Episode 160: Liz Allan and Rachel Morrison - The Hidden Story of Sustainable Studios

Episode 160: Liz Allan and Rachel Morrison - The Hidden Story of Sustainable Studios.

Liz Allan speaks to Rachel Morrison, Director of Farnborough International Studios. They explore how film and TV production is embracing sustainability, from cutting diesel use and powering unit bases through on-site solar, to rehoming sets with charities and local partners.

Film and TV might look like magic on screen, but behind the scenes, there’s a serious sustainability shift underway. Rachel shares how Farnborough is integrating low-carbon practices into everyday production, from BAFTA’s Albert accreditation to why “plan the reuse at day one” saves both money and materials, and what a large, multi-use site like Farnborough can achieve while hosting The British Motor Show, Everything Electric, and major productions.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to sets after wrap, how batteries and on-grid power are changing location work, or how studios can support EV adoption on site, this one will open your eyes.

Rachel Morrison Bio:
Rachel Morrison is Director of Farnborough International Studios, where she leads one of the UK’s most versatile filming and events sites. With two 22,000 sq ft sound stages, 210,000 sq ft of filming space and 3,500 parking spaces, Farnborough has hosted productions from Mission: Impossible and Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw to BBC documentaries and Stacey Solomon’s Sort Your Life Out.

Rachel has built her career in studio and event management, previously holding roles at Fountain Studios (home to The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent), Twickenham Film Studios, Stage 50, and on large-scale BBC events such as the Proms and election coverage. She is passionate about embedding sustainability into studio operations, from achieving BAFTA Albert accreditation to forging community partnerships that reduce the environmental footprint of productions.

Rachel Morrison Links:
Website: https://www.farnboroughinternational.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-morrisonuk222

Quote of the episode:
“We’re trying to save the world just a tiny bit more, one production at a time.” Rachel Morrison, Director, Farnborough International Studios.

Transcript

Liz Allan [00:00:33]:
So on today's episode, I have with me Rachel Morrison, and she is the director of Farnborough International Studios. And we have been introduced by a lovely, lovely lady called Lulu o'. Hagan. So thank you ever so much to Lulu, but also thank you, Rachel, for joining me.

Rachel Morrison [00:00:50]:
Oh, Liz, it's lovely to be with you, and absolutely, thank you, Lulu. She's an absolute, absolute legend. But it's lovely to be speaking to you, Liz, and I'm really excited to have a conversation.

Liz Allan [00:01:01]:
You're right, though. Lulu is just amazing. She totally undersells, undersells herself. And I know she came down to Farnborough a few weeks ago, didn't she, and did a little bit of filming with her nephew. So that was good. Yeah.

Rachel Morrison [00:01:16]:
She was talking about EV charging, and he got an opportunity to come into the stages and see what we were trying to do around sustainability, as well as thinking about automotive, because we also run the British Motor show and various different events like everything electric on site when we're not filming, obviously. However, it's a very varied site, but also one that does some really lovely work around sustainability and film. And so it's really lovely to speak to you today about that and we.

Liz Allan [00:01:50]:
Are going to be talking about that very shortly. But first and foremost, I always get everybody to give a little bit of background about you, about you know, whoever comes on. So, can you just give us a little bit of a run, a rundown of what you did before you started working at Farnborough?

Rachel Morrison [00:02:10]:
Sure. So I have always loved being part of a studio's environment, and that's all around, enabling people to be able to create magic in what is essentially a big black box. So I did that for 10 years as part of Fountain Studios as the site manager there. And we did X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, and lots of shiny floor shows like Tipping Point and Last Leg, and then I went on to be Maryland for a pop-up cinema company. So we went and created filming experiences and a cinema in unlikely places like Brompton Cemetery or Hyde Park, which was lots of fun. I worked on the production side with the BBC, handling projects such as the Proms, Radio 2, Festival of the Day, Proms in the Park, and the elections. Then I was just like, I had this real yearning for being back in the studio environment. So went and worked at Twickenham film studios, stage 50, and now I'm here at Farnborough International Studios, which has got two lovely 22,000 square foot sound stages, 3,500 car parking spaces and 210,000 square feet of filming spaces across the site.

