FilmLA Reports Sharp Decline in On-Location Production in Q2, While Reality TV Spikes Upward

Jazz Tangcay
·2 min read

FilmLA has reported a sharp production decline in 2023’s second quarter.

On-location production was down 28.8 percent from April to June, with only 6,566 shoot days. The data captures the impact of the Writers Guild of America strike, which began on May 2. The actors union did not begin striking until July.

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“Greater Los Angeles is the North American epicenter of scripted television production. Before long, this sector’s shutdown will be felt in every corner of the regional economy,” said FilmLA’s president Paul Audley. “Like all others watching with hope from the sidelines, we are eager to see the studios and unions reopen their contract negotiations,” Audley continued. “Much is at stake for WGA and SAG-AFTRA members, and also for the small business supply chain on which future filming depends.”

Feature film production dropped by 18.9 percent with only 728 shoot days, 26.6 percent below the category’s five-year average.

Nearly all feature projects still in production on-location in Los Angeles from April through June were smaller, independent productions. Titles included “All That We Love,” “Father & Son,” “Goodrich” and “Unicorn.”

Although not impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, commercial production continued its decline last quarter with a 22.4 percent year-over-year drop to 861 shoot days. Among the companies shooting commercials were Acura, BMW, Ford, Mini Cooper, Subaru, Toyota, AT&T, Delta Airlines, Paycom and Verizon.

TV production saw the steepest drop, of 36.4 percent (to 2,630 shoot days), reflecting the impact of the writers strike. TV dramas fell by 63.8 percent (to 360 shoot days). Similarly, TV comedies fell by 72.8 percent (to 84 shoot days), compared to the same period in 2022. Drama and comedy productions are the categories most heavily impacted by the ongoing WGA strike.

“The last time production levels were this low, we were in the middle of a global pandemic,” Audley observed. “Families and businesses affected then are again being tested today, lending urgency to the moment to sustain creative careers.”

Before the halt of all scripted television production in Greater Los Angeles, productions filming last quarter included “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC), “S.W.A.T.” (CBS), “The Old Man” (FX), “Good Trouble” (Freeform) and “Interior Chinatown” (Hulu).

Unscripted television production fared slightly better, dropping only 22.9 percent (to 2,013 SD) in the second quarter, compared to the prior year. Reality TV production actually spiked, up 24.5 percent from the first quarter of 2023. “American Idol” (ABC), “Basketball Wives” (VH1), “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (Bravo) and “Selling Sunset” (Netflix) were among the shows that helped the category’s figures trend upward, to 26.5 percent over its five-year quarterly average.

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