Llong a champion of waste, audiovisual and cinema production is increasingly concerned about its environmental impact. At least this is the message that Gironde Filmings, the Department’s agency responsible for hosting and supporting productions in the region, and the JLA Group, a major provider of TV series, including “Le Daron” broadcast on TF1 since October. The second season of this morning legal series of thriller and family comedy, with Didier Bourdon headlining in the role of a tenor of the bar practicing in Bordeaux, began a few weeks ago and will end in February (broadcast probable at the start of the 2025 school year).
An appointment is made mid-stage, this Wednesday, December 18, in an activity area of Mérignac, where a modern loft-style building (a former architectural company) hosts the sets of the “Daron agency” . In the morning crowd preparing the afternoon shots, alongside the production managers, lighting engineers, cameramen… we also find Pierre Poymiro, “eco-referent manager”, or “eco-manager” of the shoot. That’s to say ? “The term designates the person responsible for supporting the team in eco-production,” explains this Bordeaux native who came from catering (catering for filming), who has been carrying out this new mission for several years (“it’s not yet a profession recognized”), independently, “like an intermittent worker”.
It consists of “collecting all consumption data” from the carbon footprint and “proposing solutions to reduce emissions”. In the natural environment, it must also pay attention to the impact on the environment and biodiversity.
Pierre Poymiro, eco-referent manager, or “eco-manager” for the filming of the series “Le Daron”.
GUILLAUME BONNAUD / SO
Financial incentives
The sector’s awareness dates back around fifteen years, with the creation of the Ecoprod collective. “Today, all productions have their eco-reference. » In this environment known for polluting, the function has developed thanks to societal, but also financial, incentives. Since 1is January 2024, production aid from the National Cinema Center is conditional on the submission of a carbon emissions report. “There is no obligation for results yet but that encourages everyone to limit themselves,” adds Valérie Martin, eco-production manager at JLA, who has drawn up a “road map” for all her collaborators, listing the good ones. practices.
“I turn off the tap water, I finish my plate. I don’t like to waste, I get that from my grandmother. »
In practice, the eco-manager implements “very concrete actions, sometimes just common sense. For this shoot, there are 50 people on set per day. On the emissions side, things are going quickly. » He set the “sensitive positions” on which to intervene as a priority. In terms of travel, flying is banned “unless there is more than five hours by train”, public transport and carpooling, electric vehicles favored. For the decorations, “upstream, we favor eco-design, bio-sourced, non-polluting materials. We then plan recycling solutions, particularly for wood waste. »
10 to 25% reduction in emissions
Food is the area where “the results are the fastest”. “We choose a local caterer, short circuits, we cook on site. We favor organic, we develop vegetarian meals. We pass on water fountains and ecocups, also required. » On the energy side, “we try to connect as much as possible to the networks, to avoid diesel generators”. Can we draw an initial assessment of these approaches? “With all these measures, we can easily reduce carbon emissions by 10 to 25%,” says Pierre Poymiro.
For its part, Gironde Filmings has set up “partnerships for several years” and is working in particular on “an eco-responsible directory of local service providers” for the productions hosted, says Marie Rateau, its director. With the start-up Flying Sequoia, the Department’s agency is carrying out “an audit of the sector, within a broader approach of Social and Economic Responsibility (CSR): inclusion, etc. »
The cinema industry is still far from being virtuous and there is still a lot to do, the actors note, but “it is a step in a more global transition”.
“Les Inconnus were green before their time”
Has Didier Bourdon, who comes out of makeup and arrives on set, also been made aware? “I have always been careful,” assures the actor. The little details, the little gestures. I turn off the tap water, I finish my plate. I don’t like to waste, I get that from my grandmother. And then, look at the Unknowns: we were ahead of the curve on ecology and ethnic quotas! » In short, the actor, who was also a director, defines himself as “ecological before his time” even if he specifies, in his new lawyer costume, that he is wary of those who give lessons and that it is necessary “stay open”.
