Cardiff Animation Festival’s Online Climate Assembly

Our thanks to Lauren Orme at Cardiff Animation Festival for inviting us to join in the festival’s online climate assembly.

Animation industry professionals, academics and expert speakers came together online to discuss how the sector can reduce its impact on the environment, and how an industry of storytellers can inspire change and positive action. Speakers included BAFTA Albert, Julie’s Bicycle and Be Inspired Films, and this was followed by breakout discussions on ways to make  animation practice more environmentally sustainable.

The issue of funding was also part of discussions.  In the past funders, such as screen agencies, have paid limited attention to issues of environmental sustainability.  However, whilst not widespread, there was acknowledgement that bodies such as Arts Council Wales and other funders were more attentive to ecological impact in their funding applications and reporting processes.

Of course, more will need to be done and one area for development noted in the discussion was around data and research. This would not be limited to quantitative measures like carbon output, but also what forms of governance, leadership and behavioural change will be needed to deliver meaningful change.

This knowledge and practice will also need to be applied to the specific dynamics of sectors such as animation.  For example, co-production has become a necessary part of the business model of creative production (driven by economic necessity and cultural exchange) and this often requires large amounts of travel in order for the co-production to be effectively realised in practice.

One company shared their experience of securing funding through a co-production deal with Canadian partners and needing to do post-production in Canada as part of the arrangement. This necessitated travel to Canada for meetings in order to build up trust and effective working relations with their new co-production partners. As another indie animator commented “Being in the room is creatively important to us”.

Therefore, a key question will be how might environmental sustainability be reconciled with well-established production routines such international travel and collaboration? What alternative production practices might be needed, possible and desirable?

Over the coming months we will be developing these conversations and helping to address some of these questions through our research.  We are already collaborating with Inge Sorensen (Glasgow University and a member of our advisory board) to plan work in this area.  If you have any thoughts or would like to hear more, please do contact us.