WEBVTT 00:00:07.050 --> 00:00:10.589 You're listening to the Decarbonisation Dialogue, 00:00:10.849 --> 00:00:14.970 a podcast from Salix. Welcome to the Decarbonisation 00:00:14.970 --> 00:00:17.489 Dialogue. I am Hannah Walker and I believe that 00:00:17.489 --> 00:00:20.050 the best way to communicate a message is by being 00:00:20.050 --> 00:00:22.309 passionate about what you are talking about. 00:00:22.929 --> 00:00:26.370 Today, I have two wonderful guests with me. I 00:00:26.370 --> 00:00:28.949 have Oliver Crouch and Morgan Cartledge from 00:00:28.949 --> 00:00:32.090 Here and Now Films. Here and Now Films was founded 00:00:32.090 --> 00:00:36.509 in 2016 by Ed Schmidt and Oliver with a mission 00:00:36.509 --> 00:00:38.729 to bring the calibre of work typically reserved 00:00:38.729 --> 00:00:41.810 for big budget TV advertising to a far wider 00:00:41.810 --> 00:00:44.950 audience. Here and Now are designed to be sustainable 00:00:44.950 --> 00:00:48.170 as the company's mission is to inspire a sustainable, 00:00:48.450 --> 00:00:51.609 happy and more biodiverse planet. Their work 00:00:51.609 --> 00:00:54.310 focuses on creating human first documentaries 00:00:54.310 --> 00:00:56.369 about urgent environmental and social issues, 00:00:56.710 --> 00:00:58.689 which aligns with the principles of making media 00:00:58.689 --> 00:01:01.710 more sustainable by raising awareness and sparking 00:01:01.710 --> 00:01:04.170 change. While this refers to the content and 00:01:04.170 --> 00:01:06.730 mission of their films, the company also likely 00:01:06.730 --> 00:01:09.209 incorporates sustainable practices in its production, 00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:12.790 following industry trends towards reducing environmental 00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:16.510 impact. As I say today, we have Oliver Couch 00:01:16.510 --> 00:01:19.930 and Morgan Cartledge. Morgan is head of production 00:01:19.930 --> 00:01:24.170 and partner. I believe, and is all involved, 00:01:24.510 --> 00:01:26.310 with a background in journalism, is all involved 00:01:26.310 --> 00:01:28.930 in script writing, the narrative storytelling, 00:01:29.250 --> 00:01:31.790 and obviously, as I say, as director. And then 00:01:31.790 --> 00:01:37.909 Oliver is a founding company member of Here and 00:01:37.909 --> 00:01:40.829 Now. And Oliver is a creative director, as I 00:01:40.829 --> 00:01:42.730 say, and co -founder. He leads creative development 00:01:42.730 --> 00:01:45.230 and delivery on every single production from 00:01:45.230 --> 00:01:48.049 early concept through to final color grade. He 00:01:48.049 --> 00:01:50.469 ensures every film meets here and now standards 00:01:50.469 --> 00:01:53.909 for storytelling, craft, and emotional impact. 00:01:54.250 --> 00:01:56.189 Because, of course, emotion is so important. 00:01:56.769 --> 00:02:00.469 So welcome very much to Oliver and Morgan. Thank 00:02:00.469 --> 00:02:02.489 you for joining me. Thanks very much for having 00:02:02.489 --> 00:02:05.930 us. So let's start a little bit at the beginning, 00:02:05.989 --> 00:02:09.229 okay? And can you tell me a little bit about, 00:02:09.469 --> 00:02:11.949 I think you started up in Cornwall, so I'd like 00:02:11.949 --> 00:02:14.530 to know about the Cornish connection. My daughter 00:02:14.530 --> 00:02:15.930 lives in Cornwall. I'd like to know about that. 00:02:15.969 --> 00:02:18.789 I get to go as often as I can. And what brought 00:02:18.789 --> 00:02:21.789 you to film? Both of you. I'll start with, let's 00:02:21.789 --> 00:02:23.490 start with Oliver and then we'll move to Morgan. 00:02:24.050 --> 00:02:26.509 We really started by, like anyone would start, 00:02:26.610 --> 00:02:30.009 we started pre -COVID, firing pictures into the 00:02:30.009 --> 00:02:32.259 wind. and trying to get in front of the companies 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:35.699 that we wanted to work with. But how we spearheaded 00:02:35.699 --> 00:02:37.539 that approach is we gave our time, we donated 00:02:37.539 --> 00:02:39.659 our time to charities. And one of our first projects 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:42.560 was with a sustainable catch. And that kind of 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:44.479 butterfly from there to give us the contacts 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:46.699 to work with more and more charities around the 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:49.120 world. The biggest problem we found was how do 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:52.460 we sustain working with such amazing stories? 00:02:52.939 --> 00:02:55.360 That was really where our commercial aspect of 00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:57.300 the company comes in, because that is really 00:02:57.300 --> 00:02:59.580 the spear that allows us to maintain that approach. 00:03:00.110 --> 00:03:01.949 But what about your background, Oliver? What 00:03:01.949 --> 00:03:04.669 brought you to this point? Where does this interest 00:03:04.669 --> 00:03:08.569 begin with film? I actually had a bit of a tangent 00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:10.449 beginning because I actually started in the fine 00:03:10.449 --> 00:03:16.210 arts and I went to art school and I already struggled 00:03:16.210 --> 00:03:20.129 with the communication that art had with the 00:03:20.129 --> 00:03:22.490 real world. I thought there was a little bit 00:03:22.490 --> 00:03:25.169 of a disconnect because of how obscure it was. 00:03:25.229 --> 00:03:26.810 For me, I needed something a bit more tangible. 00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:30.240 So I actually used that. degree as kind of like 00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:33.939 a foundational beginning in film. That's where 00:03:33.939 --> 00:03:36.020 it all began for me. I see and was that art school 00:03:36.020 --> 00:03:38.719 in Cornwall or are we going to get to Morgan 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:42.419 for the Cornish connection? No, that was, I left 00:03:42.419 --> 00:03:44.960 Cornwall so I grew up in Cornwall and I thought 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:48.419 like anyone would that you need to leave the 00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:52.139 home nest and fly the coop and grow and that's 00:03:52.139 --> 00:03:54.419 where I went to Southampton to art school. Fantastic. 