Behind the Glamour: What It Really Takes to Make a Film

An interview with Margot Maritz and Leverage Point Entertainment

I have always expressed myself through films, what they are and how they make us feel. The stories that are being told, and the many that are untold, ready for someone to experience them in different ways.

We love films for what they show us - but we rarely think about what it takes to create them.

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with Zsofia Szemerédy, the founder of Leverage Point Entertainment. She introduced me to Margot Maritz, and we had a wonderful talk about films, sustainability, her role in the industry, and so much more. In this article, I am going to cover everything we talked about, as well as some things that still need to change in the industry, and how.

Introduction & Background

Margot is from South Africa, and she is a wonderful person who was very easy to talk to. She knew from a very young age that art and entertainment were her passions, but so was the environment and keeping it safe.

“I always knew that those two things would somehow come together,” she says.

So naturally, after graduating, she enrolled in university and got her MA in Climate Storytelling and Sustainable Filmmaking. After a while, she started working with Leverage Point Entertainment.

They are a sustainability agency based in the UK, also working within the EU, helping to shape the industry in a way that is sustainable and climate-aware.

What Does Sustainability on Set Actually Look Like?

Sustainability on set is present in many different ways, and much of it begins long before filming starts.

“Sustainability on set is about embedding conscious decision-making into every stage of production, from planning and power use to materials, catering, and logistics. It’s a collaborative process that involves every department, with the goal of reducing environmental impact while collecting data to continually improve how we work,” Margot explains.

This includes strategic planning, sustainability meetings, ongoing communication with heads of department and crew, identifying and implementing sustainable alternatives across departments, improving fuel and energy efficiency, working with sustainable vendors and catering solutions, and managing waste responsibly by diverting materials from landfill through donation and reuse.

It sounds complex - but across an entire production, small decisions become systems.

Margot also explained that sustainability can exist within storytelling itself. For example, something as simple as placing recycling bins in the background of a public scene can help normalize sustainable behavior and subtly influence audience perception.

“I Did It” Moments

Margot says that there are many moments where she felt like she made a real difference, but one of the most recent ones was when Leverage Point Entertainment was able to achieve up to 95.6% diesel-free production on two of the productions they worked on.

“That was one of those moments where you feel like something actually changed,” she says.

This is what we often don’t see. There is a rise in actors who are becoming more aware of working on sustainable sets, and sustainability is no longer just a “friction”-it is becoming part of the standard.

Working with writers, producers, and even actors can be such a privilege, but at the same time, as a company they provide ideas, guidance, and help create a safe space. Making sure everyone is okay and feels good is also part of their priority.

Because the reality is simple: you cannot create something meaningful in a system that ignores its impact.

Changing the Industry

Margot admits that it is hard to change the mindset of people who have been in the industry for so long and have relied on the same systems for years.

“It’s difficult to change habits that people have relied on for years,” she says.

However, there is a growing need for change in the industry. More festivals, for instance, are giving more opportunities to films with sustainable filmmaking processes. Film studios are also changing their policies, making sustainability a requirement rather than an option. Some are refusing access to studios or filming locations if productions are not done sustainably, and this is creating real change.

This is no longer just an idea - it is slowly becoming a requirement.

What We See vs What We Don’t See

For us as the audience, the important part is to get the film, enjoy it, and draw something from the story that will stay with us for a while.

But we only see the final product.

We do not see what it takes to create it.

Talking to Margot got me thinking about our own worlds and the way we live in them. Is there anything more important than the planet we are on? If we take just a step back, we can become aware of our own smallness.

We are just a dot in this universe, if not even less, and we let our world suffer in so many different ways. Hearing someone, not just one person, but a group of people, caring so much about all of our existence really made me think. It made me wonder: what if we all tried?

If we think for a second about this endless circle we are in and all the things that surround us, all the nature, the people, and the art we have, is it not enough for us to be more than grateful to this planet?

We do not just watch films - we accept the systems behind them.

Sustainable Productions in the Industry

Talking more about the industry itself, we touched upon films that have been made with sustainable resources. Some of them are some of the biggest names in TV and film we know; A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Pitt, Severance, All Her Fault, Hamnet, I Love LA, Industry, Shrinking, The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Last of Us, and many others.

Seeing this and the impact it can have on the industry made me rethink how we see film and how deeply it intertwines with our lives.

Making It in the Industry

But how do you make it in the industry? I am sure there are many of us who have tried so much and for so long, and there just was not a chance.

Thinking about the art we make and what we expect from it, often we get so much into our own heads and expect too much from ourselves, when in reality making art is the opportunity to let go and be everything, the good and the bad, not just perfect.

Margot mentioned herself that there are so many ways in today’s world.

“Reach out, ask people you are inspired by to talk to you, to help you,” she says.
“Be innovative, make something you like and something you want others to see.”

That is why we watch films and enjoy them, because they are the untold stories that we go through with this invisible string that connects us all in one way or another.

Final Thought

We want to make more of what we consider our story. We have to continue making it. It is what gives us meaning and essence in this lifetime.

We can live many lives through art, sharing our hearts and souls with others, but we have to keep in mind that we only have one life that is truly ours, and it lasts about 80 years.

So maybe the most important thing is not just how we tell stories, but how we live them.

Because if we do not take care of the world we create in, there will not be stories left to tell.

-Notes from the in-between

Website: https://www.leveragepointent.com/ 
Linkedin: @Leverage Point Entertainment
Instagram: @leveragepointentertainment

Instagram: @Margot_GreenHumanity

Tiktok:  @Margot_GreenHumanity