Rachel Morrison [00:03:44]:
So we've done things like Mission Impossible, Fast and Furious, Hobbs and Shaw, a bit of the Ghostbusters. You thought it was la? No, no, it was Farnborough. Lots of Stacey Solomon. Sort your life out. You've got to love her if you're thinking about recycling and reusing Inside Man. Devil's Hour. Anyway, I go on.

Liz Allan [00:04:08]:
Oh, now you just got. You just hit Devil's Hour, that is. We loved the Devil's Hour. So, yeah, if you've not seen anybody. Yeah, please do check it out. I just. I love this. It's funny because I've been to Everything Electric for.

Liz Allan [00:04:23]:
Been going for a number of years, but I never really thought about the whole kind of film production side, and I didn't realise how many, you know, kind of how many shows and programs you've actually produced there. That's. That's just amazing.

Rachel Morrison [00:04:40]:
Well, we've got a really versatile site. The whole site was created for the Farnborough Air Show, which has been going on since 1948. But instead of putting up temporary structures and taking them down every other year, it was really felt that actually there was a real opportunity for being more sustainable, creating something a bit more permanent and then offering the opportunity to have some really great, excellent events as part of that. Whether that is exhibitions, car launches, or Screwfix Live. That's a great show. Excellent goodie bag. And it's all free, so you just never know what's going on. In the events world, there's everything from horror to Comic Cons and all sorts.

Rachel Morrison [00:05:28]:
But from our side, we always like to use the spaces creatively for filming, whether that be for big productions or for things like documentaries. So we recently did the BBC2 bombings documentary. So kind of it's a real, really versatile site because we've got a lot of space and a lot of different places for locations and, you know, utilising the space creatively is just such a joy because all these fantastic creative people, just like you, Liz, coming and making their magic and it's great to be able to facilitate that.

Liz Allan [00:06:11]:
It just amazing. And we had, we spoke to each other for a little while, didn't we, on the phone a few weeks back. But about the. The sustainability side, and the reason why Lulu introduced me was because, you know, like you said right at the beginning, you've got a number of, you know, EV charging on site. But it was. It's so much more than that, isn't it? And I. The stuff that you told me and we're going to talk about now just blew my mind with regards to kind of sustainability, and because of the fact I've not even thought about these things, you know, it just. It's just amazing.

Liz Allan [00:06:51]:
So, can you talk about how Farnborough Studios is actually leading the way with sustainable practices? And you probably need to talk a little bit about Albert, don't you, in this bit?

Rachel Morrison [00:07:04]:
I think that's fair to say. So we are an Albert accredited supplier, and what that means is that we are part of BAFTA's initiative to try and make sure that our industry is a more sustainable industry. And it came from Albert Square. So back in the days of EastEnders, and actually it was a real kind of movement. Go. Right, okay, how do we make sure that we're looking after our waste properly? How do we reuse? Where does our power come from? Could we be more sustainable? And now it is a real movement within the industry, and I'm so delighted about it. It's everything from making sure that people are doing things in a more sustainable way, whether that is, you know, kind of thinking about. About where their crew come, they're getting to spaces.

Rachel Morrison [00:08:07]:
But it's one of the things that you might see at the end of any of your programs that you're watching. It looks like a little footprint, and it says it's Albert certified. Well, that means that production has gone through quite a rigorous set of questions to ensure that, actually, they are thinking about their impact, their carbon footprint as part of the industry and a studio space. We are there to support them on that journey. And whether that is finding community partners that will help them with their set disposal or gifting to costumes being given away, or whether that is thinking about making sure we're using HVO on site with our HVO store, or making sure that our productions are utilizing local crew, local suppliers, and helping them on that journey to ensure that they become Albert Certified, but also as a stage and studio space that we have gone through that Albert supplier certification, which we have and we've got hooray. So we're thinking about our power use and how we can be more sustainable as a facility.

Liz Allan [00:09:21]:
Wow, that's just like I say, it just blows my mind that this is all the stuff that you're, I know that you, you kind of are, doing. Do you want to just give me an example of one of the, you know, what happens, and kind of the local partners that you're, that you're sort of involved with. What do you predominantly end up having to discuss with the production team in order to get them to? I mean, you're, because you're, you're really supporting them to be accredited, like you said, but you know, you are accredited. So what are the steps that you need to kind of go through for that?

