Production Name – Video Nasty
Production Company – Deadpan Pictures, Fairview, Dublin 3
DAC – Video Nasty Productions DAC
Funders – Screen Ireland, BBC Northern Ireland, Virgin Media Ireland
Sustainability Advisor – Stan Nangle
Timeline – Production shot for 7 weeks (week 14 – week 20)
The producers and funders of the series Video Nasty have ambitious emissions reduction goals and this was reflected on the production by the engagement of a Sustainability Advisor to oversee the setting and achievement of the emissions reduction goals, the utilisation of the BAFTA/albert carbon calculator to measure the carbon footprint of the production, and the application to Screen Ireland for support for enhanced emissions reduction measures under their Sustainability Innovation Fund.
The Screen Ireland Sustainability Innovation Fund offers support to promote the implementation of emissions reduction practices and accelerate the uptake of low carbon technologies across four categories.
Funding was obtained for five innovative measures.
Hybrid Battery Generator to power Catering Truck
Catering providers on film & TV productions typically use a diesel fuelled generator to power the catering truck and fridge. The catering truck normally runs from about 6am until 4pm on shooting days. On many productions this generator may run up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to power the fridges. The diesel usage for these generators runs at a minimum of about 300 litres per week, increasing to more than 600 litres per week if running at night and at weekends. The generator is specified to have enough power to run the peak load from the kitchen and the fridge, however the power requirement will fluctuate throughout the day and drops to a negligible fraction of this capacity to power just the fridge at nights and at weekends. The diesel usage fluctuates slightly based on the load, typically 3 litres per hour when under no load and rising to over 10 litres an hour when under a 35% load. The generator is therfore burning excessive amounts of diesel when the demand for power drops below a certain threshold. This is particularly pronounced at times when the generator is running but there is no demand from the fridges.
In the past two years a number of productions have fuelled these generators with HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) instead of diesel. This reduces the CO2 emissions from the generators by almost 90%, however it increases the cost of fuel for the generator by about 20%.
The Hybrid system consists of a battery that is capable of powering the peak load from the kitchen and the fridge for prolonged periods, together with a generator that can charge the battery whenever it needs to be charged. The battery system is able to respond efficiently to fluctuations in demand even down to zero demand. The generator only switches on when the battery needs to be charged, and then it runs at its optimal, most energy efficient power output for only the amount of time needed to recharge the battery.
The objectives of this trial are;
The project ran for 3 weeks and the charts below show the daily consumption of power by the catering truck, fridges and unit base set table. The blue bars show when the power was coming from the battery and the green bars show when the generator was running to charge the battery and powering the catering set up directly. The generator typically ran for 3.5 hours to recharge the battery, and the battery typically needed recharging four times per week.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Chart 1: Generation and consumption – Week 2 (May 6 – May 12)
Chart 1 shows the daily consumption of power from the battery in kilowatt hours (kW/h) in red (left hand scale). It also shows the power generated by the generator each day in green. The blue shaded area shows the peak, trough and average storage of the battery each day (right hand scale). Note that the generator only ran briefly on the Wednesday when it was topped up before a Unit move and does not run at all on Saturday or Sunday. It only runs for about 3.5 hours on the days that it does run.
Chart 2 - Generation and consumption on May 7th
Chart 2 shows hourly consumption of power from the battery in kilowatt hours (kW/h) in red (left hand scale). It also shows the power generated by the generator each hour in green. There is a small draw on the battery through the night from the fridges used to store food. This increases from 8am when the catering crew power up the kitchen to cook breakfast (this was a late start, normally catering start cooking from 6am). The blue shaded area shows the peak, trough and average % storage of the battery each hour (right hand scale). The storage drops to 15% at about 15.30 and the generator is automatically switched on. The generator takes over powering the catering truck and fridges and charges the battery in about 3.5 hours.
The trial was embraced by the catering crew and they took ownership of the operation and management of the hybrid system. They appreciated the importance of the trial as a potential means of reducing emissions and were pro-active in finding solutions to logistics issues and providing feedback on the operation of the trial.
On average, the generator only ran the equivalent of 3.5 hours on four occasions each week to charge the battery. The battery provided power to the catering truck and fridges 24/7. The generator consumed about 10 litres per hour when it was running. It is estimated that it was using an average of about 150 litres a week charging the hybrid battery. If the generator had been powering the catering truck and fridge directly it is estimated that it would have consumed about 400 litres per week.
This saving on fuel amounts to about 750 litres, which would have a cost of about €703.37 if using mineral diesel, or a cost of €997.76 if using HVO. The emissions reduction is equivalent to 2.32 T/CO2e if using mineral diesel and 0.29 T/CO2e if using HVO.