00:03:55.139 --> 00:03:57.680 And then pivoted into film which ultimately led 00:03:57.680 --> 00:04:00.479 me back in Cormont to set up the company, which 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.819 was a really good move because, I mean, all of 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:06.340 the amazing stories are on our doorstep. And 00:04:06.340 --> 00:04:09.199 what an incredible environment to be in. And 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:10.719 how about you, Morgan? Where does it all start 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:14.259 for you? I spent my entire life thinking that 00:04:14.259 --> 00:04:16.379 I wanted to be a journalist. From as young as 00:04:16.379 --> 00:04:19.920 I can remember, I've always loved to write and 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:22.300 I was founded my entire degree. My A -level was 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:24.339 everything. It was all... English literature, 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:26.879 I was going to go do a journalism degree. I researched 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:28.620 that you shouldn't do a journalism degree, you 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:30.339 should do an English degree and then go to journalism 00:04:30.339 --> 00:04:33.600 afterwards. And then I just, the whole time I 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.060 was doing that, I was picking up, I picked up 00:04:36.060 --> 00:04:39.199 photography in university because I went down, 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:41.399 we all met at Falmouth University in Cornwall, 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:43.819 which is obviously a huge art scene. A lot of 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:45.699 my friends are very creative down there. I'd 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:47.480 always kind of enjoyed photography because my 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:49.660 Mum is quite into her photography in kind of 00:04:49.660 --> 00:04:51.519 an amateur way. I've just always kind of been 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:54.060 told you can't do photography as a degree. So 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:57.660 I kind of came around to film that way through 00:04:57.660 --> 00:04:59.620 making images, through photography and that love 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:01.860 of story I carried through from journalists that 00:05:01.860 --> 00:05:03.819 I found combined in a really meaningful way in 00:05:03.819 --> 00:05:05.879 film. In this day and age, I just think it's 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:07.560 such a great way to connect with people. It's 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:09.899 a medium that people are really inspired by and 00:05:09.899 --> 00:05:11.860 you can tell really interesting stories. You 00:05:11.860 --> 00:05:13.519 know, most of my work is in the scripting of 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:16.180 the film beforehand. I kind of fell into film 00:05:16.180 --> 00:05:17.779 through a love of journalism, through a love 00:05:17.779 --> 00:05:19.500 of story, and then a love of making images and 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:22.139 photography. I spent a long time taking pictures 00:05:22.139 --> 00:05:24.579 alongside film sets, picked up more and more 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:26.480 responsibilities in the film world until one 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:29.000 day I kind of woke up and found, oh, I'm a film 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:33.800 producer now. This is it. It's a perfect blend 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:35.579 of making images, which I love for photography 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:37.180 and that journalism and that love of storytelling. 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:40.639 Storytelling, yeah, telling those stories. So 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:43.680 really, I'll go back to Oliver here, what role 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:46.459 do you think that film, and I'll come to Morgan 00:05:46.459 --> 00:05:48.680 as well, what role do you think film and visual 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:51.540 storytelling play in shaping the public's understanding 00:05:51.540 --> 00:05:54.680 of climate change? I think one of the most important 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:58.199 roles that filmmaking has is all to do with accessibility. 00:05:58.779 --> 00:06:00.319 The worst thing that could possibly happen is 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:02.459 if the core stories and the core subject matters 00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:06.439 but just to stay within that sphere, the environmental 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:08.420 landscape, the environmental literature is all 00:06:08.420 --> 00:06:11.829 within the environmental voices and I think as 00:06:11.829 --> 00:06:14.449 our role as a film company is to broaden where 00:06:14.449 --> 00:06:16.430 those messages are going, whether that's with 00:06:16.430 --> 00:06:19.230 brand collaborations, documentaries, character 00:06:19.230 --> 00:06:22.329 profiles. That's the main point of storytelling, 00:06:22.370 --> 00:06:24.730 really. And what do you think, Morgan, in terms 00:06:24.730 --> 00:06:26.930 of what you have said about the stories that 00:06:26.930 --> 00:06:30.930 you tell is what role does it have to shape in 00:06:30.930 --> 00:06:33.709 understanding that climate change? With film, 00:06:33.730 --> 00:06:35.930 you have a really interesting opportunity to 00:06:35.930 --> 00:06:38.149 connect with people on quite an emotional level 00:06:38.149 --> 00:06:39.810 who can see themselves in, which can be really 00:06:39.810 --> 00:06:41.730 difficult when we're talking about You know, 00:06:41.829 --> 00:06:43.689 countries across the world and climatic events 00:06:43.689 --> 00:06:45.810 that maybe you're not involved in, or people 00:06:45.810 --> 00:06:47.370 that bear the brunt of climate change in a way 00:06:47.370 --> 00:06:49.829 that you don't, or, you know, our viewers don't, 00:06:49.870 --> 00:06:51.730 it can be really hard for people to connect and 00:06:51.730 --> 00:06:53.769 see themselves in that narrative. And I think 00:06:53.769 --> 00:06:56.209 over the years, you know, you look at your old 00:06:56.209 --> 00:06:57.629 water -aid adverse and stuff like that, when 00:06:57.629 --> 00:06:59.230 people just see grief and horror, it's really 00:06:59.230 --> 00:07:00.910 easy to shut down and just think, that's not 00:07:00.910 --> 00:07:02.970 me. So, you know, you can compartmentalize that 00:07:02.970 --> 00:07:05.230 and just not worry about it. But what we can 00:07:05.230 --> 00:07:07.610 try and do with film is A, tell positive stories 00:07:07.610 --> 00:07:09.709 that people want to be more invested in because 00:07:09.709 --> 00:07:12.230 it's doesn't just make you feel awful about the 00:07:12.230 --> 00:07:14.449 world, but still communicates those really important 00:07:14.449 --> 00:07:18.029 issues. And B, we can try and craft narratives 00:07:18.029 --> 00:07:21.310 that a broader range of people can see themselves 00:07:21.310 --> 00:07:23.769 in rather than being able to just see it as, 00:07:23.769 --> 00:07:26.129 you know, a third -party other thing that doesn't 00:07:26.129 --> 00:07:27.589 relate to you and so it doesn't really matter. 00:07:27.970 --> 00:07:30.189 I think that's the part it has to play is bringing 00:07:30.189 --> 00:07:33.790 those huge, massive, sometimes intangible problems 00:07:33.790 --> 00:07:35.629 or problems happening to other people in other 00:07:35.629 --> 00:07:38.689 places and help it connect with people. Around 00:07:38.689 --> 00:07:40.910 the world exactly and making it feel that it 00:07:40.910 --> 00:07:43.670 is something that is about them and it impacts 00:07:43.670 --> 00:07:45.689 their lives And it isn't just something else 00:07:45.689 --> 00:07:47.569 that's happening to somebody else across the 00:07:47.569 --> 00:07:50.410 other side of the world in terms of the film 00:07:50.410 --> 00:07:54.889 industry It's it is associated with high carbon 00:07:54.889 --> 00:07:57.649 Output isn't it and but you've got the transport. 00:07:57.689 --> 00:07:59.970 I don't work in film, but you've got the transport 00:07:59.970 --> 00:08:02.009 You've got all the logistical hurdles. You've 00:08:02.009 --> 00:08:05.470 got the power needs and stop me when I'm going 00:08:05.470 --> 00:08:07.730 wrong, but the lights, the heating, the cooling, 00:08:08.149 --> 00:08:10.610 all of that. So trailers, even with big, I mean, 00:08:10.610 --> 00:08:13.250 I'm thinking big Hollywood productions, if you 00:08:13.250 --> 00:08:15.850 like, the waste, the plastics, the water that's 00:08:15.850 --> 00:08:17.730 brought into a lot of these sets. And I think 00:08:17.730 --> 00:08:21.129 I read somewhere that I think it was an average 00:08:21.129 --> 00:08:23.089 film production with a budget of something like 00:08:23.089 --> 00:08:25.910 $70 million, leaves behind a carbon footprint 00:08:25.910 --> 00:08:30.709 of 3 ,370 metric tons or something, which is 00:08:30.709 --> 00:08:34.320 equivalent of powering 656 homes a year. That's 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:36.600 a big carbon footprint, isn't it? And that's 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:38.679 the industry. Now, and that is the industry. 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:41.580 Now, how do you ensure, but you have a big responsibility 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:43.620 here, the storytelling, and we're going to talk 00:08:43.620 --> 00:08:46.000 more about the storytelling because that takes 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:48.879 us to the heart of it, but how do you ensure 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:52.279 your own productions are sustainable? I think 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:54.340 it's something that we wrestle with and there's 00:08:54.340 --> 00:08:56.440 levels to it. You know, there's 70 million pound 00:08:56.440 --> 00:08:58.179 or dollar productions leaving an awful lot of 00:08:58.179 --> 00:09:00.539 carbon behind and there's tools in the industry 00:09:00.539 --> 00:09:03.559 for productions like that, there's a platform 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:05.700 and an organization called Albert and what their 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:08.059 whole mission is to try and make the film industry 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:09.919 more sustainable. And they have toolkits and 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:11.799 advice and training and things like that. So 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:13.879 if you're shooting a BBC or a Netflix documentary, 00:09:14.059 --> 00:09:15.879 I believe it's compulsory that you have to go 00:09:15.879 --> 00:09:18.779 through that system, but it's not accessible 00:09:18.779 --> 00:09:20.700 to everyone. It's not so accessible to small 00:09:20.700 --> 00:09:23.500 scale. So it's not something that we can do in 00:09:23.500 --> 00:09:25.279 such an organized way, but it's definitely something 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:27.279 that's on our mind. You know, we can't really 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:30.600 get away from the fact that to shoot documentaries 00:09:31.070 --> 00:09:33.990 in other places that bring these ideas to a broader 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:36.789 amount of people, we do have to get on planes. 00:09:37.009 --> 00:09:39.929 And there are circumstances when we choose for 00:09:39.929 --> 00:09:42.269 sustainability options to use local crews. We 00:09:42.269 --> 00:09:45.230 shot in Zambia recently where I flew out just 00:09:45.230 --> 00:09:46.950 by myself to kind of lower the carbon footprint. 