Rachel Morrison [00:10:00]:
Liz? It's from the very first moment that they come on site, we talk to them about whether they've got a unit base. So all those vehicles that go into a moving production, all their vehicles that are like, you know, kind of your makeup truck or your costume space and working with them to make sure that they plug into our on site power, which, which is, you know, and we generate 30% of our site's annual electricity needs through solar energy. So making sure that they're not using generators, but using our on-site power, is really an important part of that. But also making sure that if they are utilising the stages from the moment they come on site, we're talking about talking to them about how they are going to be getting rid of their, their set, how they are going to be using hvo, what can we do to connect them with partners to be able to make sure they're more sustainable. So with our large feature film that happened last year between August and December, we were able to gift a huge amount of their set to the MOD for their drone training, which they use year on year. So they had some incredible tunnels and set pieces and actually being able to gift them to the mod so that they could gamify something which is, you know, kind of that obviously people need for other reasons was, you know, kind of a good way to see that set being reused year on year. But also things like the wood we've gifted to Manshed, which is a local charity that supports men's mental health, to our local construction educational spaces. So, we're actually thinking about some of that reuse or recycling at the point that they come on site.

Rachel Morrison [00:12:05]:
And by using Collards, which is. Is our zero to landfill supplier, we can ensure that actually anything that does come on site that we can support sustainable, I guess, waste management for our productions. So you see, yeah, it's kind of everything, but trying to make sure that, you know, we can support our productions, but also we can save the world just a tiny bit more.

Liz Allan [00:12:38]:
And this is amazing. Do you know what? You just made me think about what happened before all of this. Before. Before. Albert, Albert, before what happened? Where did it just get dumped? All of it?

Rachel Morrison [00:12:51]:
Yeah, you know, kind of. I was doing a lot of work on X Factor, and one of the saddest days was when we had Lady Gaga, who was performing in her 53,000-pound bath. That was. It was a big bath. Let me face it, it had lots of, lots of people jumping out of it. But at the end of the record, it was sitting there in the rain. And at that point, I was, you know, kind of, I was like, this can't be right. And there was loads of costumes that were left in a bin.

Rachel Morrison [00:13:22]:
And bearing in mind this is about 20 years ago, so, you know, kind of we have moved a lot from there, but I gave them to the local dance troupe because I was just like, you know what? I know these guys will get such benefit from these beautiful, spangly little dancing numbers. And they did. And so we, I, you know, kind of literally, it was a bit of a, you know, have a chat with the costume team. If they're getting rid of it, put it in a bag, and let me gift it. So kind of this, this was what was happening before, and things have moved on massively. Budgets are smaller, so everyone is now thinking about how they can reuse things. And there were things like asset lists, so, you know, big, you know, kind of. And everyone shares their fridges and things like that on the list.

Rachel Morrison [00:14:12]:
And then you go, I'm starting a production, I want that. I'll get it from Mobland or whatever. So we are really making strides to be able to make sure that the, you know, the industry is much more sustainable now. We've got sustainability coordinators who are checking the amount of fuel use and trying to help productions that are doing things really quickly and often on a tight budget and with movable parts to try and think about that sustainability piece. So it's definitely moving strides, but it's been an interesting journey watching it.

Liz Allan [00:14:51]:
I bet, I bet, and actually just thinking about the fact that, you know, the, the, all of these, A lot of these things that you're talking about, like sets and, and costumes and things would have been, you know, they would have been integrated into the cost of the production, wouldn't they? But if you're just gonna get rid of them at the end, there's no, there's, there was. Would be no. It, no ability to even get any of your money back or kind of, you know, because you want to offset some of the costs in some ways. I just didn't have any clue about this. It just seems, you know, amazing that that would, that was actually a thing.

Rachel Morrison [00:15:31]:
And now people can offset it because there are ways and means, and it's more acceptable, and people would expect you almost to do an asset sale at the end. So, you know, kind of it's, it's moving stride, but even, you know, kind of being able to say, look, we've got a link with British Heart foundation, who will take some of your furniture if you don't want it, or some of those props that, you know, kind of, you might not need now, and they'll come and pick it up and take it away for free. It's just a lovely way in which we can support, you know, kind of our productions in, in that journey.

