Name:

Ella Todd

Where are you based?

London

What is it that you do in the film industry? How would you describe your job/s?

I’m the founder and Managing Director of Environment Films, an independent production company based in central London. We specialise in producing sophisticated films, documentaries and commercials for any company so long as they have a proven environmental commitment.  We produce media for television, the internet and DVD distribution and because everybody at Environment Films is passionate about the natural world, we provide a totally non profit service to conservation, environmental and animal charities.

Who or what inspired you to work in film and why cover nature and conservation issues?

I started my career at the BBC’s Natural History Unit in Bristol, were I was a researcher for 2 years. I remember this time fondly, but needing to gain broader experience I went on to work on other BBC, Channel 4 and 5 productions, that we’re not related to nature - but my passion for the natural world and the animals that deserve to live freely on it, is so strong all I did was dream of making films about the things that I love above all else.

During my free time I was a volunteer for an animal charity and quickly realised that they and many other charities we’re forced to produce their own amateur videos because the cost of film production is usually so high. So after 7 years as a freelance producer / director, in September 2008 I founded Environment Films so that charities could enjoy professional films being made about their important subjects - through our company that offers a totally non profit service.  

What is your favourite place in nature?

The Scottish coast, a long walk and a swim with the dogs.

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, there is a rapture on the lonely shore. There is society, where none intrudes, by the deep sea and music in its roar. I love not man the less, but nature more.” Lord Byron.

You’ve been given $10m for a conservation project of your choice. What would you use it for?

If I could split the money I’d make lots of shorts for lots of charities. If not, I’d use it to promote people switching to a plant based diet or towards putting an end to the fur trade.

Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our planet. What singular thing would you like to see done to try to solve this?

In my opinion switching to a plant-based diet is one of the most effective ways for an individual to reduce their eco-footprint. Vegetarian and vegan diets produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than meat-based diets. A Chicago University study found that the ‘typical’ US diet generates the equivalent of nearly 1.5 tonnes more carbon dioxide per person per year than a vegan diet. The livestock industry is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire transport sector (which produces 13.5%), including aviation. Plant based diets only require around one third of the land and water needed to produce a typical Western diet. Farmed animals consume much more protein, water and calories than they produce, so far greater quantities of crops and water are needed to produce animal ‘products’ to feed humans than are needed to feed people direct on a plant-based diet. With water and land becoming scarcer globally, world hunger increasing and the planet’s population rising, it is far more sustainable to eat plant foods direct than use up precious resources feeding farmed animals. Farming animals and growing their feed also hugely contributes to other environmental problems such as deforestation, water pollution and land degradation.

What has been your most memorable field experience whilst shooting films?

I’ve been very lucky and have had a lot of amazing experiences through my work; tracking and filming howler monkeys; gibbons; bears; salmon; filming and swimming with elephants in the sea; filming the Western Isles from a helicopter and so on, but I think the most memorable is something recent.

I was producing a film for a charity in Thailand and was in a jungle with two non-English speaking Thai charity workers (dog catchers), who were looking for a wild and injured dog. In order to catch the dog it had to be sedated, but the charity are small and with limited funds they use the blow darting technique. Despite the harsh jungle floor with snakes and other dangers, we had to remove our shoes so as not to alert the pack. Observing how the dogcatchers worked, listened and analysed every sound was very impressive.

It didn’t take long till we found the injured dog and hiding behind a tree one of the dogcatcher got a clear and successful shot. The dog (with a needle now in it’s side) ran to the left and I expected (in pursuit of the dog) that we’d run to the left too. But instead the dogcatchers ‘walked’ to the right. Baffled and unable to communicate with them, I followed, still filming but confused and a bit disappointed that I wasn’t going to get the action of the chase on camera.

10 minutes later, having walked in what I thought was totally the wrong direction, they stopped and very confidently cut back some under growth and proudly revealed the sleeping dog. I was impressed but still baffled – even more so when I watched them pull 6 starving puppies out from under the root of a tree near where the dog was lying!

Later I asked the English charity manager why we’d ‘walked’ to the right when the dog had ‘ran’ to the left? I was told the dog catchers had sensed the dog had puppies and that she’d probably run a full circle in order to get back to them. He told me the tranquiliser takes 5 minutes to take hold so the dogcatchers only had to walk half the distance in the opposite direction and the dog would be found. Genius.

The female dog was neutered, injuries patched up and thanks to the charity, her puppies all found loving homes. The experience reminded me that the ‘filmmaker’ doesn’t always know best and that to get a good story, you have to trust the contributors you work with and go with the flow.

Where do you see the planet in the next 20, 30 and 50 years?

In more of a mess than it is now, unless the government start listening to, trusting and working alongside the people who have realistic solutions.

Man is again reaching for the stars and plumbing the depths of the oceans. What area would you like to investigate?

I’d like to investigate ways of inspiring people in the Western world, who can do without fish in their diet to leave the oceans alone – which would make ocean life sustainable and allow people in less developed countries, who do not have an alternative, to benefit from it as a food source.

What’s the best advice you could give to a young filmmaker starting out in wildlife and conservation filmmaking?

Find a subject you really care about and seeing it through to completion make a film about it. You’ll learn more making your first film (however short) than you’ll ever learn through books. It doesn’t matter what it’s about, so long as it means ‘everything’ to you and you don’t try and do it alone, a team is a very creative force. Once you’ve made the film send it to wildlife and conservation filmmakers asking if you can voluntarily work with them to gain experience, listen and watch them closely and ask them lots of questions. In your spare time watch as many natural world films as you can, which will help you define your technique, style and objectives.

What would you like to remembered for?

For seeing all living beings (human and non human) as equal, deserving freedom and respect.

Links:

www.environmentfilms.org

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