city Filmla: Last News

Applications for on-location filming in and around Los Angeles fell by nearly 25% in December, according to FilmLA, the city and county’s film permit office. Some 143 permits were issued during the week before Christmas, 58 during the week of the holiday and 50 the week of New Year’s.

On-location filming in Los Angeles has hit record lows in the last weeks of December as the coronavirus pandemic surges across Southern California. FilmLA, the city and county film permit office, said Wednesday that its preliminary data reveals that applications for filming permits “declined significantly in the month of December, and last week, to lows we have not seen since the weeks after the restart of production last summer.”

Despite the pandemic, some 40 feature films began shooting on-location in Greater Los Angeles last month, and 27 unique TV show titles either resumed or started on-location filming in town, pulling their first permits since June.

With coronavirus cases surging in Los Angeles, FilmLA is urging filmmakers to strictly observe guidelines established by the County’s Department of Public Health, and through the end of the year “to voluntarily limit and/or avoid activities likely to invite a negative community response.”

David Robb Labor EditorEXCLUSIVE: The latest crop of projects that are currently filming on location or have recently wrapped in greater Los Angeles includes five feature films, five TV dramas and seven reality shows, according to FilmLA, the city and county’s film permit office.The five TV series are NCIS, Animal Kingdom, On the Verge, L.A. Undercover and Mayans M.C.The five feature films are Limbo, Soggy Bottom, Waking Up Dead, Without Remorse and Night Teeth.The reality shows include Dancing with the Stars, Dog Impossible, The Con, Wheeler Dealers, Botched, Celebrity IOU and Guy’s Grocery Games Delivery.

David Robb Labor EditorOn-location filming in Los Angeles began a slow rebound in the third quarter of 2020, but despite the improved production outlook, FilmLA president Paul Audley said that there is “no way it will be back at normal numbers this year, or until next spring at the earliest.”Data compiled by FilmLA, the city and county’s film permit office, shows that on-location feature film shoot days were down more than 64% from the third quarter last year, TV dramas were down over 73%, TV pilots fell more than 90% from a year ago, and TV comedies plunged by 96%. But buoyed by a robust return of reality TV shows and a solid comeback by commercials, on-location shooting days were only down 54.5% from the third quarter of 2019.

By David Robb

By David Robb

By David Robb

By David Robb