Why Sustainable Production Isn't More Expensive — You're Just Not Looking at the Whole Budget | Clara George, Producer

About this episode

Clara George discusses holistic budgeting in sustainable production and challenges the notion that sustainability is more expensive.

Clara George has spent over 30 years in film and television — moving from line producer to unit production manager and producer on US and Canadian productions — and she co-wrote the production sections of the PGA's newly released Sustainability Tool Kit for Producers. In this episode, she breaks down the concept she calls holistic budgeting: why the argument that sustainability costs more is almost always a failure to look at the full picture. From diesel generators carried for an entire shoot when you're on stage half the time, to location fees, cable runs, labor, and the hidden cost of a noisy generator on a residential street — Clara makes the case that productions are already spending the money. The question is where. A must-listen for producers, UPMs, and anyone who's ever been told clean energy is too expensive What you'll learn: — Why productions are not budgeted efficiently and what that actually costs — How to calculate the real cost of a diesel generator vs. a battery system — Why carrying generators for a full run of show when you're on stage 50% of the time is already wasteful — What location goodwill is worth — and what you lose when a noisy generator costs you a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Zena Harris, Mark Rabin

Guest: Clara George

Topics covered

• sustainable production
• holistic budgeting
• film industry
• cost efficiency
• clean energy

Keywords

• sustainability
• production budget
• diesel generator
• battery system
• location fees
• clean energy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PGA

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