Film industry protests $20,000 fee for filming at Grand Avenue Park

If you want to film at the Grand Avenue Park, it will cost you -- $20,000 a day in fact.

That’s how much county officials plan to charge filmmakers to shoot at the new park, much to the chagrin of local film industry officials.

County officials said they developed the fee based on what other landmark parks around the country charge. But critics in the film industry noted that the fee is well above what Los Angeles County charges at most other local parks for filming, which is typically $450 a day.

Sarah Walsh, director of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, told county supervisors on Tuesday that the fee was prohibitive and would give filmmakers even less incentive to stay in L.A.

“A fee of $20,000 per day for a public location gives filmmakers another reason to choose locations outside of Los Angeles,” Walsh told the county Board of Supervisors. “The county can do more to encourage filming and reducing this fee would be a first step.”
The message apparently registered. On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors agreed to review all film fees charged at county facilities to ensure that they are reasonable.

“We sometimes continue to be our own worst enemy,” said county Supervisor Don Knabe, who introduced the motion to review the fees. “I do not believe charging excessive fees should be used to stop filming.”

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