Eco-Friendly Filmmaking


(2018 UPDATE: I originally wrote this in 2012, but I’ve heavily revised to eliminate less relevant information and provide even more solutions.)

When it comes to filmmaking, like many artforms, it’s not easy being green. I can’t honestly tell you that my switch from tape to tapeless media was motivated by the greenness of it all… but in light of this transition, I’ve had a few concerns. Namely, what to do with all of these:

Last time I counted, I have a few billion of these in storage.

There are many different materials inside a MiniDV tape, so unfortunately recycling centers won’t accept them. For the time being, I’m just happy not to be buying stacks and stacks of them anymore. Low budget filmmakers elsewhere around the world are still using these tapes though, so I have sold sets of used tapes on eBay (also consider Craigslist, freecycle, yard sales, etc.). Reusing tapes can cause some issues, so be clear and honest about how used those tapes are if you’re selling them.

The tapes are a challenge, but a few related things have found nice re-purposing in my toolkit. The clear cases MiniDV tapes came in are just large enough to house an SD or CF card when you’ve lost those little plastic cases. Your card will rattle around a bit, but it’s solid-state media so this shouldn’t harm anything but your nerves. Furthermore, they’re a lot easier to throw a card into than some of these SD cases which require you to rotate the card into an exact position.

Then there’s those old tape labels lying around. I’ve found these labels to be pretty handy… considering I have massive piles of them everywhere. I use them to label memory cards, and they’re also good for labeling non-filmmaking stuff.

Pile of a dozen labels from MiniDV tapes SD Card with a label originally intended for MiniDV tapes

Other “green” filmmaking tips:

This list could definitely be longer, so message me if you have any creative suggestions to add. I’ll add them to the list, and hopefully add them to my workflow as I’m shooting!


Further Reading

Next: Free Equipment Rentals?
Previously: Memory Cards

Tags: Sustainability