FilmLA’s new report reveals the full effect of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA work actions on summer film and television production in Los Angeles. Local on-location film production declined in the third quarter, with 5,311 Shoot Days (SD) logged for a -41.4% decline against 2022 levels. However, the contract disputes were not the sole cause of the downward trend as overall, on-location filming in the region has declined for seven consecutive calendar quarters.
“Sobering as these statistics are, production numbers are not the ultimate testimony of the importance of this industry to our region. There is a deeper testimony that comes to us through stories of families, businesses, lives, and jobs affected by the present downturn,” noted Paul Audley, President of FilmLA.
Unsurprisingly, the steepest losses came from the near complete shutdown of scripted television production in May. TV Drama production dropped -99.0% from July through September (12 SD in 2023 vs. 1,198 SD in 2022), and TV Comedy production dropped -99.4% (2 SD vs. 352 SD). No filming took place by projects qualifying for the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program, and no TV Pilot filming occurred.
Feature film production also dropped steeply, with a -54.6% decrease in the third quarter (376 SD vs. 828 SD). Most Feature projects in production this summer were smaller, independent productions, among a few moving forward under SAG-AFTRA interim agreements. As in the Television categories, no recent Features in production were associated with the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program.
Meanwhile, Reality TV, which declined -23.2% year-over-year for the quarter (2,166 SD vs. 2,824 SD), also easily emerged as the region’s primary production driver. Approximately 97.3% of all Television filming for the period came from reality series. Viewed another way, Reality TV comprised 40.8% of all on-location filming that occurred.
“We take encouragement from the recent successes achieved by the WGA and AMPTP at the negotiating table. When remaining talks conclude and production returns under mutually agreeable terms, that will be welcome to us all,” Paul Audley concluded.
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