Liz Allan [00:16:05]:
And like you say, those, just having those local partners, I mean, you know, must be, must be so beneficial to you as, as an organisation and to, and to kind of the production team as well.

Rachel Morrison [00:16:20]:
Oh, we think so. On our website, there's a place to sign up for crew so people can, you know, put themselves forward, and that information goes to production in terms of local crew; they're not going to travel very far. You know, kind of there's going to be less carbon footprint for them as they get to the site and also local suppliers, because however, we can help with sort of our local economy is really important as well. You know, kind of, it's all that circular economy that we can help forge and help be a part of in the broadcast industry.

Liz Allan [00:17:01]:
I think it just makes, it makes such a, such a massive difference, you know, that, that you can, you can provide, you can provide that support, I suppose. Really, you're kind of facilitating all of this guidance, aren't you, really?

Rachel Morrison [00:17:15]:
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, it's not just our industry in terms of Farnborough. You know, we also do this for our, for, you know, kind of our exhibitions and, and we have a destination, zero commitment, and I think that's a really important thing to celebrate that holistically. Whether it's filming or doing an event or, you know, kind of a massive event, a worldwide event like the air show, we are committed to being able to try and support whether that's LED lighting or, or, you know, kind of making sure we know that 100% of our disposable food, food packaging is either recyclable, biodegradable, or it's recycled. So, you know, there are ways in which we can all make a difference, and just by putting it on the agenda and making sure that it's part of everyday life is important.

Liz Allan [00:18:13]:
And this is, this is what you said to me before, isn't it? You. You call it. So it's the zero-to-landfill kind of side of what you're trying to do, isn't it?

Rachel Morrison [00:18:23]:
Yeah. So for our waste provider, it is zero to landfill. And we, you know, kind of. Which is really important because you never quite know what a production is going to get rid of. But also, you know, kind of we have this destination zero. We're on that committed path to try and make sure that, you know, we limit our carbon footprint and a part of, you know, kind of exhibitions and conference spaces, but particularly filming. On my side, that is part of that discussion and that conversation and that journey.

Liz Allan [00:19:00]:
Because I was going to say, like, with everything electric being down there, I mean, obviously they're kind of, they're sort of. Their thinking, I'm assuming, is very, very similar to yours, you know, in the fact that what they're trying to do to get the word out about electric electrification as a whole aligns with what you're doing as an organisation anyway, doesn't it?

Rachel Morrison [00:19:26]:
Absolutely. And you know, kind of whether it's everything electric or sustainable skies, there are a number of different events that we put on, on site that are in and around innovation and exploring good use of electric, finding ways in which we can think a bit more holistically across, across our, you know, kind of industries, you know, whether that be aviation or whether that is automotive, to be able to help be that place where people are having that discussion.

Liz Allan [00:20:03]:
I think, yeah, just, just been able to, just being able to do this. I mean, so, so partnership-wise, would you kind of say that, what, what percentage would you say you're able to kind of share with those, those partners, those local partners. And, and you know, I suppose really you kind of said about the costumes, didn't you, when you, when you were talking about kind of when you first realised that it was worth, worth doing all of this. Who, who are, who are those besides like British Heart foundation, who are the kind of the local organizations that, that benefit from this.

Rachel Morrison [00:20:47]:
The real variety depends on what it is, whether that is, you know, kind of particularly local educational spaces. So we've got good links with our colleges and our students, schools, and you know, whether that is them coming in and seeing a set and/or whether that is kind of gifting of wood at the end of it for their construction, part of their, you know, kind of their accreditation, or you know, GCSEs or whatever. So you know, kind of that it's, it's a whole variety of people and, and you know, kind of however we can support is really important. I mean, some of the Devil's Hour wood got made into community growing boxes that sit in a local park so that people can have their sort of allotments. So you know, kind of, you never quite know. And it's up to those creative souls that can do that, that make things to be able to go right, we've got this wood. What can you do with it, and what impact can it make for you?

