Los Angeles, California – Television shows, feature films, and commercial production in the Los Angeles area experienced a significant decline during the first quarter of the year, a recent report revealed. According to data released by FilmLA, a nonprofit organization tracking on-location shoot days in the Greater Los Angeles region, production dropped by 22.4% compared to the same period the previous year. This decline resulted in a total of 5,295 on-location shoot days in the streets of L.A., a noticeable decrease from the 6,823 recorded in the same timeframe in the previous year.
The report highlighted that while the Southern California wildfires in January caused a temporary pause in productions and forced industry workers to evacuate, it did not have a long-term impact on production activities. The survey also identified Pacific Palisades and Altadena as areas that hosted over 1,400 shoot days in the past four years, accounting for about 1.3% of all regional filming. Furthermore, approximately 545 filming locations were located within areas affected by the wildfires, as reported by FilmLA.
Television production saw a significant decline of 30.5% in the first quarter, with decreases observed across all categories including dramas, comedies, reality shows, and pilots. Similarly, feature film production decreased by 28.9%, while commercials experienced a 2.1% drop. The “other” category, encompassing smaller productions like student projects and documentaries, also saw a decline of around 20%.
Industry experts expressed concerns about California losing production work to other states and countries offering attractive tax incentives. The challenges faced by the film and TV industry in recent years, including production halts due to the pandemic and strikes, have impacted the sector’s growth. Despite the influx of investments during the streaming wars, spending on new projects has slowed down in light of profitability concerns.
State officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, are pushing for enhancements to California’s tax credit program to attract productions back to the region and create more job opportunities for local workers. Proposals to increase the annual incentives allocated to the program aim to make California more competitive in the global production landscape. The legislative efforts underscore the importance of revitalizing the industry’s presence in Los Angeles and ensuring its sustainability in the face of growing competition.