As FilmL.A. last week, on-location filming across all tracked categories declined 24.5 percent in the first half of 2009, compared to the same six-month period in 2008. We recorded 19,015 permitted production days (PPD) between January and June 2009, compared to 25,196 PPD tallied in the previous year. Struggling under four straight quarters of double-digit losses, Feature film production … Read More
Getting a Grip on Reality
Since FilmL.A. was founded in 1995, we have regularly provided detailed information about the volume and type of permitted on-location filming coordinated by our office. Our film production data, widely viewed as the best available benchmark of regional filming activity, has been used by countless researchers studying entertainment and its impact on the local economy. In mid-July, we will publish … Read More
Local Television Pilot Production Plummets
Not long ago, each February found the Los Angeles region abuzz with film production activity. New television pilots, produced in anticipation of May screenings for network television advertisers, joined continuing TV series, feature films and commercial projects in competition for talent, crews, stage space and sought-after locations. But, pilot producers working in L.A. might find that they have their pick … Read More
L.A. Region’s On-Location Filming in Freefall
For our local film production professionals, the first quarter of 2009 was a tough time to find work on feature films or commercial projects in Los Angeles. As FilmL.A. on April 14, 2009, on-location feature film and commercial production levels experienced drastic year-over-year declines for the period, while television production misleadingly appeared to soar compared to the strike-affected first quarter … Read More
L.A.-Based Big-Budget Features Going, Going, Gone?
FilmL.A.’s annual production figures for 2008 are in, and the data reveal that all is not well with L.A.’s signature industry. Total on-location filming coordinated by FilmL.A. decreased 8.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007, from 13,353 to 12,277 permitted days of production. By year’s end, total days had dropped 1.7 percent, … Read More