Permitted Filming Drops in 2008

On-location filming in the Los Angeles area dropped slightly in 2008, the result of the Hollywood writers strike and a slowdown in production over the contract stalemate between the Screen Actors Guild and the major studios. FilmL.A. issues permits for 53,957 production days last year, as compared to 54,871 days in 2007. For the fourth quarter on-location filming requiring permits dropped 8.1 percent when compared with 2007. FilmL.A. is the not for profit organization that coordinates on-location filming for feature films, television and commercials in the City of Los Angeles, unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, and other local jurisdictions. The agency does not track filming on studio soundstages. Feature film and commercial filming dropped during the year while television production, particularly for reality-based shows, went up. On-location feature film production was at the lowest level since tracking began in 1993 with 7,043 production days in 2008. The entertainment industry should stop talking about “runaway production” and should instead address “ran-away production” and make the state more competitive, said FilmL.A. President Paul Audley. “We must create an environment that brings back high-dollar film productions, the thousands of jobs they generate and the revenues they pump into our local economy,” Audley said. On-location television production was the one bright spot in the latest figures from FilmL.A. with an 8.4 percent increase over 2007. Reality programming led the sub-categories with an annual gain of 19 percent followed by dramas with a 6.9 percent increase. Sitcoms and pilot production decreased. “While it’s encouraging to see television’s overall numbers finishing in positive territory, the less expensive reality productions sustain a smaller workforce and deliver fewer economic benefits than feature films and scripted television,” Audley said.