Wolverine buys into council ‘green screen’ initiative

The Queenstown Lakes District Council is taking a waste minimisation initiative to the movies QLDC Mayor Clive Geddes said.

“We are delighted that the latest production in our region has volunteered to participate in a best practise case study to assist the council in the development of a film industry waste strategy,” Mr Geddes said.

There had been strong support from the local film industry for the council to further develop the initiative and there was already a commitment to implement the ‘green screen’ philosophy into the future, Film Queenstown manager KJ Jennings said. This will put the industry in a position where it is not only great for the local economy; it is also good for the local environment, he said.

When approached in December the Wolverine production had been enthusiastic to enter into a joint venture with the council to work towards a ‘green screen’ ethic and assist in the development of future guidelines, Mr Jennings said.

At the start of this month they agreed to allow a council recycling expert access to workshops and sets in order to assess recycling needs and put in place systems to optimise recycling opportunities, QLDC waste minimisation manager Stefan Borowy said.

“The work would produce a template for future productions and a strategy outlining future film industry sustainability best practise in the Lakes District that will be formally tied into the resource consent process, Mr Borowy said.

“A movie of this nature is a huge undertaking, over a relatively short period of time that might involve remote catering for hundreds of cast and crew, administration, set building, construction and painting. The potential for recycling is enormous and the commitment being made here is extremely proactive by the production,” Mr Jennings said.

“We are really pleased the Queenstown Lakes District Council approached us about this initiative, it is an important development for the film industry to reduce its environmental impact. The natural beauty of the region is what attracted us to film here in the first place so it is important we work with the local authorities to help preserve that environment,” Wolverine producer John Palermo said.

The creation of a ‘green’ filming region is becoming more desirable within the international film industry, Mr Jennings said.

“There are tangible benefits for our region and our country to be actively promoting sustainable production. This is a really positive step for our communities,” Mr Geddes said.