Liz Allan [00:21:57]:
And I was going to say because, because you know, when you've, when you've actually had a series like that, it takes a while. They didn't know whether the third series was going to be commissioned, probably at that stage. So it's not as if you can keep it, is it? It's not as if you can put it all in a shed, you know, and hate and keep it for next time. So, so you know that thinking about that, the time lag, I mean, you've got to tell me, are they filming the third series yet? Do you know, I'm being really naughty asking you that.

Rachel Morrison [00:22:27]:
Yes, sadly. But, but you know, it's kind of a great series. But also, you know, it was really interesting that you said we can't keep all those props in a shed. Well, actually, that's what now streamers are thinking about doing. So all those props. Because obviously you need the same props in if you've got a set which is someone's living room, you're going to need the same props in exactly the same order for the next series. If you are recreating exactly that now, going out and buying the same stuff, it just makes no sense. So what big streamers are looking at, like Disney and Paramount, are finding those longer-term storage solutions so that they can be more sustainable.

Rachel Morrison [00:23:19]:
And so it's not just kind of the studios, it's a whole industry aiming to be able to try and be more sustainable and certainly BAFTA Albert are really hoping to, to really crack it by, by sort of 2030, 2040, which, you know, kind of feels soon. But you know, kind of if you're asking a production to sign up to a number of different things, they're the people who we all need to adhere to in order to be able to get their accreditation. And it's really important, and they do an incredible job.

Liz Allan [00:24:02]:
And I was going to say, you know, kind of going back to the cost, like you've just said, for the Devil's Hour. You know, the, the kind of, I suppose it's the offsetting if you're having to make those same sets up again, it's the cost of set making, making that all up again and everything like you said in the living room or whatever, where whichever part that they're, they're filming versus storage, you know, and yeah, I just, I can imagine that. So, yes, store, you know, storage is one thing, but actually having to make them again, it makes sense to do all of this, doesn't it?

Rachel Morrison [00:24:46]:
Well, it's a huge cost. Yeah. Because obviously you're, you know, kind of, these aren't walls, so you have that, you know, kind of. They're generally plywood that are recommended, created through incredible prop and construction teams, and it literally is, don't know what's going on with this team's recreating things from the very start.

Liz Allan [00:25:12]:
Sorry, I, I, I was just literally saying, I was just literally going to send you a message because I couldn't, I couldn't hear you, you just totally froze. So my apologies. That probably came out absolutely fine. Maybe you need to give me a rundown of what you said so I can comment on it.

Rachel Morrison [00:25:29]:
Yes. So yell, as you mentioned, about the cost, and it certainly is a cost to recreate all of this. So, you know, kind of you think, oh, they look like proper wood, proper brick walls, but actually it's generally plywood. We did all the standing sets for Belfast, and they created a whole street set seen outside, and it was incredible. Just beautiful, beautiful sets. But you know, kind of generally it is wood and scaffolds and things like that, but it takes a lot and a lot of really incredible expertise to be able to recreate the frontage of a shop in Belfast, you know, kind of during the Troubles. But to recreate that is expensive. And then, storing it is so much easier.

Liz Allan [00:26:21]:
Abs totally get you because. And that's just. Yeah. Now, now that I understand it's kind of opened up, opened up a whole way of thinking, going Oh my God. So they've got to do all these things, you know, so it just makes, makes a mass a massive difference. So, besides Albert, then? Because obviously, Albert's a big thing, but maybe I don't know how. What percentage of organisations are kind of signed up? Is is there anything that the kind of the wider film and TV sector need to do to kind of address sort of environmental impact or, or if you know, is there still a long, long way to go or are you kind of, I mean for you there's one thing, but then looking out at everybody else, you know, are things changing? Are the number of kind of people who are Albert accredited, is it going up exponentially or is it just like tiptoeing forwards a bit?

Rachel Morrison [00:27:13]:
I think the movement is definitely there, and I think it's definitely moving forward. Without a doubt. I think we've got a little bit of way to go, and that's largely because there isn't the time for preparation. Quite a lot of our workforce is freelance, and so you know, kind of they're working with, within the parameters of, you know, kind of. We need a team that has generators to be able to deliver X, Y, and Z. We often don't have. If you're on location, you often don't have grid access. So being able to generate your power through generators is very much the norm.

