On-Location Filming of Scripted TV Shows in Los Angeles Stalled by WGA Strike

Lights, camera, no action! For the second week running, the Writers Guild strike has left Los Angeles without any scripted TV series filming on location. FilmLA, the city and county film permit office, has reported a 63.2% drop in location permits taken out by film and TV projects compared to the same period last year. In a normal week, dozens of scripted television projects would be in production, but this week there are none. “Reality TV, as one example, still appears in these counts in addition to non-union independent films,” said FilmLA spokesman Philip Sokoloski. The strike began on May 2 after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to reach a satisfactory agreement. The guild’s core issues include significant increases in compensation, minimum staffing, duration of employment, the establishment of viewer-based streaming residuals and curbs on the use of artificial intelligence to create scripts.