00:09:47.049 --> 00:09:49.090 Now we work for a really great company in Zambia 00:09:49.090 --> 00:09:51.250 to shoot that on the ground, which has a whole 00:09:51.250 --> 00:09:54.690 host of benefits in terms of like culture and 00:09:54.690 --> 00:09:56.309 working with the people out there as well, languages. 00:09:57.509 --> 00:10:00.289 But yeah, we try and make the choices that we 00:10:00.289 --> 00:10:03.340 can. around how we transport ourselves, where 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:05.559 we hire crew versus where we travel up from Cornwall. 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:07.679 We know we've made the choice to be here. So 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:09.299 that's every carbon between London and back that 00:10:09.299 --> 00:10:10.759 we don't need to be spending if we've got a good 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:13.179 crew in London. Just being intentional about 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:15.679 the equipment we use as well. A big part of what 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:18.259 we do is try and leverage advances in technology 00:10:18.259 --> 00:10:21.720 that make camera kit cheaper. And then I think 00:10:21.720 --> 00:10:23.440 it would be easy to just always get the next 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:24.840 model and the next model and the next model as 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:26.360 those comes out. But it's actually thinking. 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:28.759 What do we actually need to create the quality 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:30.960 point that we need right now? And then not going 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:33.019 above that for the sake of it. There's also the 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:35.299 simple things like we really try our absolute 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:37.379 best to never have single use plastics on set. 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:39.720 We would ask our crew and ourselves to bring 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:41.879 reusable wharf bowls. It's a thing in the film 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:44.519 industry, we provide a crafty, just like snacks 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:46.419 and bits like that for the crew. And just, again, 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:49.080 trying to keep that to absolutely minimal plastic, 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:51.879 no wastage there. When we have shoots where we 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:53.860 need cloves, can we buy them secondhand? Can 00:10:53.860 --> 00:10:55.399 we donate them back again afterwards so they're 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:57.960 not just Frey in landfill. You know, we don't 00:10:57.960 --> 00:11:01.720 have such an organized system as Albert that 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:03.299 allows us to track those things, but it's something 00:11:03.299 --> 00:11:04.879 that we're very conscious of and trying to make 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:07.059 the right choices throughout. So a lot of it 00:11:07.059 --> 00:11:09.120 is about communicating those goals, isn't it? 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:11.799 And communicating your practices to the people 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:14.320 you're collaborating with and the people you're 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:16.710 using and the people also in the when you're 00:11:16.710 --> 00:11:19.250 traveling further afield into those countries 00:11:19.250 --> 00:11:21.549 that you're working with and those local populations. 00:11:22.450 --> 00:11:27.289 And do you think that the film industry is doing 00:11:27.289 --> 00:11:30.070 enough? I think definitely, yes. And I think 00:11:30.070 --> 00:11:31.730 we're in a really interesting period in the film 00:11:31.730 --> 00:11:35.029 industry right now. What we believe is that there's 00:11:35.029 --> 00:11:37.549 an old agency model that's bloated. You know, 00:11:37.629 --> 00:11:40.330 there's a director and the director's gone assistant 00:11:40.330 --> 00:11:42.110 and the director's assistant's gone assistant. 00:11:42.709 --> 00:11:45.490 people are being fed and watered for six days 00:11:45.490 --> 00:11:47.230 to do a three -day shoot and you know that there 00:11:47.230 --> 00:11:49.350 was definitely a golden era where it was milked 00:11:49.350 --> 00:11:53.490 for cash and we kind of believe that post covid 00:11:53.490 --> 00:11:56.470 the tightening of the belt just the way economies 00:11:56.470 --> 00:11:58.409 are around the world right now marketing spend 00:11:58.409 --> 00:12:00.610 is being reduced and i think we're seeing that 00:12:00.610 --> 00:12:02.570 we can deliver a very similar product without 00:12:02.570 --> 00:12:04.950 a lot of that what we would consider to be blow 00:12:04.950 --> 00:12:07.480 and along with that comes the fact that if you've 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:09.000 got less people on set and you're spending less 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:10.720 time and you're using better equipment with more 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:14.940 up to date, then you can find ways to bring your 00:12:14.940 --> 00:12:17.600 impact on the climate down. I definitely think 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:19.600 that should be compulsory and I think it is changing 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:22.940 as more lean agencies like us come up and find 00:12:22.940 --> 00:12:24.720 that we're getting a large portion of the market. 