Fade to Black: LA's On-Location Filming Faces Troubling Decline

Today, we delve into a subject that’s been raising eyebrows and drawing concern in the heart of the entertainment world—Los Angeles. The city and county’s film office, FilmLA, has released its latest report, and the numbers spell a troubling tale for on-location production, especially for television projects.

 The Numbers Game: A 12.4% Decline

According to FilmLA’s report, the second quarter of 2023 saw a significant 12.4% drop in local on-location filming, amounting to just 5,748 shoot days. This marks a substantial decrease of over 1,000 days from the first quarter’s report, signaling a concerning trend for the industry.

Reality TV Takes a Nosedive

One of the hardest-hit sectors was reality TV production, which plummeted by nearly 57% compared to Q2 2023. With only 868 shoot days recorded versus last year’s 1,317, reality TV’s decline dragged down the overall television category by 27.7%, resulting in a mere 1,901 shoot days. Reality TV has traditionally been a location-heavy format, generating significant permit volume but less employment impact compared to its scripted counterparts. As FilmLA’s VP of Integrated Communications, Philip Sokoloski, pointed out, these projects are also not incentive-eligible through the State of California, making this decline particularly impactful.

 A Silver Lining: Scripted TV Rebounds

Despite the gloomy overall picture, there was a silver lining: scripted television made a remarkable comeback. TV drama production soared by an impressive 98.3%, clocking in 714 shoot days. TV comedies also enjoyed a resurgence, with a 103.6% increase to 171 shoot days. TV pilots, which were almost nonexistent in 2023, jumped by 54.5% as networks geared up for the fall season.

 Feature Films and Commercials: A Mixed Bag

Feature film production saw a slight dip of 3.3%, totaling 704 shoot days, predominantly from indie projects. Some of these, like Dreamquil and Lurker, benefited from California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program. Streamers like Amazon MGM’s Mercy and Apple Studios’ Bubbi also took advantage of state tax incentives.

Commercial production, on the other hand, experienced a 5.1% decline from Q2 2023, down to 817 shoot days.

A Broader Decline: The Five-Year Slide

FilmLA’s report highlights a worrying trend that extends beyond the recent labor strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Even before these strikes, a sustained pattern of decline was evident. Over a rolling five-year basis—excluding the pandemic-hit 2020—overall on-location filming levels are down by one-third compared to their five-year seasonal average.

 The Sound Stage Saga

Adding another layer to this narrative, FilmLA issued its Sound Stage Production Report for the first half of 2023. The report covers January to June, including the initial months of the writers’ strike. Occupancy levels dropped significantly, reaching as low as 74% by the second quarter—the lowest since formal studies of this sector began in 2016. Around 700 projects filmed on stages during this period, but many inquiries had to be turned away due to lack of space, affecting event producers, marketing agencies, and other parties.

Looking Forward

FilmLA plans to release two more updates by autumn, providing further insights into this unfolding situation. As the industry grapples with these declines, stakeholders will be keenly watching for signs of recovery or further decline. Only time can tell.