Storytelling as Stewardship: Minimizing The Harmful Impact of the Film Industry on Local Environment, Ecology, and Economics

Abstract

This written thesis and correlating documentary film seek to provide a background to the film industry in Atlanta, GA, the problem of preventable waste/natural resources, and the balance of corporate accountability and individual responsibility. There are multiple ways to address the issue of preventable waste in the film industry, but the most promising involve creating relationships with existing non-profit or non-government organizations (NGOs) and community partners. Ideally, this would result in the creation of a social enterprise liaison between these organizations and the film industry.

In exploring the origins of this issue, I attempt to show the importance of corporate stewardship of resources, as well as ways that individual crew members and community members outside of the film industry can create a culture of stewardship with a focus on sustainability by collaborating in social enterprise. The role of storyteller in any culture has a great responsibility as a cultural gatekeeper and preserver of heritage. When that responsibility is abused or neglected, the entire culture and society suffers. What does this gatekeeping role look like when the storyteller is a business? For this reason, stewardship in the film industry is crucial. Defining and developing a standard of stewardship is the first step toward creating productive community partnerships.