EMA Green Seal for Students: A Conversation with Student Filmmaker Marion Forbes

Marion is a young professional filmmaker with a unique background in architectural design. She received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Tennessee, College of Architecture and Design, in 2014. Marion shaped her thesis around the idea of sound in the built environment, exploring design through musical structure and end-user experience of architectural space. Marion has worked professionally as a designer for over eight years, and, in the Fall of 2020, Marion became an MFA candidate at the University of New Orleans in Film Production. 

Marion takes an interdisciplinary approach to filmmaking and design - drawing from experience as a musician, printmaker, weaver, and long-time film lover. Her stories center around small moments in life that can have a surprisingly lasting impact. 

Learn more below about how she incorporates her passions with the best sustainable production practices, which led to her film receiving the EMA Green Seal recognition.

What made you want to go into filmmaking?  

I've always been a fan of movies! My passion grew when I went to architecture school in Knoxville, Tennessee. Even though my program was primarily technical, I decided to take film and art classes for some of my electives. Not long after, it clicked that filmmaking was a potential job I could have. When I finished school, I began working professionally in Connecticut, then moved to New Orleans, where I have been for the last five years. I realized that going back to school would be a nice pivot to the film industry, so I enrolled in grad school for my MFA, which I'm completing right now. 

I believe that what I learned studying and working in architecture translates well into film. I can adjust concepts from design into a different visual medium that can benefit different areas in film production. For example, I can take my desire for environmental design and translate it into the filmmaking production process, much like the process for the EMA Green Seal for Students.

Has the process changed for you from once you started? If so, how, and why?

Whether during my time in design or film, I have always tried to work as collaboratively as possible. In school, I do much of my work's writing, editing, and directing. It can be tiring yet very rewarding at the same time. I am seeing how very vulnerable the process of filmmaking is. It is not like that in design. Design has an educational process that encompasses working with multiple clients. I feel more confident in that regard, answering to a client's needs and trying to find design solutions to a varying degree of needs and wants. In filmmaking, it's humbling building a team around your stories to make your vision a reality.  

When it came to making the film Canary, going into production, I felt a lot more prepared compared to my previous projects. I wanted to utilize my design background and knew I wanted to implement as many green and sustainable practices as possible, and I found a team that embraced those ideas and made them better than I could have done on my own. It was a relief having a whole semester of pre-production and another for post-production. For a 5-10 min short film, 5-6 months felt like a good time to ensure best practices and set environmental goals.

Did this carry over into your desire to create films for social impact? Was it always there? 

That's a good question -- I'm still trying to figure that out to some degree! I'm still considering what kind of story I want to tell. For example, with Canary, I knew I really wanted to focus on the interior experience of the lead actress, which was incorporating the importance of mental health and feeling like you're not good enough. For my next film, I want to focus on mental health and physical health, centering on another female protagonist. I feel that women, and especially women of color, have historically not had the best experience in the larger healthcare system, which also fuels my desire to address these types of social issues in my films. I am also aware of the growing anxiety many may be experiencing surrounding climate change. I hope that with this film (and future films), there are elements that people can identify with. 

How do you think your background in design allows you to stand out as a filmmaker? 

In architecture school, we were always taught that “design is design” - meaning, design mentality is at every scale. When thinking about a story for a film, for me, you are thinking about the story in the same way, at every scale. In a way, you are building a story for a client when you are designing - and in film, you are DESIGNING for a story.

Although I am still thinking about where I may fit after I graduate, I reflect on elements in my architectural education that I haven’t worked with as much. For example, I can play around with light and texture and am curious to translate that into film through cinematography or production design. I find it exciting to tell where the lighting should be situated for a film or a scene. It’s almost luxurious when working on a set and asking for a certain type of light - not waiting for the sun or several years of construction to accomplish the same thing. 

What inspired you to direct Canary? What was the experience like on set?

I automatically knew I wanted to work with internal emotions I have dealt with and wanted to find a story that works at a visual and relatable level. For me, the writing process was where I felt most of the emotional work was done on my end. It wasn’t until I sent the script out to the team and started working on the actual production that I realized it's not just my work anymore but all of ours. 

