Los Angeles Filming Levels Down Amid State Recovery Effort
Los Angeles film production levels remain low despite state tax credit expansions, with a significant drop in shoot days compared to previous years. Local officials are now pushing for more aggressive incentives to revitalize the industry.
Why it matters
The decline in local production threatens the economic stability of the entertainment industry in its primary hub, prompting policy shifts.
The expansion to California’s film and TV tax credit program hasn’t notably curbed lethargic production levels in Los Angeles, at least not yet.
L.A. saw a nearly 13 percent drop in shoot days from April to June compared to the same period last year and an 8 percent drop compared to the previous quarter, according to the latest report from permitting office FilmLA issued on Thursday. Production in the region trails the five-year average by about 36 percent.
So far, 170 projects have been awarded tax credits under the newest iteration of the program. These productions comprise a growing portion of shoot days in L.A., with 33 percent of all production for features coming from titles receiving subsidies. Several of them are independent productions, like Chester's Awakening, Kill Royale and They Know .
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