Location Filming Rebounds From Pandemic

Aided by a strong presence of television dramas and reality programming, on-location filming returned to pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter, according to figures from FilmL.A.The Hollywood nonprofit that coordinates on-location film and television permits in Los Angeles, unincorporated Los Angeles County and other jurisdictions handled 9,791 on-location shoot days from April through June. That compares to 194 shoot days in the same period a year earlier, when the coronavirus pandemic all but shut down productions for much of the quarter.“Last year’s unusual circumstances required FilmL.A. analysts to look for new ways to understand present-day filming levels,” the agency said in a release. “For comparison purposes, before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the average number of shoot days recorded in a quarter totaled 9,135. This means that Q2 2021 activity bested the 2019 average quarterly by 7.2 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, studio backlots or jurisdictions outside its control.On-location television work in dramas and reality programming were primarily responsible for the increase in production work during the quarter. Dramas accounted for 1,501 shoot days during the second quarter, compared to 9 in the same period last year. Reality shows made up 2,447 shoot days, compared to 30 a year ago.Feature films were responsible for 824 shoot days during the quarter. compared with 3 in the same period of the prior year. Commercials made up 1,544 shoot days, compared to 58 in the previous year, while other projects, such as student films, still photography shoots, documentaries and music and industrial videos, accounted for 2,510 shoot days during the second quarter, compared with 81 in the prior year.FilmL.A. President Paul Audley said the second quarter numbers are good news for film and television production in Los Angeles.“With local COVID-19 cases rising, it’s not clear whether that will be sustainable, but the industry’s commitment to community, cast and crew safety remains firmly in place,” Audley said in a statement. “The industry’s robust safety guidelines remain firmly in place, and these have so far proven effective for keeping business moving safely.”