Seal.

Sustaining relevance in the film industry is challenging especially for independent films, which often gain more criticism for having lower budgets and requiring more improvements in order to reach entertainment industry standards, but what critics fail to mention is independent productions naturally have less environmental impacts due to smaller crews, sets, and less equipment needs.

With budget reduction in focus, some independent studios are protecting our planet along the way by decreasing the usage of gasoline powered equipment, increasing the usage of solar powered electricity, and eliminating the usage of disposable plastic bottles, plates, and cutlery. 

​Independent film studio Tandem Pictures has prioritized eco-friendly choices in their production planning to help lead the industry toward a new standard.

The founder of Tandem Pictures, Julie Christeas, and its COO Jonathan Blitstein have joined the board of the Environmental Media Association, which created the EMA Green Seal for Production in 2003 to recognize film and TV productions for sustainable environment practices. Tandem Pictures' latest film, Black Bear stars Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, and Sarah Gadon - released December 4th 2020. On each set for the film, all cast and crew members eliminated the need for single-use plastic water bottles by labeling their names on reusable water bottles. Throughout the production, Tandem Pictures followed EMA's eco-practice standards in addition to PEACH (Production Environmental Actions Checklist), a guide developed by the PGA (Producers Guild of America).

Energy use: Tandem Pictures saved energy during production by shooting the main setting of the film in a house with solar panels which powered everything during daylight shooting.

Craft services: The crew used the dish washer at the house to reduce plastic usage. 

Wardrobe: Most was sourced from thrift shops.

Travel: Flights and driving was limited by using a mostly local crew.

The crew used hybrid and electric vehicles for location scouting. At the end of the shoot, the producers assessed how the film met their green goals and Black Bear received EMA's Gold Seal. Tandem received EMA's Gold Seal for their film, The Surrogate (2020) as well.

Tandem Pictures plans to educate the next generation of filmmakers with the value of going green by becoming involved with film schools. By making the eco-friendly films, Tandem Pictures is stretching their budget while sustaining the environment.