Filming levels in Los Angeles are slipping amid a global production crunch and escalating competition from other regions to host movies and TV shows.
The three-month period from January to March saw losses in every category of production compared to the same period last year, according to a report from FilmLA, the nonprofit group that handles film permits for the city and county, issued on Monday. Shooting in L.A. decreased over 22 percent to 5,295 shoot days over that span.
More than a year removed from the strikes, the entertainment industry hasn’t returned to filming in L.A. as initially expected. Shooting levels in the region, which was exacerbated by reductions in content spend across most studios, last year recorded the lowest figure observed by FilmLA since it started tracking the data in 2017 (excluding 2020, when filming was halted amid the pandemic). Amid the steep drop-off in production, California lawmakers have proposed expanding the program that gives subsidies to productions that film in the state.
Most alarming is the continuing plunge in shooting for TV shows, long a mainstay and anchor of production in L.A. Filming for the category is down an estimated 30 percent versus the same period last year and nearly 50 percent compared to the five year average. There were just 13 TV pilots that shot in L.A. last quarter, the lowest tally ever observed by FilmLA.
The film office stressed that production for TV comedies declined nearly 30 percent last quarter to 110 shoot days. Notably, such shows are mostly half-hour series, which are currently ineligible to qualify for California’s tax credit program.
In a bid to keep up with other regions broadening the types of productions that can receive subsidies, California lawmakers have proposed allowing TV shows consisting of two or more episodes of at least 20 minutes to qualify for subsidies. Other productions that could get credits under the revisions to the bill include sitcoms, animated films, series or shorts and “large-scale competition” shows, excluding reality, documentary programming and game or talk shows. They must have budgets of at least $1 million.
As the hardest-hit segment of L.A.’s production economy, declines in TV filming carry significant consequences for industry workers. Last year, there were roughly 7,700 shoot days for TV shows, a decrease of over 58 percent in three years from its 2021 peak.
Shooting for features in the region didn’t fare much better with just 451 shoot days, which represents a roughly 29 percent decrease compared to the first quarter of 2024.
A report issued by FilmLA last week showed a steep decline in soundstage occupancy over the past two years, highlighting the plunge in filming in the region. Seventeen studios that operate the majority of stages in L.A. posted average occupancy rates of 63 percent last year, down from 69 percent in 2023.
FilmLA also noted that the wildfires that razed the Pacific Palisades and Altadena had a minimal impact on production. A recent analysis by the film permitting office found that those areas only hosted roughly 1,400 shoot days over the past four years, equivalent to 1.3 percent of all regional filming.
Approximately 545 filming locations fell within the fires’ burn zones. They remain off-limits to shooting.
“The fires sent many productions scrambling to reschedule shoots and displaced hundreds of industry workers from their homes,” said FilmLA vice president of communications Philip Sokoloski. “But their impact on local filming levels appears to have been temporary.”
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