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Location filming in L.A. up 9% in second quarter thanks to TV

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Los Angeles area on-location filming increased 9% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, fueled by a bounce in television production and Web-based shows.

The figures mark the third consecutive quarter of growth for location filming on the streets of L.A.

Location shoots for television shows jumped 27% from April through June to 4,310 production days, according to figures from FilmL.A. Inc, which handles film permits for the city and the county.

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The rise was driven by an increase in Web-based TV, which jumped 63% in the quarter; TV pilots, which rose 52%; and TV sitcoms, which climbed nearly 40%.

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TV drama production posted a sharp rebound, jumping 29% in the quarter, but still underperformed its five-year average by 12% this quarter.

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Reality TV remains the largest contributor to L.A.’s television totals and saw a 6.4% increase in the quarter, according to the report.

California’s film and television tax credit program did its part to support local projects. State-qualified television shows, including “Franklin & Bash” “Lost Angels” and “Major Crimes,” comprised 23% of all TV drama activity in the quarter.

Production in the commercials category increased 4.5% last quarter, generating 1,986 production days. The commercials category finished 21.5% stronger than its five-year average.

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ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll

On-location feature production was virtually flat in the quarter with 1,758 production days. Nonetheless, the category’s latest results were 9.4% better than its five-year average.

“The latest report underscores the importance of two recent developments,” FilmL.A. President Paul Audley said in a statement. “The first thing to note is an incremental increase in filming driven by new production categories like Web-based TV. The second is that unfortunately, we’ve also seen considerable erosion in the most economically significant production categories. On-location feature production in L.A. is nowhere near as common as it was in the mid-’90s, and despite a good run, we’re still logging fewer days for TV dramas and TV reality series than we used to.”
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