On Location: Film and TV shoots continue to fall in L.A.
The holiday season is bringing little cheer to the local production economy: location shoots on the streets of Los Angeles fell across all categories last week, reflecting a continued slowdown in film activity during the fourth quarter.
Location shoots for film and television on streets and non-certified soundstages dropped 9% and 10%, respectively, from the same period last year, according to data from FilmL.A. Inc. Commercial filming fell 21% last week from a year earlier, but is still up 8% this quarter.
Film and TV shoots, however, have been down by double digits so far in the fourth quarter, underscoring the continued challenge California faces in keeping productions from fleeing to other states like New York and countries such as Britain that offer generous film tax credits.
The state Legislature recently renewed California's film-tax credit, which was due to expire in 2012, but the program exempts large studio feature films and has limited funds, allocating only $100 million a year.
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Photo: A film crew sets up lights and cameras on the lawn of Los Angeles City Hall for a scene in the television series "Franklin & Bash." Filming of the TNT series was scheduled for this week in Boyle Heights. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times.
-Richard Verrier
