On-location filming showed an improvement in the fourth quarter when compared to a year ago, according to figures released this month by FilmLA.
The Studio City nonprofit that coordinates location film permits in Los Angeles, unincorporated Los Angeles County and other jurisdictions reported on Jan. 15 that it handled 5,860 on-location shoot days from October through December. That compares to 5,520 shoot days in the same period a year earlier, or an increase of 6.2%.
Still, for all of last year, the organization handled 23,480 shoot days, or a 5.6 % decrease from the 24,873 shoot days it did in all of 2023.
“That made 2024 the second least productive year observed by FilmLA; only 2020, disrupted by the global Covid-19 pandemic, saw lower levels of filming in area communities,” FilmLA said in a release.
A shoot day is one crew’s permission to film at one or more locations during a 24-hour period. FilmLA’s data does not include activity on soundstages or studio backlots.
FilmLA President Paul Audley remarked on the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area and their impact on the entertainment industry.
“It is important we recognize that no aspect of life in greater Los Angeles is unaffected by recent fire events and the heartbreaking loss of lives, homes, businesses and cherished community spaces,” Audley said in a statement. “Many who participate in the region’s entertainment economy are directly affected by this tragedy; and many places beloved by nationwide audiences may never return to the screen.”
Most production types tracked by FilmLA achieved gains in the fourth quarter, except for reality TV, which instead logged its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline, for a decrease of 45.7% to 774 shoot days.
The poor performance of reality TV filming on location dragged down the overall TV category to 1,596 shoot days for the quarter, for a decrease of 6.5%. The other three TV categories – drama, comedy and pilots – all showed an increase. For the year, those three categories also showed an increase.
Feature films had an increase in the fourth quarter of 82%, or a spike to 589 shoot days, compared to the 323 shoot days in the same period of 2023, a gain analysts attribute to independent film activity.
“The California Film & Television Tax Credit Program also played a part, driving 19.2% of quarterly category activity,” according to the FilmLA release. “Overall, annual feature production was up 18.8% in 2024.”
On-location filming of commercials was up during the fourth quarter by 2.3% to 763 shoot days, compared to 746 shoot days in the same period of 2023.
FilmLA’s “Other” category, which aggregates smaller, lower-cost shoots such as still photography, student films, documentaries, music and industrial videos and other projects, increased 6.1% to 2,912 shoot days for the quarter, compared to 2,744 shoot days in the fourth quarter of 2023.
