Hollywood production was even slower this summer than during last year’s strikes due to a precipitous drop in reality TV filming, according to a new report.
Overall production levels declined 5% in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to data released Wednesday by FilmLA, a nonprofit organization that tracks on-location filming days in the Greater Greater Area. Los Angeles. FilmLA recorded 5,048 total filming days between July 1 and September 30, making it the weakest quarter of 2024 so far.
THE the most affected sector is reality TVwhich was not hit as hard by the walkouts because most unscripted projects were not axed; at the same time, scripted production virtually stopped last summer. However, during the third quarter of 2024, reality TV production fell by 56.3% to 946 filming days compared to the same period in 2023.
Scripted television production reached 758 filming days at the end of the third quarter, while remaining 55.5% behind the five-year average. Feature film production increased 26.6% from last year with 476 shooting days in the third quarter, 48% below the five-year average.
Commercial production during the third quarter of 2024, with 814 filming days recorded, was 7.4% higher than last year and 32.6% lower than the five-year average.
All forms of production have been slow to rebound amid continued industry contraction that precedes the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes.
“Only a few months ago, the industry was hoping to see an overall gain on paper in the third quarter, due to the strike effect,” FilmLA President Paul Audley said in a statement. “Instead, we have seen a decline and loss of momentum, heading into the fall season that will make or break the year.”
Audley once again used FilmLA’s latest update as an opportunity to call for an expansion of California’s Film and Television Tax Credit program – what experts and industry insiders mostly agree on is not generous enough to compete with incentives offered by other states and countries.
Earlier this month, FilmLA reported that California’s share of the global production market had fallen from 22% to 18%, judging by the number of local projects released in 2022 compared to 2023.
In a recent interview, Audley recommended that California’s tax credit program be expanded to commercials, animation and reality TV production.
“California’s film incentives are a proven job creator and studies show they provide a positive net return on every dollar allocated,” Audley said Wednesday in a statement.
“What’s missing from the program is funding and eligibility criteria that reflect industry performance in 2024. … just as our competitors continue to innovate, California must do the same.”
