FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, issued an update regarding regional filming activity. Overall production in Greater Los Angeles increased 6.2% from October through December 2024 to 5,860 Shoot Days (SD). Most production types tracked by FilmLA achieved gains in the fourth quarter, except for Reality TV, which instead logged its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline.
The lift across all remaining categories came too late to rescue 2024 from the combined effects of runaway production, industry contraction and slower-than-hoped-for poststrike recovery. With just 23,480 SD filmed on-location in L.A. in 2024, overall annual production finished the year -5.6% below the prior year. That made 2024 the second least productive year observed by FilmLA; only 2020, disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, saw lower levels of filming in area communities.
The continuing decline of Reality TV production in Los Angeles was among the most disappointing developments of 2024. Down -45.7% for the fourth quarter (to 774 SD), the category also finished the year down -45.9% (to 3,905 SD), which placed it -43.1% below its five-year category average.
The two brightest spots in FilmLA’s latest report appeared in the Feature Film and Television Drama categories. Feature Film production increased 82.4% in the fourth quarter to 589 SD, a gain analysts attribute to independent film activity. The California Film & Television Tax Credit Program also played a part, driving 19.2% of quarterly category activity. Overall, annual Feature production was up 18.8% in 2024, though the category trails its five-year average by -27.6%.
Scripted Television Drama production, meanwhile, increased over strike-affected 2023 levels to 528 SD in the fourth quarter. Producers were aided by the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program, which sustained 19.5% of all on-location TV Drama production. Last year, the TV Drama category doubled its annual output compared to 2023. Nonetheless, the category still trails its five-year average by -36.6%.
The production of Commercials for advertising purposes also increased in the fourth quarter, by 2.3%. Annual production levels were flat with a -1.7% difference observed year-over-year. Like their film and television counterparts, L.A.-based commercial producers are seeing fewer work opportunities than they did in the recent past, with the Commercials category down -33.3% against its five-year average.
The New Year promises to be a pivotal one for California’s signature industry, with California Governor Gavin Newsom calling for an expansion of the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program from $330 million to $750 million per year. FilmLA joins Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and a growing community of organizations, including the Entertainment Union Coalition, California Production Coalition, and Film Liaisons in California Statewide (FLICS) who support the program’s much-needed expansion.
“As we await signs of continuing business growth in 2025, it is important we recognize that no aspect of life in Greater Los Angeles is unaffected by recent fire events and the heartbreaking loss of lives, homes, businesses and cherished community spaces,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “Many who participate in the region's entertainment economy are directly affected by this tragedy; and many places beloved by nationwide audiences may never return to the screen,“ he concluded.