00:12:24.980 --> 00:12:26.480 That is something that we're interested in doing 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:30.120 and I think increasingly and already right now 00:12:30.120 --> 00:12:33.259 it's a selling point for us that companies want 00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:35.620 to buy into that because they know that they're 00:12:35.450 --> 00:12:37.230 getting good out of the people they're working 00:12:37.230 --> 00:12:42.110 with. Yes, yes. Now, Oliver, yeah, on that Morgan 00:12:42.110 --> 00:12:45.370 mentions the leanness of your organization. Can 00:12:45.370 --> 00:12:48.350 you just explain the structure of here and now? 00:12:48.629 --> 00:12:52.009 How many people you've grown quite fast? We're 00:12:52.009 --> 00:12:54.429 speaking to you today. I know we've got Ed, but 00:12:54.429 --> 00:12:57.029 you've got other people involved in this organization. 00:12:57.289 --> 00:12:59.549 What kind of size are you and how is it structured? 00:13:00.629 --> 00:13:05.919 So we have, at the moment, we have Five of us 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:08.679 Fully working employed have been here now, but 00:13:08.679 --> 00:13:12.120 that bloats Depending on the size of the production 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:17.500 and the production needs and scales scales But 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:20.980 I but I think what that all comes back to is 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:24.960 thinking Really? Holistically about how it make 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:27.679 those shoots really functional and that's that's 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:29.899 functional in every aspect of the work whether 00:13:29.899 --> 00:13:34.019 that's sustainably and that bleeds into the financials 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:36.740 and and that leads into actually providing the 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:39.240 perfect creative for that production and this 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:41.019 all has no effects which like Morgan has said 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:43.500 that can actually be really beneficial for the 00:13:43.500 --> 00:13:47.200 end client because it is this kind of old model 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:51.200 which does have many people on the set and that 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.279 the prices were inaccessible which then does 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:57.080 bleed into what stories can be told and if these 00:13:57.080 --> 00:13:59.600 stories are being told by only the top of the 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:01.879 range clients then certain stories in the world, 00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:03.460 which is something that we want to completely 00:14:03.460 --> 00:14:06.059 avoid. We want to make sure these stories are 00:14:06.059 --> 00:14:08.720 being told and are accessible to every company 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:11.440 out there. And these stories that you're telling, 00:14:11.779 --> 00:14:14.360 let's talk about that for a moment, the environmental 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:16.919 films that you do, can you tell me a little bit 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:20.519 about which films or work that you've done or 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:23.299 are working in or hope to work on, particularly 00:14:23.299 --> 00:14:25.779 obviously the ones that you've done, have achieved 00:14:25.779 --> 00:14:28.980 the most impact you think in terms of measurable 00:14:28.980 --> 00:14:32.840 impact on? environment issues. When I think about 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:34.360 measurable impact, I go back to the projects 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:39.419 that have a really specific location to their 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:42.700 impact. For example, if I go back to this Portugal 00:14:42.700 --> 00:14:45.679 project called Bio Estrella, where it was literally 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:48.679 as lean as me and Ed going out there for two 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:51.940 weeks documenting the monoculture plantations 00:14:51.940 --> 00:14:54.559 within the Bio Estrella valleys of Portugal and 00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:56.399 the detrimental effects that would have on forest 00:14:56.399 --> 00:14:59.710 fires. So they would have months and months of 00:14:59.710 --> 00:15:02.850 fires where, because it was all pine forestry 00:15:02.850 --> 00:15:05.570 for logging, the whole landscape would get completely 00:15:05.570 --> 00:15:07.230 wiped out and we were documenting the whole story 00:15:07.230 --> 00:15:09.629 of that and how there's a charity out there providing 00:15:09.629 --> 00:15:13.230 systemic change. From that project, which was 00:15:13.230 --> 00:15:16.129 funded very leanly through us, they were able 00:15:16.129 --> 00:15:19.649 to directly get two more new employees. It might 00:15:19.649 --> 00:15:23.129 not have so much scale, but if it means a project 00:15:23.129 --> 00:15:25.809 in a local area can sustain... two more employees 00:15:25.809 --> 00:15:28.049 and sustain another year of funding. That's exactly 00:15:28.049 --> 00:15:30.230 what we're looking for. Yes, and raise a crucial 00:15:30.230 --> 00:15:32.190 issue, obviously, and put a crucial issue out 00:15:32.190 --> 00:15:36.309 there as well. Do you think that the leanness 00:15:36.309 --> 00:15:38.929 that Morgan talks about then is actually an advantage, 00:15:38.990 --> 00:15:40.909 particularly when you're going out, the two of 00:15:40.909 --> 00:15:44.149 you, to film, win people's trust, win people's 00:15:44.149 --> 00:15:47.769 hearts, encourage people to talk to you? Because 00:15:47.769 --> 00:15:50.389 that can be quite intimidating, can't it? If 00:15:50.389 --> 00:15:52.690 a big film crew turns up and you're doing that 00:15:52.690 --> 00:15:56.120 kind of work. Cameras and film crews just in 00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:58.740 just in that Biostrada mountain is is such a 00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:00.639 rural community. It's actually an aging community. 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:03.720 So the younger generation is completely is not 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:05.240 staying there. They're moving out of the area. 