Location Filming Drops 98 Percent

On-location film and television production dropped by 98 percent in the second quarter as the entertainment industry shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to figures released Wednesday from FilmL.A. The Hollywood nonprofit that coordinates location film permits in Los Angeles, unincorporated Los Angeles County and other jurisdictions handled only 194 on-location shoot days in April through June. That compares to 8,632 shoot days in the same period a year earlier. Film and television production shut down on March 20 until June 19. The second quarter numbers compiled by FilmL.A. are for on-location filming from June 19 to June 30. Feature film production all but stopped on-location work as it had only three shoot days in the second quarter, compared to 986 the prior year. Television, the backbone of production in the Los Angeles region, was down 98 percent to 52 shoot days for the quarter, compared with 2,918 a year earlier. Television comedies and pilots were down 100 percent with no shoot days, while dramas and web series were down 99 percent and reality shows down 96 percent. A shoot day is one crew’s permission to film at one or more locations during a 24-hour period. FilmL.A.’s data does not include activity on soundstages or studio backlots. Paul Audley, president of FilmL.A., said that the first industry shutdowns in March were voluntary and the hope was they would be temporary. “Looking back, it was hard to imagine the impact the pandemic would have on entertainment projects in progress, and the economic security of local cast, crew and production vendors,” Audley said in a statement. He added that the good news was that production was starting to responsibly return, with commercials, advertising shoots and limited television production all coming online. “All permitted filming must comply with health orders as issued by (Los Angeles) County authorities,” Audley said. “The measure of compliance we’re seeing is a real help in keeping the industry on the road to recovery.” Commercial production dropped 96 percent compared to the second quarter a year ago, while other projects that include music videos, student and industrial films and still photo shoots declined 98 percent.