Rachel Morrison [00:28:00]:
And so whatever we can do to kind of explore batteries or whether that is looking at alternative fuels is all really part of that conversation. But there is a real reticence certainly in terms of batteries and things because they're, they're heavy to move around and they might not last. And people are worried that, you know, kind of things might not be charged. And then of course that stops a whole, stops everyone from working. So. And the amount of power is also an element. And so do we have enough power packs for X, Y and Z? You know, kind of for our, you know, I guess, you know, 25 trailers and you know, 10 cameras and all those kinds of elements that all need to be powered up and also to last for the duration of a 12-hour shoot. So we are making headway, but it is, it is slightly slower than a number of people are pushing for, but it's, it is the way forward and you know, kind of.

Rachel Morrison [00:29:10]:
And it's, it, we're really Excited about that journey and helping spearhead that movement is really important for us as a studio at Farnborough International because it's, it's what we're doing across the wider business as well.

Liz Allan [00:29:27]:
No, it totally makes sense. And I was going to say, I think when we were on the phone, I was talking to you, didn't I, about Dale Vince from the CEO of Ecotricity, who was involved with or working with or partnered with a company called Grid Fairies last year at Glastonbury. And I know we've had Glastonbury this year fairly recently, and I don't know, I don't know whether this happened this year, but they powered a whole stage with kind of like batteries and, you know, kind of. I think I saw a photo of what it looked like. I think there might have been a video as well. But that, that was, that was amazing. So I suppose if you can move towards that way of, of powering like you said, for, for up to 12 hours or however long your, your shooting for, then, then, you know, that's, that's kind of what we need to. Need to sort of.

Liz Allan [00:30:22]:
Or, you know, various people who are reticent now need to be heading for, don't they?

Rachel Morrison [00:30:27]:
Absolutely. And we've got Coldplay, who are getting people to cycle and create energy for their tour. You know, there are ways and means. But it's about taking the big step, I think, to be able to do that.

Liz Allan [00:31:08]:
So, what would you say are the most sustainable innovations that you're seeing coming through at the moment? What are you most excited about, you know, with regards to innovations that are moving forward and supporting you as an organisation?

Rachel Morrison [00:31:39]:
Yeah, I think, you know, kind of batteries are really, that's really exciting. We're seeing much bigger batteries being able to be put on sites and that's really exciting. And you know, as you say, People have just got to get on board with it, but they also need to be tried and tested. And that's the really critical element for our industry at the moment. People feel that they're part of, part of that, you know, kind of. We're one of the only places that are doing sort of fully on-grid unit bases that we try to support. So anything like that is really important to us that we can work with a production, know how much power they use and that they want, and then just, you know, hook them up to our grid. But what we're finding is that lots of, you know, kind of certainly talking to the Albert team, they're finding lots of people are over speccing some of their, their, their kit and you know, kind of making sure we've got bigger generators for actually what they need.

Rachel Morrison [00:32:43]:
So I was in a conversation a few weeks ago, and they were talking about having power, you know, kind of power expertise as part of the unit, management as part of our industry, just to help people know how much is needed and then spec to that point rather than going over and above and burning more fuel than needed. So there's some real sort of different conversations happening, you know, and across the stages. There was a conversation at the British Film Commission about having HBO hubs that productions could explore, and obviously, we've got one on site, so you know, kind of thinking about how that can support productions. It's going to be an interesting new development for us that we hope to, we hope to deliver. But, but yeah, it's, and just helping with all those conversations, you know, whether it's can you gift your excess foods to Olio or can you explore what you're going to be getting rid of at the end of your shoot, at the beginning of your shoot, so that we can prep it?

Liz Allan [00:33:58]:
And that, oh my God, that makes so much, so much sense because otherwise people are just probably going from one thing to the next thing, aren't they? You know, they'll be involved in something else. So, so doing it at the last minute is kind of like, oh, you know, it is a bit late, isn't it? Doing it fairly early on, as you're suggesting, and getting them to think about it is a really good thing.

Rachel Morrison [00:34:23]:
Absolutely. And, it's really difficult in our industry because quite often people don't have the time or suddenly jump into a new space, and that's where we can be really supportive and go, you know what, we've got these connections in the community, we've got this workforce that we can support you with. We can help be part of your journey to being more sustainable. So use us.