It should be noted that the fuel usage is based on estimates as there were difficulties in getting consistent reports of actual fuel used by each of the four generators used on the production. The estimates are reasonably accurate and marry with expected outcomes based on periods when accurate data was obtained.
There was a requirement for an extra vehicle movement to tow the battery to each new Unit Base where normally there would only be a need to move the generator. The production moved Unit Base 8 times during this trial. The additional emissions from these vehicle movements has not been calculated.
Having the battery unit to provide power enabled more flexibility around the logistics of moving the Unit Base. The catering generator was typically moved first with the catering truck, and the battery unit stayed at the initial Unit Base to power the set table and ancillaries. On some occasions the facilities team were able to move their generator to the new Unit Base before wrap and power their remaining vehicles and equipment, that were still required at the initial Unit Base, from the battery unit. This gave them more flexibility when organising the move and helped shorten their working day.
Supplier - Sunbelt Rentals
1x Temporary power package to include the following:
Rental price per week for above package: €775.00 x 3 = €2,325.00
Deliver all equipment to Monaghan on 27th April: €250.00
Collect all equipment from Caledon on 17th May: €250.00
Engineer to attend site on delivery/setup/training: €150.00
Supplier – Out Of The Blue Catering
Moving the additional piece of equipment between Unit Bases - 8 x moves @€90 = €720.00
Total Gross Cost = €3,695.00
Less cost of standard diesel generator (€200 x 8 weeks) = €600.00
Total cost for Measure 1 = €3,095.00
The hybrid battery system reduces generator run-time by between 60% and 90% across a full week, depending on how fridges are powered at night and at weekends. When the generator is fuelled with HVO this yields a combined emissions reduction of the order of 95-99%.
It is recommended that future trials of the hybrid system be designed to collect more accurate data around fuel use. Future trials should also be designed to compare different generator types/sizes, and there should be back-to-back trials of the hybrid system vs the generator on its own in order to get really good apples:apples data about the actual fuel savings.
It is recommended that a roadmap be developed to make the use of hybrid batteries mandatory for all catering departments on film and TV productions that are in receipt of Section 481 funding over the next 2 to 3 years. This requirement could be expressed in terms of a maximum weekly carbon footprint for power so as not to exclude any other power options that may also reach the same standard (such as mains power from a 100% renewable tariff). Having such a roadmap would enable equipment providers to plan the upgrade of their fleet to meet the anticipated demand for this equipment and to develop innovative approaches that can address issues like the requirement for additional vehicle journeys when moving Unit Base.
It is recommended that in the interim Screen Ireland should make the use of hybrid batteries mandatory for all catering departments on productions funded by Screen Ireland which have a Sustainability Advisor. This will enable catering providers to gain experience of using the hybrid system in an environment where they have technical and logistics support available from the Sustainability Advisor on the ground, and it will provide market demand for equipment providers to invest in hybrid equipment for their fleet.
It is recommended that Screen Ireland convene an Industry working group to look at the technical and logistics aspects involved in using hybrid batteries to power Unit Bases. Unit bases have a much larger power requirement than catering, they vary in size from job to job, and can also vary in size from day to day. This provides a challenge in terms of understanding and specifying the technical requirements for each job to ensure that there is sufficient power to meet the daily demand while still achieving an acceptable cost:benefit in terms of emissions reduction.
Using HVO fuel in generators
More than 50% of the carbon emissions from a film and TV production are generated by burning petrol and diesel to generate power at remote locations and to move people and equipment from place to place.
Roughly a third of diesel usage typically comes from running generators for power while a further quarter of diesel usage is attributable to usage in trucks.
The fuel for these generators and trucks is generally purchased in bulk by the production and is delivered to the Unit Base by the oil company in a bulk tanker.
The amount of fuel used in generators and trucks varies from production to production depending on the number of day shoots, split days and night shoots, together with the number of internal locations vs extermal locations, and the number of unit moves that have to be made during the production.
Picture shows bulk delivery of HVO fuel into 1,000 litre bowser from where it is distributed by Facilities crew to generators as and when needed
This project funded the marginal cost of using HVO fuel in generators on this production.
The price difference between mineral diesel and HVO averaged 39 cent per litre over the run of the production. The multiple generators used on the production burned an average of 296 litres of diesel a day between them.
It was originally planned to use HVO fuel in trucks on this production, however the supplier of the trucks insisted that they be fuelled with mineral diesel.
The purpose of this trial was to help to mainstream the use of HVO as a low carbon alternative fuel that productions can use to significantly reduce their emissions from sources that are under the direct control of the production and for which there is a simple alternative option.