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:07.580 Just being two people allows us to get these 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:10.399 stories, allows us to tell these stories are 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:13.320 extremely accessible. We want to stay up an extra 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:15.919 week because because there's new planning projects 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:17.759 going on over the other valley that is accessible 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.539 to us as well. And Morgan, what projects have 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:22.960 you worked on that you've felt that have been 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:26.259 most valuable in amplifying your impact on the 00:16:26.259 --> 00:16:29.139 environment and which projects have really taken 00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:32.200 you by the heart, I suppose? Big one that we're 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:35.399 still in the middle of right now is for EcoTrust. 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:38.399 They were essentially the wing of USAID in Uganda 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:40.440 before USAID pulled out and then they thought 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:41.639 to themselves, we've got this infrastructure, 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:43.700 we've got these people, we're doing great work, 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:45.480 how can we do this about USAID? And they set 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:47.649 up on their own two feet. And then they thought, 00:16:47.730 --> 00:16:49.309 well, we need to get revenue in the door somehow 00:16:49.309 --> 00:16:52.649 to fund these great projects. So they started 00:16:52.649 --> 00:16:55.029 a community -based carbon credit fund doing carbon 00:16:55.029 --> 00:16:58.029 credits kind of in a good way and a very traceable 00:16:58.029 --> 00:17:00.009 way in a way that works with the local communities, 00:17:00.210 --> 00:17:02.110 communities of agencies. It's more of a hand 00:17:02.110 --> 00:17:05.210 up than a handout kind of situation. So we went 00:17:05.210 --> 00:17:08.009 out to document all the great work they do across 00:17:08.009 --> 00:17:10.119 Uganda. all four corners of Uganda they have 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:12.440 different projects going on from wetlands to 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:15.180 a biocredits project up in the Murchison landscape 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:18.240 to the carbon credits all the way across restoration 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:21.339 of key areas at buffer zones to national parks 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:24.039 and then part of that production was in collaboration 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:29.220 with the IIED who are also working through this 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:31.599 biocredits project trying to establish a framework 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:33.880 for biocredits they can create a new asset class 00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:35.500 a bit like carbon credits are at the moment. 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:37.900 But that one, that's the biggest one right now 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:39.980 that's amazing. And what we're trying to do with 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:42.720 that is, you know, carbon credits sometimes can 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:45.400 feel a bit like a dirty word because always done 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:47.960 in the best way, they often take advantage of 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:50.680 local communities. This unreleased at the moment, 00:17:50.759 --> 00:17:53.160 but what we're trying to do with that one is 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:55.019 show that it can be done properly. This is how 00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:56.859 you can do it properly. And then also provide 00:17:56.859 --> 00:17:59.200 a toolkit for other places to pick that up and 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:01.250 say, okay, if I want to run a carbon credit project 00:18:01.250 --> 00:18:03.250 like this, this is how you do it. So it's not 00:18:03.250 --> 00:18:05.470 an exact copy and paste model, but it's a set 00:18:05.470 --> 00:18:08.890 of tips and advice and practical toolkit on this 00:18:08.890 --> 00:18:10.369 is what it can look like if you want to set it 00:18:10.369 --> 00:18:14.089 up somewhere else. It's really difficult to quantify 00:18:14.089 --> 00:18:17.089 impact because a million people could see that. 00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:18.950 We could say we've got X views on YouTube, but 00:18:18.950 --> 00:18:20.630 you don't know how many. arts that's really sunk 00:18:20.630 --> 00:18:23.230 into, so that can be difficult. You know, really 00:18:23.230 --> 00:18:24.849 tangible things, like Ollie was saying, with 00:18:24.849 --> 00:18:26.630 two new employees for the Bio Australia project, 00:18:26.849 --> 00:18:28.210 which is good for them, you know, that means 00:18:28.210 --> 00:18:30.150 they can carry on. It's difficult for organisations 00:18:30.150 --> 00:18:32.769 like that to get people on board. We've worked 00:18:32.769 --> 00:18:35.089 with the Somerset Local Nature Partnership, who 00:18:35.089 --> 00:18:38.069 got three years of funding off the back of our 00:18:38.069 --> 00:18:41.089 film, and they also linked up with huge sponsors 00:18:41.089 --> 00:18:42.910 and partners like the NHS, as a result of that 00:18:42.910 --> 00:18:45.410 film that was set up. Film screenings around 00:18:45.410 --> 00:18:47.470 the place that people came to do those, they 00:18:47.470 --> 00:18:49.170 got funding and they got their NHS partnership. 