This project was particularly exciting because, with the main character, I felt that many of us could relate to her. In addition, the actress we chose for the lead, Sadie Mae, was wonderful and brought so much to the role, more than I could have written. I have so much respect for actors who can bring professional levels of empathy and vulnerability to the screen - actors essentially make themselves raw for every scene and every take. 

Congrats on obtaining the EMA Green Seal Certification. Tell me about sustainable practices you implemented that led to your production receiving it. 

This may sound funny, but I initially didn’t know much about EMA during the pre-production phase for Canary. However, I found the certification form shortly after filming. I saw it as an encouraging sign of a dedicated certification program to recognize green practices in the film industry. 

I knew I wanted to calculate our carbon footprint for this project. I see the project itself is small-scale, but I feel that what I’ve learned from this project can translate to other projects I work on in the future, regardless of scale.

The production received a donation from PATH water, which provided reusable water bottles to all cast and crew to help minimize waste on set. We also acquired used flooring material and some lumber from another student production. We were also able to donate all new lumber purchased for the set to another production in town. Sustainability really is contagious! 

Regarding energy use, our Cinematographer, Brett Felty, was all-in to make it as sustainable as possible. We utilized the university’s power grid for larger lights, used LED fixtures whenever possible, and calculated light usage whenever they were active. We didn’t use huge trucks, which was a big advantage and gave everyone a choice to commute to work in the most sustainable way. To top it all off, we served vegan meals by Kora Jansen to avoid embodied energy generated by conventional meat and dairy products. 

Are there other topics you would like to examine in films, or do you think are not discussed enough?

I’m drawn to topics surrounding mental health and physical health and believe they can be promoted more on screen, especially as these health topics are related to climate change. I feel there is more conversation about this when it comes to documentaries but not a whole lot in the world of mainstream narratives, that I’ve seen at least!

What goals would you like to meet within 3-5 years? What goals are you meeting in 2022?

First, I want to finish my thesis film and graduate! I also would love to be working on impactful stories. It means a lot when you are a part of a dedicated, thoughtful team. Even though it’s very hard work to make a film, I am learning and wish to keep writing and directing my work. I would like to eventually work on a feature so long as I can continue to implement what I learned on Canary when it comes to sustainability. 

On a personal level, I am working on generating as little waste as possible at home and trying to participate in organizations creating change at the local level.

What would you say is something someone can do today to become more aware and involved in the filmmaking for impact space?  

There is a generous and caring community of filmmakers here in New Orleans. By getting plugged in on social media or going to a local film event, you will be able to meet people who are eager to help each other out, especially in the indie world of filmmaking.

Sustainability departments are growing rapidly, and I have seen more and more how there is a need for people in many departments for this kind of work. So, if you are thinking about working in film, there is no greater time than the present.

How about recommendations you have for other productions to obtain the coveted EMA Green Seal?  

My suggestion would be to look at the areas of the biggest impact. For example, what are some of the largest energy expenditures, and in what ways can the team target those numbers? For my team and I, our largest energy users were lighting, food, and individual transportation.

It’s also crucial to promote on social media or broadcast behind-the-scenes material to showcase transparency so others can see what is being done.

At EMA, we strive to bridge the gap between science and communication. What benefit do you see that storytelling can bring to the movement for positive change? 

Filmmaking can show that something is possible! Filmmaking itself is a form of communication and allows an audience to see what something could be. In my work, I always try to think of what I want the audience’s experience to be or how they might interpret what I am trying to express. 

Regarding technical aspects of science and communication, keeping the audience’s perspective in mind allows a film to be felt at different levels. A good character can be the audience’s eyes and ears. Filmmaking can break larger concepts up into digestible ones. It is a relief that organizations such as EMA work to break down complex topics surrounding climate change by providing leaders in entertainment and science to lead the way. 

Learn more about the EMA Green Seal for production here.

Written by Demitri Fierro, ISSP-SEA (MBA Candidate in Sustainable Management)