Los Angeles production Q2 shoot days fall as TV dramas rebound

Los Angeles production Q2 activity lost ground overall, with 4,711 on-location shoot days, down 13% from the same period last year and below the 5,121 days recorded in the first quarter, according to nonprofit FilmLA.

The liveliest corner of the report was television, still the biggest driver of local filming. FilmLA said TV production rose 34% from the first quarter to 1,607 shoot days for the three months ended in June, though the category remained 28% lower than a year earlier.

What did FilmLA say about Los Angeles production in Q2?

FilmLA said TV dramas helped cushion the broader slowdown. Drama shoot days were down 6.4% from last year, but jumped 55% from the first quarter, according to the group’s quarterly research.

The nonprofit’s report tracks regional on-location filming, which means productions working on location show up in FilmLA permit records once they begin shooting. Stage-based work is less visible in the data, a point FilmLA noted in discussing comedy production.

TV reality was a major drag on the year-over-year comparison. FilmLA said the category fell 40% from last year to 676 shoot days, though it improved from 463 days in the first quarter.

Among the on-location dramas filming in the quarter, FilmLA listed Fox’s Baywatch reboot, Hulu’s Prison Break reboot, Amazon’s Ballard, MGM+’s Bosch: Start Of Watch and Netflix’s The Night Agent Season 4. The report also named Hacks and tax-credit recipient The Pitt.

FilmLA said state-incentivized productions now make up 38.3% of shoot days in the TV category. California’s revised Film and TV Tax Credit Program has awarded credits to 170 projects so far, including 41 film projects announced in July, according to the nonprofit.

How did films, comedies and commercials fare?

Feature films logged 443 shoot days, a 20% year-over-year drop, FilmLA said. About 33% of those days came from state-incentivized projects, with the quarter’s films described as mostly independent productions, including Chester’s Awakening, Kill Royale, They Know and The Incredible Heist of Hallelujah Jones.

TV comedy had 57 shoot days, down 43% from a year earlier. FilmLA said most local comedy production is stage-based and therefore not counted in its research. The local comedy list included Apple TV+ projects Shrinking and The Studio, plus Peacock’s The Paper Season 2.

Commercials also slipped. FilmLA counted 543 commercial shoot days, down 21% from last year, with work including spots for Amazon, Cal Lotto, Progressive and Skechers, along with auto brands Ford, Hyundai, Lexus, Mazda and Toyota.

The “other” category, which includes still photography, student films, documentaries, short films, online content, music videos and industrial videos, reached 2,118 shoot days. FilmLA said that was lower than the first quarter but 10% higher than a year earlier.

What role are California tax credits playing?

California expanded its film and TV incentives last year when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the changes into law, according to FilmLA. The latest recipients announced this month included an untitled Pixar project, Ben Affleck’s upcoming Gingerbread Men, Disney’s animated Hexed with Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones, and DreamWorks’ Eddie Murphy-led Donkey.

FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches said scripted television supports more industry jobs than any other category and that attracting those productions is an important step toward bringing filming back to the region, restoring jobs and strengthening the local production economy.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said FilmLA’s quarterly report shows incentives are working by increasing local incentivized productions, creating union jobs and generating economic opportunity for Angelenos. Bass also said she continues to seek an uncapped tax credit that includes above-the-line spending, along with a federal film incentive.

This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.