Filming in Los Angeles is just under 47% of normal production levels this time of year before the coronavirus pandemic, FilmLA says in its latest update about production in the city and county.
This comes after FilmLA reported last month that production in Los Angeles was down 54% compared to Q3 of 2019. Over the last 20 weeks since June when on-location film production was able to start up again in Los Angeles, the film office has received approximately 2,565 film permit applications for 1,967 unique projects, an average of 160 unique titles per week.
October did see a 23.7% increase in permits compared to September, and FilmLA now averages around 40 new applications per business day, though the average rate of business growth has slowed. New applications over the last three weeks went up by only 4.8 percent whereas in the prior three weeks, it was up by 10%.
TV production is 25 percent of all the permit requests, while feature film production is just four percent of permit activity, and production for TV dramas picked up and surpassed requests for reality show filming for the first time since June.
“As Los Angeles welcomes more episodic series and feature films back to production, we are grateful to local producers, crew and vendors for their adherence to safe filming practices,” FilmLA president Paul Audley said in a statement. “To push past our current production plateau with full community support, we need to continue to focus on keeping our workplaces safe.”
Narrative broadcast shows like “NCIS LA” (CBS), “The Rookie” (ABC), “Mayans MC” (FX), “Animal Kingdom” (TNT) and “Shameless” (Showtime) were among those shooting in Los Angeles in October, as were streaming series such as “Dear White People” (Netflix), “Big Shot” (Disney+), “Made for Love” (HBO Max) and “Rutherford Falls” (Peacock).
As for feature films, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Soggy Bottom” with Bradley Cooper has filmed in the San Fernando Valley, and Will Smith’s “King Richard” for Warner Bros. and Channing Tatum’s “Dog” have also filmed in L.A.
You can find full filming availability on FilmLA’s COVID-19 Resource Center here, as well as resources from film industry organizations and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, including mandatory health orders that apply to filming on location.