The Number

The City of Santa Clarita is looking to close out the year with a strong number of permits issued for on-location television and feature film production. In October, the city issued 53 on-location filming permits, a 4 percent increase from the same period a year earlier and a 15 percent increase from September. Evan Thomason, an economic development associate who oversees the city’s film office, said that for the year, projections are for 500 permits pulled for a total of 1,300 film days and an economic impact of $30 million. “That is consistent with the last few years,” Thomason said. “Overall, looking through the last 10 years of the film office, they are very strong numbers.” In 2015, the city issued 499 permits for 1,372 film days. While the city gets its share of commercial and feature film production, television is the real bread and butter when it comes to both on-location filming and shows shot on soundstages and movie ranches that dot the city’s hillsides. Shows pulling permits to shoot around the city include returning one-hour drama “NCIS,” new USA Network show “Shooter” debuting on Nov. 15; “Good Girl Revolt,” which debuted on Amazon Video last month; and “Westworld,” on HBO, also debuting in October. “’Westworld’ filmed at several locations, especially the movie ranches,” Thomason said. “If people watch the show they will notice a number of different looks and locations for the show in general and Santa Clarita is a big part of that.” For October, the city brought in just more than $2 million in production spending for on-location filming that includes permit fees, meals, hotels and supplies. “They spread a lot of money around town,” Thomason said. “It can go to residents or businesses receiving income from renting their facilities out.” – Mark R. Madler