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L.A. On-Location Production Falls 13% in Q3 as TV Slumps and Features Tick Up

New state tax credits have yet to translate into higher shoot totals.

Overview

  • FilmLA logged 4,380 shoot days across the region from July through September, down 13.2% year over year and continuing a multi-year slide.
  • Television was the main drag at 1,441 shoot days, off 20.7%, with reality and game shows plunging to 649 days and far below the five-year average.
  • Feature film activity provided a limited bright spot, rising 9.7% to 522 shoot days, though still roughly 30% under recent norms.
  • California’s expanded $750 million Film & TV Tax Credit approved 22 TV projects in August, and recipients have up to 180 days to begin filming, so the awards are largely absent from Q3 counts.
  • Incentive-linked work accounted for 22% of feature and 9% of TV shoot days under the prior program, and FilmLA says productions are already lining up permits as competition from other subsidized hubs remains intense.