On-location filming within the greater Los Angeles area has taken a tumble within the first quarter of the year, according to a new report.
It fell 22.24% from January to March 2025, according to FilmLA, a nonprofit that provides on-location film permits within the City and County of Los Angeles. Within the first quarter of 2025, 5,295 Shoot Days took place as opposed to 6,823 Shooting Days the same time in 2024.
The nonprofit looked at the different filming categories and noted a decline in all of them.
Commercial shoots within L.A. fell 2.1% and came “closest to breakeven.”
Television production continues to be on the decline. So far this year, only 1,670 Shooting Days were logged, which is a decline of 30.5%. In 2024, 7,716 Shooting Days were tallied for the year. For context, in 2021, television production hit its peak with 18,560 Shooting Days for the year. Within three years this type of filming has fallen 58.4%.
“Each drop reflected the impact of global production cutbacks and California’s ongoing loss of work to rival territories,” the report explained.
Production of television dramas declined again by 38.9% with 440 Shooting Days. About 77 of those days, about 17.5%, were tied to the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program.
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a plan to expand the tax credit program, which incentivizes the production of films and television shows in California, by doubling the credit from $330 million to $750 million.
FilmLA has been a staunch supporter of Newsom’s expansion and are hoping to make the program “internationally competitive” with bills SB630 and AB1138.
“The California Production Coalition estimates that the average location shoot adds $670,000 and 1,500 jobs a day to a local economy. And the County of Los Angeles and Beacon Economics report that there are 10,500 entertainment related businesses in the state,” said FilmLA VP of Integrated Communications Philip Sokoloski.
TV Comedy production declined 29.9% with 110 Shooting Days. Reality Television declined 26.4% with 969 Shooting Days.
“Most TV Comedies are half-hour series, which are currently ineligible for California’s film incentive. This makes them rich targets of opportunity for out-of-state competitors,” FilmLA said. “Unscripted series had been a staple of the L.A. filming economy during the strikes of 2023. Last year’s reality plunge delivered an unexpected shock and made 2024 the second-slowest year for filming in Greater L.A.”
The “other” category, which includes Still Photography, Student Films, Documentaries, Music and Industrial Videos, and other projects, dropped to 20.2% from last quarter.
While many will assume January’s Palisades and Eaton Fires caused the downfall, the report noted that the fires had “only a small effect on L.A. area filming.” The region “hosted 1,405 Shoot Days over the past four years – or roughly 1.3 percent of all regional filming.”
“Loss of filming opportunity in no way compares to the cost of the Eaton and Palisades Fires in terms of loss of life, resident displacement and property damage,” noted Sokoloski. “The fires sent many productions scrambling to reschedule shoots and displaced hundreds of industry workers from their homes. But their impact on local filming levels appears to have been temporary.”
About 545 different shoots were within burn zones. Burn areas were “off-limits” due to City and County orders.
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