This Summer, LA Film Production Was Even Worse Than the 2023 Strikes

The state of film and TV production in Los Angeles is getting dire .

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New numbers released by FilmLA show that production shoot days this past summer were the second-worst summer on record. They were even worse than last year, when the writers and actors strikes largely shut down all scripted production.

Although the prior quarter faced uncertainty over whether IATSE or Teamsters would strike, things got worse in Q3. FilmLA reported that in Q3 2024, production days slipped by 5 percent quarter over quarter to 5,048 shoot days. It was also the weakest so far in 2024 and 36.4 percent below the five-year average.

The primary culprit is unscripted/reality TV production leaving LA County. Total shoot days for that sub-category were down 56.3 percent ( up slightly from an equally bad quarter in Q2 of this year ), even as TV dramas and comedy, commercials, pilots, and feature film production all bounced back nicely.

Across the board, production is way down from the 5-year average.

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“Only a few months ago, the industry hoped we’d see an overall on-paper gain in the third quarter, due to the strike effect,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “Instead, we saw a pullback and loss of forward momentum, heading into the fall season that will make or break the year.”

FilmLA has effectively been begging for more production tax credits from the state in order to lure Hollywood film and TV projects. The organization last week called for a “vast expansion” of the tax credit program . Wednesday’s report notes that six of the overall shoot days for feature films this quarter — or 1.6 percent — were from tax-incentivized projects.

TV series did a little better in this regard. Shows like “High Potential,” “Matlock,” “Forever,” and “Orphan” were all new series that received tax credits by shooting in the greater Los Angeles area. Shows like “Paradise City,” “S.W.A.T.,” and “The Rookie” continued to get credits.

“California’s film incentive is a proven jobs creator that studies show provides a net positive return on every allocated dollar,” Audley said. “What the program lacks is funding and eligibility criteria that reflect the outputs of the industry in 2024. The program’s structure and management through the California Film Commission — these are excellent. But just as our competitors continue to innovate, California must do the same.”