On-location film production in Greater Los Angeles slipped 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 2015 to 8,707 Shoot Days*, according to a new research update from FilmL.A. The not-for-profit organization FilmL.A. serves as the official film office of the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles and other area jurisdictions.
FilmL.A.’s report illustrates to what extent L.A. Feature production levels are tied to the availability of California state film incentives. Regional Feature production decreased 15.4 percent to 926 SD, in the first quarter of 2015 over the same period the prior year. Feature film projects that qualified for the California State Film & Tax Credit Program in 2014 generated 42 SD in the early part of 2015. Without these projects, overall Feature levels would have been 4.5 percent lower. State-qualified Feature projects included Drive, She Said, Message From the King, Scouts vs. Zombies, and The Perfect Guy.
“We are grateful for the increased production, especially in television, associated with the current tax credit,” said FilmL.A. President Paul Audley. “We remain hopeful that the region will also see gains in the feature category once the new credit adopted in AB 1839 takes effect in a few months.”
Incentives from the State of California also support local Television production. On- location Television production inched ahead 1.7 percent in the first quarter, totaling 3,312 SD. Quarterly growth in TV Drama subcategory (up 29.7 percent to 1,058 SD) and TV Reality subcategory (up 19.8 percent to 1,245 SD) offset losses for TV Pilots (down 19.4 percent to 257 SD), TV Sitcoms (down 14.8 percent to 304 SD) and Web- Based TV (down 12.2 percent to 202 SD). The state incentive brought 142 SD to Los Angeles, retaining projects like Hit the Floor, Justified, Murder in the First, Stitchers and Teen Wolf. Last quarter, these shows generated 13.4 percent of the SD logged in the Television Drama subcategory.
Regional on-location Commercial production increased 6.2 percent in the first quarter, totaling 1,435 SD. Some of the brands filming spots for television and the web in Los Angeles include: Best Buy, Bose, Honda, TJ Maxx, Samsung and Yelp!
* On-location production figures are based on days of permitted production within the jurisdictions served by FilmL.A. One “Shoot Day” (or “SD”) is defined as one crew’s permission to film at one or more defined locations during all or part of any given 24‐ hour period. This measure determines how many days of work film crews perform during a given time period. FilmL.A. data does not include production that occurs on certified sound stages or on-location in jurisdictions not served by FilmL.A.
For context, production growth in any tracked category is measured against the same period in the prior year and that category’s five-year rolling average.