Production in Los Angeles sharply declined to end 2022 as Hollywood slowed its recovery from COVID-19.
But data recorded for the full year reflected that filming returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, which was a year of significant production decline.
“Can we hold here, or will the pre-COVID downtrend resume?” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “That is the question everyone is asking.”
The quarter that ended in December saw 8,674 shoot days, according to film permit office Film LA. The figure represents a 19.5 percent dropoff from the same period last year, although the fourth quarter of 2021 set an all-time quarterly record due to a backlog of productions stalled by the pandemic.
The data incorporates shooting days for feature films, television, commercials in addition to music videos, student films and documentaries.
There were 36,792 total shoot days in 2022. The tally marks a 2.4 percent decline over 2021 and 0.7 percent increase over the last pre-pandemic year in 2019.
Source: FilmLA
While shoot days steadily increased across 2021, last year saw the opposite with shoot days consistently decreasing, FilmLA reported. The trend may reflect productions opting to shoot in other states with better tax incentives and looser COVID-19 protocols.
Trends in shooting levels vary by category. Feature film production continues to trend away from past highs, FilmLA noted. By the end of 2022, film shooting in Los Angeles stood 24 percent shy of the five-year annual average and 16.2 percent below the same period last year with 760 shoot days. There were 3,080 shoot days in the category in 2022 compared to 3,715 in 2019.
Feature films that shot in Los Angeles last quarter included Netflix’s Atlas and Beverly Hills Cop 4 as well as independent films Guns and Moses and Billy Knight.
Commercial production was hit hardest last year, finishing 24.5 percent below the five year annual average and 22.6 percent below last year.
Television production, however, saw a robust 3,734 shoot days in the fourth quarter of 2022. While the figure marks a 24.2 percent decline compared to the same period last year, it represents a 7.3 percent increase above the five-year annual average. Television production has become the largest component of the Los Angeles film economy as feature films continue to opt to shoot in other states and jurisdictions. There were 17,778 shoot days in the category for the entire year compared to 13,509 in 2019, the last prepandemic year.
Reality TV continued to account for the most shoot days for television productions. It ended last year 5.2 percent above 2021 with 10,049 shoot days, which is 91.8 percent more than the annual five-year average. Notable shows that shot in Los Angeles included Celebrity IOU, Let’s Make a Deal, and Selling Sunset.
TV dramas and comedies, meanwhile, experienced declines in the fourth quarter of 2022 of 10.7 percent and 33.9 percent respectively compared to the same period for 2021. Shows that shot locally included 9-1-1, Bel-Air, Winning Time, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Killing It and Minx.
Source: FilmLA
