It may have been a blockbuster year at the box office, but 2009 was a dud for local film and TV production.

On-location filming in Los Angeles sank 19 percent last year compared with 2008, the steepest year-over-year decline since tracking began in 1993, according to FilmL.A. Inc., the nonprofit group that handles film permits for the city and parts of the county.

The production sector — a major employer and key component of L.A.’s local economy — was buffeted on several fronts. Hardest hit was feature film production, which had been steadily falling over much of the last decade as L.A. lost jobs to Canada and, increasingly, other states such as New Mexico, Louisiana and Michigan that offer tax credits and rebates to filmmakers.

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