On-location filming in Greater Los Angeles slid 5.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018, according to a FilmL.A. report released. In all, 8,978 shoot days (SD) were logged during the period, including all filming categories tracked by the nonprofit. On-location Feature production is up for a second consecutive quarter.
“We are grateful for the continued positive impact of the California Film Tax Credit as it boosts employment and production in Greater Los Angeles,” said FilmL.A. president Paul Audley. “While TV drama is down quarter to quarter, much of that is due to the production cycle of these shows which went on hiatus during the second quarter. Increases in feature film, commercials and TV comedy production are very good news for the region’s economy.”
Incentivized projects brought to Los Angeles by the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program contributed 11.3 percent or 136 of the 1,184 SD in the Feature category. Incentivized Features filming in Los Angeles in the second quarter included Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Captain Marvel and Bumblebee. Also driving Feature category gains was the film Wine Country, directed by Amy Poehler and backed by Netflix. The film shot heavily in the Los Angeles region during the second quarter.
Television saw a 15.1 percent decline (to 2,953 SD) in the second quarter. Among tracked TV categories, TV comedies posted the only increase, rising 23 percent yielding 470 SD. Incentivized TV comedy projects contributed 17.4 percent of the activity in the category. Projects that received the California Film & TV Tax Credit and filmed in second quarter included I’m Dying Up Here and Ballers.
Although the category saw no change from the same period in 2017, TV pilots contributed 110 SD for the quarter. Incentivized TV pilots showed 8 shoot days during the quarter. An incentivized TV Pilot project that filmed during the quarter was Less Than Zero.
TV dramas were down slightly, slipping 9 percent (to 718 SD) for the quarter. Incentivized TV dramas accounted for 28 percent of all activity in the category. Qualifying TV dramas that filmed during the second quarter included The OA, SWAT, Strange Angel, Snowfall, Mayans M.C. and Animal Kingdom.
Decreases were seen in TV reality (down 31.6 percent to 879 SD), web-based TV (down 14.6 percent to 352 SD) and the “Other” category, that consists largely of still photo shoots, student projects and music videos (down 7.9 percent to 3,245 SD).
On-location commercial production continued to rise in 2018, up 14.2 percent in the second quarter (to 1,596 SD), finishing 16.8 percent above the category’s five-year average.
“The California Film and Television Tax Credit program has proven to be a vital tool against runaway production. And it is delivering results for the men and women who are the heart and soul of our entertainment industry and middle class–the people who swing the hammers, drive the trucks, run the cable, and serve the food on set,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “This report contains good news, but it also shows that L.A. has to stay in the fight to keep jobs and revenue where they belong–right here, in the creative capital of the world.”
