Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

“There is no greater duty for any nation than protecting our people and our planet,” - UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, at the 2020 Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow. ‍ In 2020, the UK exported 688,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste; that’s an equivalent of 1.8 million kilograms a day. This plastic waste is dumped onto third world and developing countries, exacerbating the global health and environmental crisis. ‍ We wanted to create a film that would raise awareness of the issue in a way that would spark serious discussion around the actionable change needed. Wasteminster is a uniquely original depiction of the plastic waste crisis the UK is fuelling every single day.

Tell the jury about the animation used and summarise any relevant challenges or techniques.

While we chose animation to create a satirical tone, we also wanted the film to convey in the most accurate way possible, the true scale of the issue at hand. An exact replica of Downing Street was built based on satellite imagery. We researched the most common items that make up plastic waste, which resulted in 150 different pieces of plastic trash. To realise the most realistic camerawork possible, we built a custom virtual reality camera rig that allowed an Oculus Rift VR headset to be mounted to a professional camera mount so the directors could physically hand-operate a "real" camera in a virtual reality representation of the scenes. This hand-held feel to the camerawork transports the viewer into the action and lets them experience the kinetic energy on the spot as if they were being swept along with Boris Johnson.