00:18:49.420 --> 00:18:52.740 So yeah, it can be difficult to know exactly 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:54.960 the impact we're having. What we can see is, 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:57.200 you know, these tangible things that do happen, 00:18:57.619 --> 00:18:59.539 like partnerships, like film events. And that's 00:18:59.539 --> 00:19:00.940 something we're really interested in is how do 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:03.160 you move films just off screen and use films 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:05.319 to bring people together? So what we want to 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:07.380 do with EcoTrust, what we try and do with our 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:10.019 international docs is set up screenings and film 00:19:10.019 --> 00:19:11.940 festivals and get people in to talk about it 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:13.640 and bring it in so you can get all those people 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:15.500 in the room and kind of create that melting pot. 00:19:15.589 --> 00:19:17.750 that's really productive and then also try and 00:19:17.750 --> 00:19:19.490 do that in the countries that we've shot in as 00:19:19.490 --> 00:19:22.029 well. Do you find that more and more people as 00:19:22.029 --> 00:19:25.710 your work is seen a lot more? Do you find that 00:19:25.710 --> 00:19:27.430 more people are approaching you? You've got a 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:30.269 lovely website. It's a real mixed bag. We work 00:19:30.269 --> 00:19:32.869 really hard on our marketing to be quite visible 00:19:32.869 --> 00:19:37.029 on Google and that brings in kind of an unpredictable 00:19:37.029 --> 00:19:39.910 category of work. As a company, we obviously 00:19:39.910 --> 00:19:41.390 believe very strongly that we only work with 00:19:41.390 --> 00:19:43.809 people whose missions we believe in. So we're 00:19:43.809 --> 00:19:45.170 never working with people that are bad. We're 00:19:45.170 --> 00:19:46.529 only working with people that we think are doing 00:19:46.529 --> 00:19:50.309 good or the very worst neutral. But then also 00:19:50.309 --> 00:19:53.069 specifically, more specifically for this environmental 00:19:53.069 --> 00:19:55.230 and social impact side, that tends to be very 00:19:55.230 --> 00:19:57.430 word of mouth. So the reason we were out in Uganda 00:19:57.430 --> 00:19:59.849 in the first place is because Olly and Ed went 00:19:59.849 --> 00:20:03.049 to Portugal with a carbon credit vendor who was 00:20:03.049 --> 00:20:07.589 doing this amazing work in that valley by monoculture 00:20:07.589 --> 00:20:11.349 and the ground drying out. He, I believe, was 00:20:11.349 --> 00:20:13.450 it a conference or someone saw the film that 00:20:13.450 --> 00:20:16.190 the boys made for that one and then got put in 00:20:16.190 --> 00:20:19.710 touch with Pauline who's the chair of Eco Trust 00:20:19.710 --> 00:20:22.410 and essentially said look this is what they've 00:20:22.410 --> 00:20:24.089 done for us this is the impact they've had this 00:20:24.089 --> 00:20:25.890 is how they've helped us you want to get this 00:20:25.890 --> 00:20:27.750 message out you need these goals and ambitions 00:20:27.750 --> 00:20:30.009 delivered we can we've seen that we can do that 00:20:30.009 --> 00:20:32.210 through film maybe you can do that through film 00:20:32.210 --> 00:20:34.150 too and we got put in touch with them and then 00:20:34.150 --> 00:20:36.609 went out to do that project as well so it comes 00:20:36.609 --> 00:20:38.430 back to it can be quite intangible to know the 00:20:38.430 --> 00:20:40.630 impact you're having. then reaching out to other 00:20:40.630 --> 00:20:42.970 organisations and saying this really works, it'll 00:20:42.970 --> 00:20:45.109 maybe work for you, is an indicator for us that 00:20:45.109 --> 00:20:47.430 it's working, even if it's not hard numbers. 00:20:47.789 --> 00:20:49.869 And it also drives that word of mouth marketing. 00:20:50.369 --> 00:20:52.829 What advice would you give to emerging filmmakers 00:20:52.829 --> 00:20:55.829 who want to create sustainable, purpose -driven 00:20:55.829 --> 00:21:01.089 content? I would say that you don't have to have 00:21:01.089 --> 00:21:04.589 a huge scientific background to tell these stories. 00:21:05.049 --> 00:21:08.089 I think there's an idea that there's these scientific 00:21:09.170 --> 00:21:11.470 narratives are out of bounds unless you have 00:21:11.470 --> 00:21:13.630 all the facts that are completely correct to 00:21:13.630 --> 00:21:15.589 the subject matter. But I think that's part of 00:21:15.589 --> 00:21:17.190 the problem which why these stories aren't being 00:21:17.190 --> 00:21:21.390 told. I think it's access and costs and the narrative 00:21:21.390 --> 00:21:26.230 around scientific literature and scientific storytelling. 00:21:26.809 --> 00:21:28.470 And I think there's this kind of like, I mean, 00:21:28.569 --> 00:21:30.569 one of the things we've seen with ecotrust is 00:21:30.569 --> 00:21:33.609 that it's completely, it's almost an intangible 00:21:33.609 --> 00:21:36.069 subject with carbon credits is so polarizing. 00:21:37.289 --> 00:21:40.829 project really needed was to have boots on the 00:21:40.829 --> 00:21:44.690 ground to see what EcoTrust were doing with this 00:21:44.690 --> 00:21:47.430 wonderful social fabric across north, south, 00:21:47.529 --> 00:21:50.450 east, west, just the people that they're connecting 00:21:50.450 --> 00:21:55.009 the system. So I think it's not to, don't undermine 00:21:55.009 --> 00:21:59.390 the value of the visual medium and just tell 00:21:59.390 --> 00:22:02.670 the stories. And for the future, I think it's 00:22:02.670 --> 00:22:05.029 a little bit too early to really talk too much 00:22:05.029 --> 00:22:07.450 in detail about the legacy because this is still 00:22:07.450 --> 00:22:09.950 quite a new venture. There's obviously a lot 00:22:09.950 --> 00:22:13.009 more that you need to do. But where would you 00:22:13.009 --> 00:22:17.829 hope that Here and Now Films goes next and in 00:22:17.829 --> 00:22:21.910 the overall journey? What next? One of the tricky 00:22:21.910 --> 00:22:24.369 things with film is that oftentimes the people 00:22:24.369 --> 00:22:26.329 who have the budget to pay you aren't telling 00:22:26.329 --> 00:22:28.309 the stories that you think are the most important. 