Los Angeles On-Location Filming During WGA Strike Plunges To Lowest Levels Since Early Days Of Covid, FilmLA Says

deadline.com:

On-location filming in Los Angeles has plummeted during the ongoing Writers Guild strike to levels not seen since the dog days of the Covid pandemic, according to FilmLA, the city and county film permit office.

On-location shooting days for locally produced TV comedies was down 72.8% in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year.

And the five-year average of second quarters was even worse for comedies, down by 77.1%. Filming of TV dramas, meanwhile, plunged 63.8%, and shoot days for feature films were off by 18.9%. “The last time production levels were this low, we were in the middle of a global pandemic,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “Families and businesses affected then are again being tested today, lending urgency to the moment to sustain creative careers.” FilmLA’s latest report for the second quarter – from April 1 through June 30 – includes two months of the WGA strike, which began on May 2, but doesn’t include the shutdown caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began July 14.

If those strikes continue to drag on, third-quarter figures likely will be much worse. See the full report here. “Greater Los Angeles is the North American epicenter of scripted television production,” Audley said. “Before long, this sector’s shutdown will be felt in every corner of the regional economy.