HOLLYWOOD REPORTS LOW FILMING RECORDS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC

FilmLA issued reports reflecting the negative impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on Los Angeles’ film economy.  The company’s year-end report for 2020 presents the industry’s hardships to resume production last fall, while its television report highlights reality TV as the most competitive aspect of the market.

The market saw increases in filming amid production returns with an influx of episodic television series and Reality TV shows that resumed filming in the fall, displaying a record of 7,348 Shoot days during the fourth quarter.  production declined by -25.3 percent considering the figures from the year prior, at 9,839 SD. By the end of the year, on-location filming in Los Angeles accumulated18,993 shoot days in 2020, a -48 percent decline from 2019, which garnered 36,540 SD, and the lowest production rate FilmLA has reported in the region in over 25 years.

The 3,996 total shoot days for Television in Q4 even surpassed 2019 levels (at 3,716 SD) by 6.2 percent. Overall, television accounted for 54.4 percent of total Q4 shoot days, compared to just 38.2 percent in 2019. TV Pilot activity declined by -61.2 percent at 149 SD in 2020. Approximately 198 television projects were forced to shut down between mid-March and the end of May 2020, including 57 TV pilots. 

Reality TV was the biggest television driver as networks and streaming platforms with the year-over-year figure of Shoot Days for Reality TV growing from 1,006 in 2019 to 1,946 in 2020, a 93.4% increase. Annual totals for Reality TV in 2020 (3,906 SD, surpassing 2019’s figure at 3,484 SD. Scripted TV categories struggled throughout the quarter, while TV Dramas garnered 1,228 SD, finishing the year at 2,412 SD, for a -45.8 percent loss compared to 4,453 SD in 2019. TV Comedies, with only 200 shoot days in Q4, absorbed a -75.9 percent loss year-over-year.

Commercials filmed in Q4 generated 1,108 SD, a loss of -14.3 percent over against the same period in 2019. On an annual basis, commercials generated 3,162 SD compared to 5,290 in 2019, for a decline of -40.2 percent. “In summary, the impact of COVID-19 on local film production and jobs cannot be overstated. With production paused for 87 days and the industry responsible and cautious in returning to work, total annual production fell to unprecedented lows.” Paul Audley, President of FilmLA said.