The production of series destined for streaming and other digital platforms has caused a spike in L.A.’s production activity, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all pilot production last year, according to a study by FilmLA Inc., a nonprofit that coordinates production permitting in Los Angeles. That steep rise from less than 1 percent in 2012 demonstrates both the ascendancy of streaming services as well as the region’s continued strength as a creative hub.
While an expanded tax credit program offered by the California Film Commission has helped bring a variety of productions back to the region, the growing number of digital platforms hosting original content means more shows are getting greenlit, which in turn leads to increased opportunities for local facilities and crews.
What’s more, many series greenlit by subscription-based services such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, receive a straight-to-series order, which means full first seasons are filmed without having to shoot a pilot first.
“Our data shows that nearly every lot is being impacted right now in Los Angeles,” said Adrian McDonald, a research analyst at FilmLA. “They’re all at 100 percent capacity.”
Paul Adley, president of FilmLA, said production of programming for streaming services had begun to make its mark over the last three years. That’s important to the region, because shows picked up for series are likely to stay in the same location where the pilot was produced.
For example, the pilot for Hulu’s “Citizen” drama was shot locally with a $9.7 million budget and a cast and crew of 180 people as well as about 1,900 extras. The rest of the series added a total spend of $45.4 million, an additional cast of 67 actors, and 2,600 more extras.
Netflix had the most projects produced in Los Angeles between 2015 and 2016 – 16 – followed by Amazon with seven and Hulu with six.
One of those Netflix shows is Norman Lear’s “One Day at a Time” reboot, a co-production with Sony set to premiere in January. Its 13 episodes were shot at the Sony lot after it was ordered straight to series.
“Sony is one of the only spaces that can accommodate a multicamera shoot and live studio audience made up of 200 people,” said Brent Miller, head of development and production at Lear’s Act III Productions. “Since more comedies have gone to single camera, it can be more of a challenge to find a space for a show like ours.”
The influence of straight-to-series production for streaming outlets is also changing the traditional production cycle. In the 2015-16 season, 35 network and cable shows were ordered straight to series. Three years ago that number was only 10. Meanwhile, 22 more shows received full-season orders from streaming services, according to FilmLA, bringing the total number to 57.
Tapping future
Emerging technology could yet spur even more digital productions in Los Angeles. For example, Sony’s streaming video website Crackle announced last week that it would start producing virtual reality programming; others could follow.
NantStudio in Culver City is readying itself for the onset of additional virtual reality shoots by offering a 360-degree green-screen studio – which it claims is the largest of its kind in Los Angeles – that’s set up for virtual reality and motion-capture production in the same space. The so-called smart stage allows productions to merge digital and physical worlds together in real time.
Founded by former actress Michele Soon-Shiong in 2014, the studio was designed by Oscar-winning production designer Rick Heinrichs and operations director John Dexter,
who also acts as a liaison to help producers get the most out of the studio space and all of its gadgets. NantStudio has attracted TV projects such as HBO’s “Silicon Valley” and several music video shoots for artists such as Ariana Grande. The studio has also just signed a deal with Vancouver-based virtual reality and performance capture studio Animatrik.
“As an actor, I had observed a tremendous loss of jobs as production left Los Angeles,” said Soon-Shiong, who is married to billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, chairman and chief executive of NantWorks, the studio’s parent company. “Creating this studio was my way of trying to bring Hollywood back to Hollywood.”
NantStudio was designed to be as flexible as possible in terms of accommodating a variety of types of shoots and budgets.
“We wanted it to be cost-effective but also sustainable,” said Soon-Shiong.
