Production Days for ‘Reality’ TV Soar

Los Angeles apparently can’t get enough of “The Surreal Life” and “Date My Mom.”

The number of production days for “reality” TV shoots -- one day representing a day of work at a single location -- soared to 1,942 during the first quarter of the year, up 128% from the same period a year ago, according to Film L.A. Inc., which coordinates film permits in the city and in unincorporated areas of the county.

The surge in unscripted TV shoots by MTV, VH1 and other cable channels and broadcast networks triggered a modest increase in overall film and television production, which totaled 9,278 permit days, up 4% from a year ago. Such activity is usually slow in the first quarter.

Although Los Angeles remains on track to exceed last year’s record level of production, local film industry promoters weren’t cheering the latest statistics, scheduled to be released today.

They noted that unscripted TV had fewer economic benefits than other types of television shows, and that Los Angeles continued to lose ground to locales outside the state, including other countries, that have lured productions with a bevy of tax incentives offered to film, TV and commercial producers.

“The numbers are not very encouraging,” said Steve MacDonald, president of Film L.A.

Feature film production rose 9% to 2,386 days as crews shot such movies as “Mission: Impossible III” and “Spider-Man 3.”

Although shoots of TV dramas such as “CSI: New York” and “24” increased about 7%, MacDonald noted, production in other TV categories dropped significantly. Shoots for television pilots hoping to get picked up as regularly scheduled shows fell 8% in the first quarter as New York, Vancouver, Canada, and other rivals succeeded in luring filming away from Los Angeles, he said.

“When you take into account that other regions are just beginning to develop a talent pool and long-term infrastructure, L.A.’s modest growth is not that encouraging,” MacDonald said.

The decline in the number of pilot shoots in Los Angeles may also reflect the strength of existing schedules at the networks, as well as the effect of combining the WB and UPN networks to form the CW network.

Commercial shoots also declined in the quarter, generating 1,896 days, down 7%. The drop probably reflects increased spending by advertisers on the Internet and other new alternative outlets, as well as global competition, said Steve Caplan, executive vice president of the Assn. of Independent Commercial Producers.

“Our companies continue to bid jobs in Los Angeles against production centers around the world,” he said.