Liz Allan [00:34:48]:
Exactly. So remind me how many. Because you've got a load of solar panels down there, haven't you? How many have you got? If you're generating 30% of your electricity through solar, how many panels have you got?

Rachel Morrison [00:35:04]:
Oh, gosh, I probably should know this, but we've got a shed load. They are all over our 134,000-square-foot site. So that is one of our biggest studios. That is our biggest studio, and the solar panels are right across it. And so, you know, kind of. And we are. Because we're so close to an airport, we have a lot of, a lot of sky. And so it's because they need to be able to land these planes.

Rachel Morrison [00:35:35]:
So, you know, kind of we almost have our own little microclimate. But we do have just, you know, kind of the ability to, to make sure that if people are plugging into the grid on site through multiple power sources, you know, kind of they, they can have those credentials that, you know, it. It is from a renewable source. And you know, kind of when it's not. When it's on grid and not run by the. By the sun and when it is run by the sun, that's a lovely 30% of the site's annual needs through solar.

Liz Allan [00:36:10]:
And that makes. That in itself makes a massive difference. So, so do you. So you've got a number of EV charging points, haven't you? How many, how many have you? How many have you got on site?

Rachel Morrison [00:36:23]:
So we've got 12 on site. So with two on either side. So they're. Yeah, they're really easy to use. And also, you know, kind of as part of our staff commitment, we have a, you know, kind of ways in which as a, as a staff member you can get an electrical vehicle with reductions. So there isn't. There is a question whether it's people coming to the site or whether it's us as a team, that's an important part of the conversation.

Liz Allan [00:36:56]:
So how. Right, I need to ask you this question because I haven't done it. How many people are permanently on that site? Because you just say so, you've got. So I think you. Meaning a salary sacrifice. You've got a salary sacrifice scheme through these. But how many people are actually on the site looking after it?

Rachel Morrison [00:37:16]:
So across the site, who aren't always on site, there's a workforce of 80 people.

Liz Allan [00:37:22]:
Okay.

Rachel Morrison [00:37:23]:
And we have a very small studio team. But actually the wider team look after everything to do with the air show, everything to do with the Bahrain Air show, everything to do with our on-site events that we create. So that might be sustainable skies or our space event, or it is part of the team who are a venue team who help support events coming to the site and help deliver events on site. It is a vast array of people with an incredible amount of talent. But you can be sitting next to someone who is creating an air show by doing all the flight mapping, and then the next minute you're sitting next to our incredible health and safety team and talking about the British Motor show, which is another event that we run and do with stunts galore, vehicle wrapping and lots of electric vehicle celebration.

Liz Allan [00:38:31]:
Yes, I did actually help women Drive Electric. I think I got her. He seems ages ago. I. But it was last, it was last year at the British Motor show, and you know they took up quite. It was, it was good to see so many EVs and things, you know. And, actually, I know that George and Michele from Women Drive Electric were kind of. They powered their lights, TV, and things like that from the car and people.

Liz Allan [00:39:01]:
I was talking to people about that because people don't realise the kind of vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-load and all that. You know, vehicle to X and all this kind of stuff, which was really interesting for people to find. Find out about. But it was, it was a good, it was a really good event.

Rachel Morrison [00:39:18]:
I mean, it's kind of a real family event, but also a real opportunity to see what the merging is in automotive and also to celebrate the crazy. So, you know, there's always Guinness World Records and lots of donuts, skid pan racing, and all these kinds of things on site. So it's, you know, it is a fun, it is a fun time but you know, kind of. Women Drive Electric. Yes, yes, yes. This is so important, and it is actually for women to feel empowered to be able to drive whatever they would like to drive. I'm all for that.

Liz Allan [00:39:58]:
Yeah. And actually be able to ask the questions that kind of you know, probably in some cases. I'm sorry, guys, listening. But in some cases, men wouldn't necessarily ask. Ask those kinds of questions that you know, sometimes women ask you. We end up asking questions and, and sort of that, that just literally might sound silly, but when we're talking about EVs, it's all quite new to a lot of people, isn't it? So there's no, there aren't any silly questions, to be honest. We just need to kind of embrace it.

