FilmLA has released its report for fourth quarter filming in the L.A. region. From October to December there was an all-time quarterly record of 10,780 shoot days. The report states it was 4% above the previous three-month high of 10,359 SD set in Q4, 2018. It is also an increase over the previous quarter, revealing a brisk pace of production leading into the holiday season.
However, the report says, despite increased levels of production in much of 2021, by year-end the region’s 37,709 shoot days finished below the previous peak of 39,627 SD in 2016. This was also below annual totals logged in 2017 (38,284 SD) and 2018 (38,795 SD) but exceeded pre-pandemic year 2019 (36,450 SD) by 3.2 percent.
The pandemic caused productions to slow in the earlier half of the year, as many studio productions were on voluntary hiatus. As infection rates began to decline in Greater Los Angeles Shoot Days increased significantly, reaching 9,791 SD in Q2, before rising higher to 10,179 SD in Q3.
Netflix films “Me Time,” “Your Place or Mine,” “The Gray Man,” and an Untitled Jonah Hill project were among the films to shoot in L.A.
Commercials production ended the fourth quarter with 1,249 SD. Overall, this was on par with the pre-COVID average for the quarter (at 1,277 SD). In all, Commercial production generated 5,319 SD in 2021, compared to the annual pre-COVID average of 5,490 SD – a difference of -3.1 percent.
The Other** category, which mostly includes still photography and student films, but also documentaries, music and industrial videos and miscellaneous permitted events, had a substantial quarter with 3,699 SD from October to December. However, the category’s annual total of 10,424 SD remained -23.7 percent below its pre-COVID average.
The bright spot in regional production continues to be television with Reality TV leading the way.
TV Reality continued to break records as networks and streaming platforms look for additional content to fill in their schedules. Shoot days for TV reality
shows generated 9,551 SD in 2021, which is 129.8 percent above the annual pre-COVID average of 4,157.
In Q4, the Television category posted 4,925 SD, on par with the previous two quarters. For the year, the Television category posted a record 18,560 SD for 2021, besting the previous record of 16,463 SD logged in 2016, by 18 percent. Approximately one-half of all Shoot Days recorded by FilmLA in 2021 – 49.2 percent – were generated by scripted or unscripted television production.
Elsewhere, TV Dramas in Q4 generated 1,294 SD, and a total of 5,610 SD were generated for the year – representing a 23.8 percent increase above the previous annual pre-COVID average. Local dramas that shot this past quarter included “All American” (The CW), “Promised Land” (ABC), “Snowfall” (FX), “Euphoria” (HBO), “Bel Air” (Peacock) and “The Flight Attendant” (HBO Max).
“Omicron has unquestionably brought delays to local production, leading to nearly two dozen rescheduled shoots and cancellations since the surge,” said Philip Sokoloski VP, Integrated Communications. He added, “It also has the potential to delay permit approvals, should staff in the government offices become ill and need to step back from permit review.”