The generators were fuelled with rebated HVO. There were no problems observed with using the HVO fuel in these engines. The HVO was purchased from the supplier Roe Oil (Oriel Oil) and the price difference with rebated diesel (aka Green Diesel or SFGO) was tracked for each order. This price difference worked out at 39.2 cent per litre.
The carbon footprint for 10,057 litres of B7 diesel would have been 31.14 Tonnes, whereas the carbon footprint for the same amount of HVO is 3.9 Tonnes. This is a saving of 27.24 Tonnes at a cost of €144.92/Tonne.
The trucks consumed 1,894 litres of diesel with a carbon footprint of 5.87 Tonnes. If these trucks had been fuelled with HVO the carbon footprint would have reduced by 5.14 Tonnes to 0.73 Tonnes. The price difference between road diesel and HVO was between 11c/litre and 16c/litre during this period. If HVO had been used the emissions saving would have had a cost of about €58.96/Tonne.
Supplier – Roe Oil (Oriel Oil)/AllGen
Generator Fuel: HVO Green (Excise duty rebated fuel for off-road purposes) 10,057 litres @ €0.392/litre = €3,947.54
Bowser Hire = €700.00
Truck Fuel: HVO White (HVO for road going vehicles) 0 litres = €0.00
Total cost for Measure 2 = €4,647.54
The use of HVO fuel in generators should be made mandatory on all productions receiving funding from the State in order to significantly reduce carbon emissions.
Screen Ireland and the Sustainability Guild should facilitate conversations between the companies who hire trucks onto film productions and suppliers of HVO fuel in order to bridge the knowledge gap and remove barriers to making HVO mandatory as a fuel for trucks on all productions receiving funding from the State.
InstaGrid 2.1kW Power Packs
When filming on location there can be a need to set up lights in many places around the set in order to provide the required level of illumination. When filming cast moving through streets and forests it can be difficult to hide the power cables running from the generator to the lights so that they are not in shot.
Running cables from the generator can involve significant additional work for the rigging team and the set dressing team.
Picture shows different uses of the Instagrid batteries on this production.
The Instagrid ONE 2.1kWh power pack is a weatherproof , 20kg, portable lithium ion battery that can be fully charged in under 2.5 hours.
This project trialled of the costs and benefits of using portable InstaGrid power packs to provide power around the set when filming in various situations, such as on streets, in forests and internally in buildings where mains power is not available.
To gather data about the operation and effectiveness of portable power packs in terms of their useability on film productions, the logistics involved in recharging the power packs, potential reductions in runtime of the generator due to the use of power packs instead, and to identify any costs and benefits that accrue from using this approach instead of running cables back to a generator.
This is information that can be used to accelerate the utilisation of these power packs on productions and particularly to encourage suppliers to carry this type of equipment in stock for hire.
The production hired in four Instagrids which were allocated as follows; One to the Electrical Department, one to the Catering Department and two to the Locations Department. The devices were available for use by other Departments when required.
The Electrical Department used their own Instagrid most days, primarily to power LED lights. This enabled them to set up lights quickly without having to do cable runs to the Generator. Some days they borrowed Instagrids from other Departments to enable them to power more equipment, or to swap in a charged unit while they recharged their own Instagrid.
The Catering Department used the Instagrid primarily to enable them to get the Set Table up and running quickly without having to wait for a cable to be run from a Generator. Many of the exterior locations were in fields and forests which were accessed by narrow roads. When the Unit moved in convoy on these narrow roads the Land Rover generator used for power by the Locations Department was often not located close to where the Set Table was needed. The Instagrids proved a godsend in these situations. The Catering Department also trialled the Instagrids for powering their fridges, but they could only power them for an hour or two.
The Locations Department primarily used the Instagrids to power worklights when shooting late at night. They were also used to power the honey wagon on a couple of occasions where their Land Rover generator was required somewhere else. This provided them with a lot of flexibility to respond quickly whenever someone needed power. The Instagrid could get them up and running quickly and then they could bring power from mains or from a generator when time permitted without being under pressure.
The Sound Department and Grip Department occasionally borrowed an Instagrid whenever they needed temporary power while filming in remote areas. The Tech Trucks also used Instagrids on a regular basis when generator power wasn't readily available, or when running a generator would create noise issues. They used them to power battery chargers and to charge the EcoFlow battery used by the DIT.
The Instagrids were very well received across a range of Departments as they provided a quick fix whenever power was needed quickly.
Suppliers – Apollo Film Lighting and Sunbelt Rentals
4x InstaGrid 2.1kW power packs for 3 weeks @ €160/week each = €1,920.00
Total cost for Measure 3 = €1,920.00
The Instagrid is a very flexible and robust power source that solves a myriad of problems for a range of Departments. It is recommended that support be provided to enable a wide range of crew to experience the many benefits of having lightweight portable battery packs available on a production. It is a fantastic ambassador for the possibilities that switching to new No/Low emissions technologies can bring.
