Environmental
production specialist EcoSet Consulting works with brands to reduce waste from
commercial shoots.

Hollywood— A new series of ads for Target
were recently shot on minimalistic all-white sets at Hollywood Center Studios and yet
rank among the “greenest” spots ever produced on the nearly 100-year-old lot.
Virtually all of the sets, props, wardrobe, and discards (such as food waste
from catering and craft services) were earmarked for reuse, recycling or
composting. It’s estimated that nearly 4 tons of potential waste products were
diverted from local landfills on these two projects due to the production’s
adoption of eco-friendly production practices.

EcoSet, a Los Angeles company that helps film productions
limit their environmental impact, has been working with Target for nearly five
years to reduce the amount of waste generated during the making of its
television commercials and marketing 
events. The company arranges for sets, wardrobe items and props to be
donated to worthy organizations, or given to members of the public for reuse.
During shoots, EcoSet is like another department on set, seeking ways to reduce
waste and ensuring that items that can’t be reused, like plastic bottles and
food, are recycled or composted.

“Eighty-five to 95 percent of what normally gets thrown away
by crew is not waste,” explains Kris Barberg, EcoSet’s executive director. “We
strive for 90-percent or higher diversion from landfills, and average
93-percent across the board.”

Waste in film production has historically been a problem,
notes Barberg. Constructed sets and props are often used once and then tossed
out. It’s not the result of indifference, but rather because crews are busy and
a system isn’t in place to manage such items in an environmentally responsible
way. That’s where EcoSet comes in. The company donates furniture and home goods
to groups involved in providing housing for veterans and the homeless. Clothing
is similarly donated to non-profits that serve women and children. The company
also runs a Community Resource Center (CRC)
where non-profit groups, artists and members of the public can look through
the bounty of discarded set items for things they can reuse and repurpose.
Examples include lumber, set walls, flooring, carpet, signage, custom props,
packaging materials, lighting gels, and countless bits and scraps of random
materials.

Not everything can be easily repurposed. “Custom-built
walls, sets and huge props can be challenging,” Barberg observes. “Right now,
we have an enormous Plexiglass ‘R’ in our CRC. Who needs an 8-foot-tall ‘R’?”

For the Target campaign, EcoSet provided space for the
production company, A White Label Product, to store its custom-built white
sets. The campaign included a number of spots shot on different days, several
weeks apart. Had storage space not been available, A White Label Product may
have had to rebuild new sets for each ad.

EcoSet also worked closely with Hollywood Center Studios’
management in executing its plan. The company needed to bring in special
dumpsters and hauling services to properly manage waste products. “Hollywood
Center’s staff were very accommodating and supportive,” Barberg recalls. “They
made special allowances to let us do what we do.”

Hollywood Center Studios has a strong commitment to
environmentalism. It runs its own recycling program and recently installed
solar panels on the roofs of two sound stages that supply part of the
electricity needed to run them. “We are very impressed with the work that
EcoSet is doing and hope that more producers adopt environmentally-friendly
production practices,” says Richard Schnyder, Hollywood Center Studios’ vice
president of sales. “We believe that environmentalism is not only good for our
community and the planet, it’s good business practice.”

Remaining food
products from Target’s Everyday Collection campaign were donated to multiple
non-profits in Los Angeles

About Hollywood
Center Studios

Hollywood Center
Studios has a rich and colorful history that mirrors the development of
Hollywood and the growth of the entertainment industry.  The studio has
played host to some of the most notable productions of the past century,
including such iconic television shows as I Love Lucy, The Addams Family,
Jeopardy, Rockford Files and Mad TV, and classic film productions
such as When Harry Met Sally and The Player. In recent years, Hollywood
Center Studios has continued to grow and modernize to support its large television
clientele which includes Disney, NBC,
Comedy Central and MTV.  Hollywood Center Studios remains a vital
part of the Hollywood community and a place where entertainment history
continues to be made every day.

Hollywood Center Studios is located at 1040 N. Las Palmas
Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90038. For more information, call (323)
860-0000 or visit www.HollywoodCenter.com.