“Rock Island Mysteries” Season 2 has awarded an Environmental Steward Internship to Brisbane-based filmmaker Zachary Lurje.
Lurje will work on the set of the Network 10 and Nickelodeon youth series, which is filming now on the Gold Coast.
He will assist with a number of environmental protocols, including working alongside the production’s sustainability coordinator to track and review carbon footprint calculations. He will also research recycling options across all departments, from art to catering, and spend time with the production’s COVID officer to assess how COVID protocols impact sustainability on set.
Screen Queensland and Fremantle Australia partnered on the program, noting that the screen industry’s primary contributors to negative environmental outcomes include electricity and fuel consumption, and general waste including the disposal of costumes, sets and props.
The industry body said the move aligned with the Queensland Government’s pledge to reduce emissions by 30% before 2030, and the Federal Government’s bid to reduce national emissions by 43% in the same time period and then achieve net zero by 2050.
Dr. Belinda Burns, Screen Queensland’s chief creative officer, said the placement was the first of its kind in Australia and was part of a strategic effort to minimise the ecological footprint of screen production in the state.
“Fremantle Australia is an industry leader and part of a huge multi-national network, so they are expertly positioned to provide mentorship in this space and work with us to form new, environmentally conscious industry standard practices,” she said.
“The Environmental Steward Internship was launched as a valuable training opportunity in a growing job area on the physical production sector, allowing an emerging Queensland film practitioner hands-on experience while making a positive impact on our industry and planet.”
Fremantle Australia’s Jonah Klein, development executive and producer on “Rock Island Mysteries” Season 2, said the company is proud to partner with Screen Queensland on this first-of-its-kind attachment to support training in sustainability.
“We welcome Zachary Lurje as our inaugural attachment in this field with his varied skills and experiences as an emerging filmmaker, a teacher and a sustainability advocate,” he said.
“Fremantle is additionally working with albert — an environmental organisation encouraging the film and TV production industry to reduce waste and its carbon footprint — to achieve ‘sustainable production certification.’ Resources from albert will inform and support “Rock Island Mysteries” and all of our projects moving forward, to develop best practice in this area.”
Learnings from the Environmental Steward Internship will contribute to a sustainable production template, a part of Screen Queensland’s Environmental Sustainability Roadmap.
Season 1 of “Rock Island Mysteries” premiered in May this year.
