On-location production in Los Angeles dips in second quarter
The Los Angeles area saw a dip in on-location production for the second quarter as a decline in TV pilot shoots and the cancellation of dramatic series including Amazon’s “Good Girls Revolt” and ABC’s “Mistresses” took a toll on the local industry.
On-location shoots declined 4.7% in the second quarter compared with the same period last year, according to a new report from FilmLA, the organization that oversees local filming permits. It marked the second quarterly decline in production activity this year. On-location shoots dropped 2.1% in the first quarter compared with the same period a year ago.
But the group said the overall volume of local production remains strong when compared with a seven-year average.
The second quarter saw a total of 9,466 shoot days, down from 9,937 shoot days a year ago. The report only measures on-location shooting in the greater L.A. area and not production that occurs on certified soundstages.
One of the biggest declines in the quarter was for TV drama series, which fell 24.3%, due in part to cancellations. Drama series to get the ax also include Amazon’s “Hand of God,” Showtime’s “Roadies” and ABC’s “The Catch.”
FilmLA also noted that Netflix’s “Gilmore Girls” revival shot in L.A. during the second quarter last year and hasn’t returned, further impacting quarterly results.
TV pilot production in L.A. plummeted 60.4% for the quarter as the networks ordered fewer pilots. “As a result, production centers from L.A. to New York saw declines in the category,” FilmLA said in a statement.
On-location pilot production in L.A. fell to 110 shoot days for the second quarter, down from 278 a year ago. The report said that 52% of those days were for pilots receiving tax incentives.
Declines were also observed in TV comedy series and web-based productions. Comedies saw a 9% drop in on-location shoots, while web-based shows for companies like Buzzfeed and Funny or Die experienced a 21.6% decline.
But the report noted that both categories are currently tracking at record highs for the last seven years.
On-location feature film shoots also declined for the quarter, falling 18.5%. That follows a first-quarter decline of 36.3% as local movie production struggles to recover from runaway productions to states such as Georgia and Louisiana.
One area that saw a bounce was commercials, which experienced a 12.5% increase in on-location shoot days for the quarter over the same period a year ago.
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