Los Angeles Film and TV Production Approaches Historically Low Levels
Los Angeles’ film permitting office is ringing the alarm about low production levels after shooting in the region saw another decline.
The three-month period from July to September logged the weakest quarter so far this year, slipping 5 percent to roughly 5,000 shoot days, according to the latest report from FilmLA. The figure falls short of shooting in the area during the same time last year, when production was halted amid Hollywood’s dual writers and actors strikes.
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Industry output and employment continues to fall short of expectations. Every category of scripted production trails the five-year averages on both a per-quarter and year-to-date basis.
“Only a few months ago, the industry hoped we’d see an overall on-paper gain in the third quarter, due to the strike effect,” says FilmLA president Paul Audley. “Instead, we saw a pullback and loss of forward momentum.”
Audley stresses that production in the fall season will “make or break the year.”
Among the biggest causes for concern: a steep drop in unscripted TV production. Last quarter, shooting for the category fell roughly 56 percent compared to the same period last year, though it increased relative to last quarter (868 shoot days vs. 946). The falloff in shoot days for reality programming is more than the entire loss seen across all filming categories (5,311 shoot days in Q3 2023, vs. 5,048 in Q3 2024).
Filming for TV shows, long an anchor of production in L.A., also saw another decline. One reason for optimism is feature film production, some of which continued during the strikes and rose by over 25 percent last quarter to 476 shoot days.
Amid the historically low production levels, FilmLA is calling for an expansion to the California film and TV tax credit program to compete with other countries and states beefing up their incentives to lure Hollywood dollars. This summer, several series filmed their first seasons in the region because they qualified for the incentive. They include Forever, High Potential, Matlock and Orphan. Other long-running shows that continue to shoot in L.A. are Paradise City, S.W.A.T. and The Rookie. Nearly a quarter of all shoot days recorded for TV dramas came from titles receiving tax credits, according to FilmLA.
“California’s film incentive is a proven jobs creator that studies show provides a net positive return on every allocated dollar,” Audley says. “What the program lacks is funding and eligibility criteria that reflect the outputs of the industry in 2024. The program’s structure and management through the California Film Commission — these are excellent. But just as our competitors continue to innovate, California must do the same.”
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