00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:31.450 When we're looking at five, 10, 20 years of the 00:22:31.450 --> 00:22:35.150 company, we're quite keenly aware of that. Understanding 00:22:35.150 --> 00:22:38.759 that Sadly, as climate change becomes more prominent 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:40.980 in people's lives as the situation gets worse, 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:44.000 it's going to become more of a market to kind 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:47.019 of commoditize it. But right now, we're kind 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:49.359 of making sure that we have an engine room of 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:52.339 the business that keeps us available and in a 00:22:52.339 --> 00:22:54.920 situation to be able to make the films we feel 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:57.779 are the most important. And then in a position 00:22:57.779 --> 00:23:01.859 where we can go out to Uganda to film about carbon 00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:05.079 credits and biocredits. And also when those commercial 00:23:05.160 --> 00:23:08.819 opportunities aren't there gives us the capacity 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:10.880 and the stable company to go and do things like 00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:13.240 Portugal which was funded by the company done 00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:15.700 in our spare time for free you know because we 00:23:15.700 --> 00:23:17.279 really believed it was important needed to be 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:19.660 told and then as we've seen earlier that leads 00:23:19.660 --> 00:23:22.259 to more commercial ventures so I think the five 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:25.759 -year plan is to have a very solid watertight 00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:29.559 ship that is a good commercial entity that does 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:31.799 its best to be as sustainable as possible and 00:23:31.799 --> 00:23:33.920 has a big wing of it that we're always looking 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:36.430 to grow that tells really important social and 00:23:36.430 --> 00:23:38.809 environmental impact stories. Oliver, would you 00:23:38.809 --> 00:23:42.029 echo that or would you want to add? I would completely 00:23:42.029 --> 00:23:45.130 echo that. I think that additionally, it would 00:23:45.130 --> 00:23:48.769 be amazing to be in a position where we can consult 00:23:48.769 --> 00:23:51.670 some of the biggest marketing companies in the 00:23:51.670 --> 00:23:56.029 world and explain to them the value of environmental 00:23:56.029 --> 00:23:58.069 storytelling. Because at the end of the day, 00:23:58.630 --> 00:24:00.470 there's a certain amount of budget that has to 00:24:00.470 --> 00:24:03.130 be allocated. And if they can't see a tangible 00:24:03.130 --> 00:24:06.000 turn from that, it's not going to be spent. So 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.660 I think it's our responsibility to consult where 00:24:09.660 --> 00:24:12.720 proper value can be spent, a really positive 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:16.000 result from community stories. Fantastic. Well, 00:24:16.039 --> 00:24:18.359 you've already achieved so much and the future 00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:21.920 really does look bright. And we've got climate 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:24.359 change, we've got climate crisis on our doorstep, 00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:27.400 as I say. It's not going away. The planet is 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:29.980 clearly warming. And you're going to be telling 00:24:29.980 --> 00:24:33.420 the stories from across the world with great 00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:36.480 depth and emotional capacity, which is absolutely 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:38.779 fantastic. And it's terribly exciting what you're 00:24:38.779 --> 00:24:41.180 doing. So thank you very much. Thank you to Oliver 00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:43.819 and Morgan today for joining me as a guest and 00:24:43.819 --> 00:24:46.099 providing such insight. There can be no doubt 00:24:46.099 --> 00:24:47.720 that climate change is the biggest challenge 00:24:47.720 --> 00:24:50.019 of our time. Today, we must reduce greenhouse 00:24:50.019 --> 00:24:52.380 gas emissions to slow global warming. Today, 00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:54.680 we must act for tomorrow, adjusting our lifestyles 00:24:54.680 --> 00:24:56.819 to current and future impacts of climate change. 00:24:57.240 --> 00:24:59.839 Today, we must use our collective wisdom to deliver 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:02.339 on our climate commitments. Today, we work for 00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:04.519 tomorrow's world. Don't forget to subscribe to 00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:07.180 our podcast channels and please do email us at 00:25:07.180 --> 00:25:10.619 podcast .salixfinance .co .uk with your ideas 00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:14.940 for future. podcast guests even. So thank you 00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:17.940 very much. And a huge thank you once again to 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:20.960 Oliver and Morgan from here in our films. Thanks 00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:22.579 again for having us. It was a lot of fun. Thank 00:25:22.579 --> 00:25:25.180 you very much. Thank you. You've been listening 00:25:25.180 --> 00:25:28.619 to the Decarbonisation Dialogue, a podcast from 00:25:28.619 --> 00:25:32.000 Salix. For more information about our work and 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:35.660 to find more content, please visit salixfinance 00:25:35.660 --> 00:25:38.720 .co .uk forward slash podcasts.