Filming Permit Applications Plummet Due to Fires but the City Is ‘Open for Business,’ Says FilmLA
As 2024 drew to a close, production in the Greater Los Angeles area had increased by 6.2 percent in the last quarter, according to FilmLA’s latest report.
Most production types had achieved gains in the fourth quarter, except for reality TV, which continues to be on a decline.
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This year had promised to be a pivotal one for California’s signature industry, with Gov. Gavin Newsom calling for an expansion of the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program from $330 million to $750 million per year.
Last Tuesday, fires raged across the Los Angeles area, destroying thousands of buildings and causing mass evacuations. Over 15,000 acres have burned in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, while in Altadena, another fire has burned through more than 10,000 acres. A third blaze has burned more than 700 acres at the top of the San Fernando Valley. The estimated cost of damage to Los Angeles as a result of the fires is estimated at $250 billion and rising.
“As we await signs of continuing business growth in 2025, it is important we recognize that no aspect of life in Greater Los Angeles is unaffected by recent fire events and the heartbreaking loss of lives, homes, businesses and cherished community spaces,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “Many who participate in the region’s entertainment economy are directly affected by this tragedy; and many places beloved by nationwide audiences may never return to the screen.“
Speaking with Variety, Phillip Sokoloski, VP of integrated communications said, “At the end of 2024 I think what we could say is absent any other impacts, what we were beginning to observe was the stabilization and the level of work that is happening in greater L.A. People have asked for months now what the new normal would be, and I think we’ve approached the bottom and are now looking at what business growth may be possible in 2025.”
When the fires broke out, Sokoloski saw the impact they had on shoot days based on the week’s data FilmLA has. “On a shoot days basis, we were seeing about 50% of the activity that we did at that same time last year. Permit application volume over that same period is down about 80% so folks are taking a cautious approach to the resumption of filming.” He adds, that filming is returning to studio lots that have controlled environments. With on-location, that might take longer with evacuation zones still in place. “I think filmmakers understand and respect that the firefighters need room to do their work, and so the permits that we are coordinating or for areas outside of those places.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the quarter, Sokoloski said the city remains “open for business. We want to work with you. We will find a way to help you access locations of your choice, and we offer a very quick turnaround for when you’re ready to get back to work.”
Overall annual production finished the year minus 5.6 percent below 2023 making 2024 the second least productive year observed by FilmLA. Only 2020, disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, saw lower levels of filming in area communities.
Reality TV production is at a low for the ninth quarter running. Down 45.7 percent for the fourth quarter (to 774 shoot days), the category also finished the year down 45.9 percent (to 3,905 shoot days), which placed it 43.1 percent below its five-year category average.
Feature film production increased 82.4 percent in the fourth quarter to 589 shoot days , a gain analysts attribute to independent film activity. The California Film & Television Tax Credit Program also played a part, driving 19.2 percent of quarterly category activity. Overall, annual Feature production was up 18.8 percent in 2024, though the category trails its five-year average by 27.6 percent.
Scripted TV drama production, meanwhile, increased over strike-affected 2023 levels to 528 shoot days in the fourth quarter. Producers were aided by the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program, which sustained 19.5 percent of all on-location TV Drama production. Last year, the TV Drama category doubled its annual output compared to 2023. The category still trails its five-year average by 36.6 percent.
Commercial production also increased in the fourth quarter, by 2.3 percent. Annual production levels were flat with a minus 1.7 percent difference observed year-over-year. L.A.-based commercial producers are seeing fewer work opportunities than they did in the recent past, with the Commercials category down 33.3 percent against its five-year average.
FilmLA’s “Other” category, which aggregates smaller, lower-cost shoots such as still photography, student films, documentaries, music and industrial videos and other projects, rose 6.1 percent (to 2,912 shoot days ) last quarter. Annual figures for this category finished on par with the prior year, at 10,154 shoot days.
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