Circular Economy approach by Costume Department
The Costume Department offers a huge opportunity for the development of a Circular Economy model that can provide signficant benefits across the Irish film & TV production industry. The Costume Guild was the first Guild to appoint a Sustainability Officer to their Executive and Costume Designers have been co-operating to integrate circular economy thinking into the way their craft operates for some time.
Circular Costume Ireland (CCI) is a not-for-profit company set up by Costume Guild members in 2023 in order to put the infrastructure in place to support the expansion and development of the circular economy model in Ireland by providing consultancy, equipment hire, clothing hire, support with the development of Asset Disposal Plans, and providing storage and disposal services for embargoed costumes at the end of the shooting phase.
This project sought to enable the Costume Department on the production to access a significantly higher level of support from CCI than would normally be possible on a production of this type, at this budget level.
The support consisted of;
The project seeks to provide an enhanced level of support to the production in relation to circular economy practises, to document how this enhanced support was reflected in the improvement in outcomes on the production, to provide guidance on how the lessons learned can be applied on other productions and to identify where further work need to be done.
Consultancy: A member of CCI provided bespoke advice to the Costume Department on the development and implementation of circular economy systems that fit with the requirements of the production and the approaches ordinarily taken by the members of the Department
Asset Development Plan: A member of CCI provided hands on support to assist the Costume Supervisor and their team to develop an Asset Disposal Plan for the production that is specific to the requirements of the production, and in doing so help to develop the skills of the team in this area.
Supplier – Circular Costume Ireland CLG
Membership Fee - €500 (includes 10% discount on standard hire fees)
Consultancy - €500
Consultancy and advice on implementing a Circular Economy approach in the Costume Department.
Asset Disposal Plan - €500
Preparation of an Asset Disposal Plan for the Costume Department to enable them to optimise the opportunities to engage with Circular Economy principles at the end of the production.
Total cost for Measure 4 = €1,500
Having a member of CCI engage directly with the Costume Department on the specific issues that arise on a particular production enables a much more effective conversation about the practical aspects of taking a Circular Economy approach.
It is recommended that Screen Ireland provide funding for such a hands-on support on all Screen Ireland projects where the Costume Designer or their senior team have not previously benefitted from such support.
Circular Economy support for Props Department
The Props Buyer and Set Dec hired a significant amount of the props for this period production, set in the 1980s, from Props Houses. They purchased additional props from charity shops, Done Deal and other sources.
Towards the end of a production the rented items are returned to their owners and work is undertaken to find new homes for the purchased items. These are primarily offered for sale to crew, offered for sale to third parties and donated to charity shops. There is usually a small stock of items that needs a more pro-active, hands-on, approach to finding new homes/uses due to the lack of demand from the usual re-use channels.
The Props Department has time budgeted for wrapping the Props Store after the principal photography ends. This often does not include sufficient resources to be able to deliver residual items to new homes/uses using the existing resource of the Props Department and Props Runaround.
This project sought to build on the work done by the Sustainability Advisor and the Prop Master to actively find homes for residual items by providing an additional resource to assist with the rehoming of materials and goods that are remaining at the end of the production.
The project sought to provide an enhanced level of support to the production in relation to circular economy practices, to document how this enhanced support was reflected in the improvement in outcomes on the production, to provide guidance on how the lessons learned can be applied on other productions and to identify where further work need to be done.
The Props Buyers and Prop Master liased with Props360 on issues around sourcing and rehoming of purchased items used by the Set Dec and Props teams. A significant amount of materials were hired, but other items, such as paraphenalia used in Video Rental Shops in the 80s, were brought together by purchasing them individually. Much of this stock was subsequently bought by crew with a view to keeping them together for hire in the future.
The fund to assist with delivery of items to new homes was not required.
Supplier – Props360 CLG
Consultancy - €500
Consultancy and advice on potential options for alternative homes/uses for residual goods and materials from the Props Store.
Delivery Fund of €1,500 was not required - €0
Hire of a man with a van to remove residual items from the Props Store during the wrap week and to deliver them to their final destination.
Total cost for Measure 5 = €500
Having a member of Props360 engage directly with the Props and Set Dec Departments on the specific issues that arise on a particular production enables a much more effective conversation about the practical aspects of taking a Circular Economy approach and the opportunities that can be identified for minimising waste.
It is recommended that Screen Ireland provide funding for such a hands-on support on all Screen Ireland projects where the Props Buyers and/or Prop Master have not previously benefitted from such support.