L.A. Production Plummets 41% Amid Two Strikes

Gene Maddaus
·2 min read
5

Los Angeles production dropped 41% overall last quarter, led by the near total shutdown of scripted TV and film production due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

According to FilmLA, which handles L.A.-area location permits, production also declined in areas that are not affected by the strikes: reality TV and commercials. Reality TV production dropped 23% compared to the same quarter last year, while commercial production is down 26%.

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“Sobering as these statistics are, production numbers are not the ultimate testimony of the importance of this industry to our region,” said Paul Audley, president of FilmLA, in a statement. “There’s a deeper testimony that comes to us through stories of families, businesses, lives, and jobs affected by the present downturn.”

FilmLA issues quarterly reports on the state of on-location filming in the region. According to the report, scripted TV production was down 99% in the July-to-September quarter, compared to the same period in 2022.

Film production was down a mere 55%, however, as SAG-AFTRA issued hundreds of “interim agreements” to allow independent productions to continue.

The Writers Guild of America reached a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Sept. 24, allowing writing to resume in TV and film. SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors and other performers, remains on strike.

Talks with the actors union were suspended on Oct. 11, after the studio alliance said the gap between the two sides was “too great.” It is not clear when negotiations will resume.

Film crews have sought work in non-scripted TV since the writers strike began in May, but such jobs have been scarce. The FilmLA report indicates that commercial production continued a downward trend that began well before the strikes.

The FilmLA data does not capture production days on studio lots, which do not require permits. But it has generally been seen as a good proxy for the overall state of the local industry.

Overall, the report states that there were 5,311 location “shoot days” in the third quarter of 2023, down from 9066 in the same quarter of 2022.

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