FilmL.A.’s third-quarter film production report is out, and the news has cast a chill over the industry’s hopes for a year-end recovery. Overall on-location film production dropped 14.3 percent in the third quarter, with a 21.4 percent drop in television production leading the decline. All told, filmmakers logged 9,680 permitted production days (PPD) between July through September 2009, compared … Read More
Action on the Set! Tax Credits Putting Local Crews to Work
After a years-long battle by film industry supporters, business and labor groups, job creation advocates and committed legislators to secure a film and television tax incentive, Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation creating tax credits for film and television production in February of this year. With the Legislature’s passage of the program, California became one of over 40 states to offer … Read More
Year-to-Date Filming Levels Deflate
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
FilmL.A. Board Member Profile: Dan Swartz
Dan Swartz is the newest member of the FilmL.A. Board of Directors, having been appointed in May 2009 as a community representative. An architect and real estate developer, Dan is a Midwest transplant (1979) who has loved being a resident of downtown Los Angeles since 2005. To learn his perspectives on FilmL.A. and the Los Angeles film production environment, our … 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