The ongoing Writers Guild strike in Los Angeles has caused a significant drop in on-location filming, reaching levels not seen since the height of the Covid pandemic. According to FilmLA, the city and county film permit office, on-location shooting days for locally produced TV comedies were down 72.8% in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year. The decline in filming for TV dramas was even more drastic, with a plunge of 63.8%, and shoot days for feature films were off by 18.9%.
FilmLA President Paul Audley expressed concern over the low production levels, stating, “The last time production levels were this low, we were in the middle of a global pandemic. Families and businesses affected then are again being tested today, lending urgency to the moment to sustain creative careers.”
The second quarter report from FilmLA includes two months of the WGA strike, which began on May 2, but does not account for the shutdown caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began on July 14. If these strikes continue, the third-quarter figures are expected to be even worse.
Greater Los Angeles is known as the North American epicenter of scripted television production, and Audley emphasized the impact of the shutdown on the regional economy. He expressed hope for the reopening of contract negotiations between studios and unions, as the future of creative careers and the small business supply chain that supports filming are at stake.
The report reveals that TV comedies filmed locally accounted for only 84 shooting days in the second quarter, a significant decrease from 324 shoot days in the previous year. None of these shoot days were for shows that received California tax incentives. TV dramas also saw a decline, with shoot days falling from 995 to just 360 in the second quarter. Only 89 of those days (24.7%) were for shows that received the state’s tax incentives.
Despite not being directly affected by the strikes, reality shows also experienced a decline in on-location shoot days, falling 22.9% from the previous year. However, the category is still up 26.5% over its five-year quarterly average.
Commercial production also saw a decrease, falling 22.4% from the previous year. The report highlights the ongoing concern of losing production to rival jurisdictions, even though commercial production is not directly affected by the labor actions.
Overall, the decline in on-location filming has had a significant impact on the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. The full report from FilmLA provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of production in the city.