Rachel Morrison [00:40:33]:
Absolutely. And also being able to test drive, you know, kind of, that's one of the things that Britain most showed us, really. Well, you can test drive vehicles on site, and that's. And there's nothing like that, is it? You know, kind of you may have some strange preconceptions about what an electric vehicle is like and, or you know, kind of that range anxiety, but actually when you try and drive one you really notice that actually it's, you know, kind of, you know, these are great vehicles that have the same kind of response as a fuel based vehicle and actually, but you're able to charge from home or like, like me from a, a lamppost on the road and they, they are just as good, just as responsive and just as fast.

Liz Allan [00:41:23]:
And actually, I should really point out that everything electric does all of their EVs, and they, you know, all of the EVs and the companies that come to everything electric, there are so many test drives of just electric vehicles there. It's it that, that is, that gives you such a big opportunity to kind of do that. I think last year, or maybe the even year, the year before now, I tested well, sorry, Sara Sloman from the EV Cafe test drove a BYD Atto, myself and Gary Comerford, who's another podcaster like me, we were in the back and singing away to lots of songs. But anyway, so, so, but it's just you're giving these organisations the ability to, to have a space where they can do all of that, aren't you?

Rachel Morrison [00:42:15]:
Yeah, we've got a lot of outside space. So for us, you know, kind of for a production to have 3500 car parking spaces is a joy. But obviously when it is an event day, you know, kind of some of that, that space, not all of it because we'll always have something filming, but some of that space gets used for those, those, those driving opportunities because it's great, great to be able to try these things out and, and you know, kind of see things, you know, just give it a go really.

Liz Allan [00:42:48]:
Exactly. So I'm going to ask you one final, one final question. Okay. So what would you like to, what do you hope that people take away from their experience of working with Farnborough?

Rachel Morrison [00:43:05]:
I really hope that people take away the care and the passion that we have for doing things a bit more sustainable, more sustainably. I really hope that people have a think and also, you know, just be able to give space to their production to go. Okay, right. These guys know some community groups that could support set reuse and give productions that opportunity, so they don't have to start forging new connections. We can help them on that journey and, and be able to help get rid of their set sustainably, help make sure that they're using HVO and also powering into, into the grid with the solar, with supporting with solar power. So those are the kind of things that I really hope that are that productions coming to site and indeed anyone coming to site, whether you're a guest or a visitor to any of our events that, you know, we have got a destination zero commitment and that it's really important to us as an organization and we hope that we can help people have that same passion for this as well.

Liz Allan [00:44:23]:
Oh, bless you. Well, listen, it's been lovely talking to you. I really, really appreciate your time. It's, it's just, it's been great. And, actually, I'm going to have to find you at the next Everything Electric, aren't I? You know, because I will be there definitely. And yeah, it'll be, it'll be great to kind of meet you, meet you properly or even, even another time because I'm only 45.

Rachel Morrison [00:44:50]:
You are always welcome. Liz. Come for a brew and a bit of a wander around because I'd love to show you what we do and, and what we, we try to do and, and just thank you so much for your time and asking me to come and talk because it's just what you're, you're doing is really important and however we can get people to, to be part of that electric evolution is really important.

Liz Allan [00:45:15]:
Oh, you got my note. You got the podcast name right. I'm delighted and will have to put you on my Christmas card list.

Rachel Morrison [00:45:24]:
Anytime.

Liz Allan [00:45:25]:
Bless you. So, I will take you up on that offer. I will come down and see you. But I was going to say so at that point, I'm going to say thank you. Thank you to Rachel. Thank you. It's been, it's been lovely to have you on. I really, really enjoy talking to you and to everybody else, please, you know, this is something a little bit different.

Liz Allan [00:45:42]:
We've not looked at sustainable film, you know, film and sets before, and this kind of thing before and just hope it sort of sparked a bit of kind of recognition when you do go to, you know, an event like Everything Electric or you know, see these places and think, blimey, oh yeah, they've got to do all these things. So, yeah, please share your details in the show notes, Rachel. To everyone, please subscribe and share all of these videos, including this one and the ones we've got out there. If you're listening on audio, then do, do all the, all the wonderful things that, that I always ask you to do. On that note, I'd like to extend my thanks to Rachel once again. Thank you for joining me. And to everyone else, thank you. See you next time.

Rachel Morrison [00:46:32]:
Bye. Thank you.