Local film, TV production continues to struggle

Television and film production continue to face challenges following the impacts of the dual writers and actors strike last year as local on-location filming declined by 12.4 percent year-over-year from April through June.
FilmLA, a partner film office for the city and county of Los Angeles as well as other local jurisdictions, have released two reports covering regional film production activity and sound stage production, respectively.
On-location production stood at 5,749 shoot days in the second quarter of 2024 with reductions in feature film down 3.3 percent to 704 shoot days and commercial production down 5.1 percent to 817 shoot days.
However, the largest decline was in filming of reality TV, which fell by 56.9 percent to 868 shoot days this quarter.
But as part of the larger television categories, scripted content production such as TV drama production increased by 98.3 percent to 714 shoot days, and TV comedy production rose by 103 percent to 171 shoot days.
Production of TV pilots also increased by 54.5 percent to 17 shoot days, according to the report.
“Generally speaking, unscripted television is a location-heavy format that generates significant permit volume,” FilmLA’s VP of Integrated Communications Philip Sokoloski said in a statement. “The employment impact of reality production is lower than it is for scripted TV, and projects are not incentive-eligible through the state of California. It remains an important part of LA’s production economy.”
Reality TV series that filmed in the L.A. area last quarter included “Accident,” Oxygen’s “Suicide or Murder” and ABC’s “American Idol,” among others.
Most feature projects filmed in the L.A. region last quarter were independent films, such as “Dreamquil” and “Lurker,” which benefited from the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program.
Television shows that filmed on-location in Los Angeles last quarter included incentive-enrolled projects such as Netflix’s “Forever S1,” ABC’s “High Potential” and CBS’ “Matlock,” among other projects.
Commercial productions are not incentive-illegible in California, which have become more attractive targets for other jurisdictions. In the greater Los Angeles area, car companies such as Ford, Honda and others all shoot commercials in the second quarter, along with major brands like Google and Lululemon.
The Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA labor actions reduced industry output in 2023, but a “sustained pattern of production decline” had been evident before the strikes began, according to FilmLA.
In the last five years, overall on-location filming levels heading into summer were down by 33.4 percent below their five-year seasonal average, the report noted.
“Streaming content is down, and Los Angeles and its many global competitors are still reeling from post-strike paralysis,” Sokoloski said in a statement. “Workers in this industry, wherever they are based, are seeing fewer opportunities amid ongoing labor negotiations in an era of content contraction.”
FilmLA analysts point out that for the studios that produce, purchase and distribute entertainment content, investor emphasis on financial austerity/profitability over new subscriber growth, plus a wave of corporate mergers, continues to limit new content investment.