Ben Hall on Revolutionizing Sustainability in Filmmaking

The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

The Green Impact Report Quick take: Hollywood is going green! This episode reveals how the film industry is tackling its environmental footprint with innovative technology and practical solutions that can inspire any sustainability professional.

Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion

Ben Hall is a film director who splits time between Los Angeles and Atlanta and has worked in the production department on multiple studio feature films and television shows.

He is developing and directing independent feature films via his production company, Marianna Motion Pictures.

Some of his films include shorts Sergeant Townsend (2012), Old Souls (2013), and feature films The Man From Outer Space (2017), Night Into Day (2020), and upcoming, Remote (2025)🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Ben Hall sustainably upgrades traditional production approaches:

Key Insight #1: Replacing generators with clean energy alternatives

• The Challenge: Film sets typically run on massive diesel generators that create significant emissions

• The Solution: Implementing battery technology and solar power solutions to reduce generator usage

• ROI: 75% of base camp operations powered by solar and battery tech instead of generators, dramatically reducing emissions and fuel costs

Key Insight #2: Creating sustainable waste management systems

• The Challenge: Film productions generate enormous amounts of waste that typically goes straight to landfill

• The Solution: Implementing compostable materials for catering and partnering with composting vendors

• ROI: Thousands of pounds of waste diverted from landfills monthly, creating a cleaner production environment

Key Insight #3: Securing leadership buy-in for sustainability initiatives

• The Challenge: Middle-management sustainability efforts yield "middling results" without top-down support

• The Solution: Educating directors and producers about how sustainability practices integrate with production needs

• ROI: Crew-wide adoption of green practices when leadership demonstrates commitment to sustainability goals

Sustainable Soundbite "Filmmaking is the best sector in the world to be playing around with green tech. We are the industry that is supposed to challenge,inspire, and entertain. Therefore we should be the first ones to do it in a sustainable manner." – Ben Hall

Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps:

1. This Week: Assess where your current operations could substitute batteries or solar power for traditional energy sources

2. This Quarter: Implement a comprehensive waste management program with compostable materials

3. This Year: Build sustainability requirements into your leadership training and project planning phases

Connect & Learn More

• 🌿 Access full episode resources: [Link to episode page]

• 🗒️ Read the transcript here.

• 🔗 Connect with Ben Hall - IMDb

• @hall_ben_hall - Instagram Handle

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