CAMA nominates The Essex Serpent for the BFDG’s Planet Positive Award
As a BFDG member, CAMA have nominated The Essex Serpent (Apple TV+ and See-Saw Films) for the British Film Designers Guild’s (BFDG) inaugural Planet Positive Award, in association with albert and sponsored by Universal Pixels.
When we heard about the launch of this new award designed to celebrate sustainability champions in the Art Department we knew immediately we wanted to nominate The Essex Serpent crew.
“Having worked with the art department and production team (in particular the Sustainability Officer Lily Limmer), it was clear that the crew were 100% committed to working more sustainably in very challenging circumstances. We were delighted to support the production as much as we could with reducing their environmental impact, particularly with us being a locally based company in Essex. We applaud Apple TV, See Saw Films and the crew who worked on the production! “ Michaele Apostolides, Director, CAMA Assetstore
The Essex Serpent
Adapted from Sarah Perry’s 2016 novel, the narrative charts the story of recent widow Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes), who uproots her London life and heads to the Essex coastline upon hearing rumours of a mythical serpent preying on a local community.
The film was largely set in Essex, with many scenes in The Blackwater estuary which stretches between the historic market town of Maldon and Mersea Island on the Essex coast. The estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is home to saltmarshes, mudflats and islands which provide a haven for wildlife.
On location in the Essex estuary, the Art Dept worked closely with the Producer and Marine Dept, who were committed to protecting the biodiversity of the salt marshes.
The Sustainability Co-ordinator and Art Dept ensured set pieces and props were donated to various organisations or stored with us here at CAMA. Two arctic trucks worth of set-build: an entire bedroom, 3 window-seat structures, floorboards, windows, stairs, a cupboard and exterior wall flats was donated to Ravensbourne University, for their filmmaking students.
“I loved the novel The Essex Serpent and so was thrilled when we were supporting the production. The scenes in the Essex Estuary are breathtakingly beautiful, whilst both eerie and sinister. We wanted to nominate the Art Department for this important award because not only did they recreate the 18th century Essex landscape so incredibly, taking viewers on a journey across the beautiful marshes – they were also committed to reducing the environmental impact of their work. I am really excited to host the Art Department and production team at the BFDG Awards and have the chance to celebrate all the Planet Positive nominees. This new award will send a signal to the rest of the Film and TV industry that the Art Department fully supports sustainable methods of working and hopefully encourage others to follow suit!” Michelle French, Director, CAMA AssetStore
Katy Tallon – albert, Industry Sustainability Manager said:
“albert is proud to be launching the Planet Positive Award with the British Film Designer’s Guild. We are seeing some exciting environmental initiatives in the Art Department that need to be celebrated. Through this award we will have the opportunity to inspire others to follow suit and invest in sustainable design initiatives/suppliers and thoughtful end of life planning”
Read the full nomination for The Essex Serpent here.
There are some amazing entries and a full list of nominees can be found here.
