Filming in Los Angeles has been slow to bounce back after production in the region was decimated by Hollywood’s historic season of strikes.
The main reason for the sluggish rebound: A double-digit drop in television shoots compared to the same period last year. Present levels look even worse over a five year period, with filming in the category — long a mainstay and anchor of production in the region — trailing its five-year average by more than 32 percent.
The report from FilmLA reflects the first full quarter after the resolutions of the strikes. The film office said that the three-month period from January to March saw 6,823 shoot days, representing a roughly 9 percent decline year-over-year and more than a 20 percent decline from the five-year average. That quarter to start 2023 also saw a significant slowdown across most categories of on-location production as decisions about future content direction were put on hold as the industry braced for a potential work stoppage.
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Also playing a factor in the decline were reductions in content spend across most major studios, series cancellations and runaway production. FilmLA’s report matches reporting from The Hollywood Reporter over the anemic return to production after the strikes, which worsened industry contraction amid the demise of Peak TV.
In a statement, FilmLA President Paul Audley said that “production is still slow” and that “things are not as they were.” He added that the agency has been inundated with calls from crewmembers since the first week of January saying they’re still looking for work.
Fewer cast and crew jobs were associated with all film permits in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, according to FilmLA. Still, there’s reason to believe that work is returning. While the difference was steep in January (30.6 percent fewer jobs, totaling 2,282), it was modest in February (5.1 percent fewer jobs, totaling 3,061) and nearly unnoticeable by the end of March (a 0.4 percent increase, totaling 3,274 jobs).
“Production didn’t really stabilize until March, meeting our predictions while falling short of our hopes,” Audley said.
For TV filming, there were 2,402 shoot days in the first quarter of 2024 after the first three months of shooting last year recorded 2,868. Reality TV saw a dip of nearly 19 percent year-over-year, though it still accounts for more than half of production for the category. Dramas recorded a smaller decline of roughly 5 percent, while filming for comedies sunk more than 55 percent below the five-year average, with just 157 shoot days. TV pilots, which were nearly nonexistent in L.A. in 2023, yielded 66 shoot days.
There’s optimism in production levels for feature films. The category rose slightly in the quarter, picking up 634 shoot days to finish an estimated 7 percent ahead of the same months last year. Movies in production included Beverly Hills Cop 4, Atlas and Lurker, all of which are getting tax credits to film in California.
FilmLA also flagged the loss of commercial production — which slipped nearly 10 percent year-over-year and more than 33 percent below the five-year average — to other jurisdictions as a concern. Filming for smaller, lower-cost shoots, such as documentaries, music videos and still photography, similarly fell by roughly 5 percent.
