Client: co2online, BMUV & UBA
5 × 3:30 min & 4 × 3:15 min | Germany | 2024 | 16:9 | 4K
The ‘Blue Compass 2024’ is the most important award in Germany in the field of climate mitigation and adaptation. The prize, worth 25,000 euros, is awarded each year by the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) for projects aimed at preventing and adapting to the consequences of climate change.
In addition to the prize money, a portrait film is also intended to help the winners gain more visibility. For the film series, five portrait films were therefore to be made about the award winners in the four categories: 1) municipalities, 2) private and municipal companies, 3) research and educational institutions and 4) clubs, associations and foundations. A fifth film was made about the winner of the Audience Award.
The films in the five-part series were to be given a serial character through a uniformly designed intro, outro and belly bands, but were to be able to stand on their own. The aim of the films was to encourage viewers and encourage them to follow suit. To this end, the people responsible for the project should be closely followed by the camera. The filming locations, protagonists and the catalogue of questions for the five projects were precisely coordinated in advance with the BMUV, the Federal Environment Agency and our client co2online.
EPISODE 1/5 | CITY OF GOETTINGEN AND GOETTINGEN WASTE DISPOSAL COMPANY
EPISODE 2/5 | INVENTIED GMBH
EPISODE 3/5 | BÄR MEETS ADLER E.V.
EPISODE 4/5 | UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART / TECHNOLOGIE-TRANSFER-INITIATIVE GMBH
EPISODE 5/5 | LEIBNIZ-GYMNASIUM DORMAGEN
Filming was carried out by a team consisting of a director, camera operator and camera assistant. From the production planning stage onwards, we made sure to organise the necessary travel and transport as efficiently as possible. We covered the approximately 3,200 kilometres required for the shoots entirely in a VW ID. Buzz. This meant carefully planning charging stops at fast-charging stations along the motorway in advance and incorporating them into the production schedule.
One of the challenges was organising five projects at different locations across Germany as efficiently as possible. The first filming block therefore took us from Berlin to Dormagen, then on to Rockenhausen and via Brandenburg back to Berlin. We combined the shoot in Stuttgart with another of our film projects taking place in the region at the same time, allowing us to avoid additional journeys to and from the location. Göttingen was filmed separately from Berlin.
For the shoots, we used professional 4K camera equipment, a camera gimbal for dynamic moving shots and LED lighting. A drone was also used to capture additional 4K aerial footage, giving viewers an overview of the respective locations.
We also took the environmental impacts of the production into account during the planning and implementation of the films. Our Green Film Consultant Sarah, who is specially trained in green film production, accompanied the production and calculated the resulting CO₂ emissions of the film project. At the end of the production, she prepared a final report including the final carbon footprint assessment.
After shooting, the film footage was processed into finished films in post-production by our editors Moritz and Arda. The intro and outro in 3D space and the belly bands were graphically designed and then animated by our animation designer Cristian, taking into account the Blue Compass corporate design. The colour grading of all films was carried out by our colourist Marcus in a professional colour grading studio. One of the challenges here was to harmonise the different lighting moods of a film location when the light changed. Nevertheless, each of the five portrait films was to be given an individual style.
On the sound level, our sound mixer Alex optimised the interview sequences and the music. Alex created an atmospheric sound design for the five films with natural soundscapes of nature and interiors.
The five-part portrait film series was presented for the first time at the award ceremony in autumn 2024 at the Federal Ministry for the Environment in Berlin. The films were also published on the website and social media channels of the BMUV, UBA and the award winners.
