Client: German Environmental Foundation
4 × 4 min | 2020 | 16:9 | HD 1080p
Sufficiency in everyday life means using resources sparingly – a strategy for living more sustainably. The German Environmental Foundation has launched a school competition to raise awareness of this issue among children and young people. We supported the foundation by producing four explanatory films about sustainability and the everyday areas of consumption, mobility and nutrition. The films are intended to show students examples of how they can behave more sustainably in everyday life. First, the German Environmental Foundation explained its concerns to us in detail and suggested various film ideas. These ideas were discussed at length and weighed up in terms of content, budget and scheduling.
After selecting the idea, we turned it into a concept. The film's plot and dialogue were worked out in detail in consultation with the environmental foundation. We adapted complex topics such as sustainability and sufficiency to the young target audience by explaining the definitions using a few examples. We then researched filming locations, applied for filming permits and cast the protagonists for the film. Fridays for Future activists Alexander Volk and Leonie Bremer were selected as the protagonists for the series. They were to guide viewers through our films and share their knowledge with the students. Three days were scheduled for filming, which we determined in advance in a shooting schedule and a disposition. Shortly before filming began, the visual implementation of the film was worked out and a shot list was created.
EPISODE 1/4 | THE SUFFICIENCY DETECTIVES: SUFFICIENCY IN EVERYDAY LIFE!
EPISODE 2/4 | SUFFICIENT CONSUMPTION!
EPISODE 3/4 | SUFFICIENT MOBILITY!
EPISODE 4/4 | SUFFICIENT NUTRITION!
Now it was time to get started: we filmed in numerous locations in Berlin, including a park, a motorway bridge, in traffic, at a market and in a shared flat. Every change of location takes time, so getting the timing right was crucial. Since most of our scenes take place outdoors, we had to be flexible in response to the weather and switch to indoor scenes at short notice. Filming in public spaces, such as on a busy street in Berlin-Kreuzberg, presented us with additional challenges. Here, we had to find suitable people on site to interview on the street. Flexibility, spontaneity, good time management and great organisational skills are therefore essential qualities for a film shoot like this.
During post-production, we reviewed, discussed and edited every shot of every scene. To make the films even more vivid for our young target audience, we created small animations from graphics provided by the client to support the spoken content. In the final step, we edited the colours, contrasts and sound to make the film series even more expressive and understandable. During post-production, we were in close contact with our client so that we could integrate their feedback into the films and thus achieve the desired result.
For the feedback loops, we use an online tool that allows specific sections of the film edit to be marked and commented on. The result was a four-part film series with a total length of 16 minutes, produced within three days of filming and eight weeks of production time.
The project was funded by
Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
Project report on utopia.de
Project page The Sufficiency Detectives
Website German Environmental Foundation
