Star Wars may take place in a Galaxy, Far, Far Away but thanks to OU researchers, Yoda may not be the only thing green about future installments of the famous sci-fi franchise.
Researchers at the Open University have developed a new tool, which they hope could make film-making more sustainable. The work hopes its calculator tool could help the industry make carbon-emission comparisons about which materials and methods are the most sustainable to use.
The scientists worked out that the metal used to create the original R2D2 used 686kg of CO2 but a CGI version of the droid produced a whopping 4,248kg of CO2 – six times the amount of the physical model.
The research, backed by BAFTA Albert, was carried out by an OU academic with a passion for Star Wars. ITV and ITV News Anglia have been part of the scheme designed to reduce our carbon footprint.
Dr Rebecca Harrison, a senior lecturer in film and media at the OU, and is the project lead behind The Environmental Impact of Filmmaking (EIF).
