FilmLA: Strongest quarter for local filming since 2018

FilmLA, the nonprofit agency that coordinates permitting in the Los Angeles area, announced that the period between July 1 and Sept. 30 was the third strongest quarter for on-location filming in 26 years and the best since 2018.

A total of 10,127 shooting days were recorded in 2021’s third quarter, the highest since 2018’s fourth quarter and 2016’s fourth quarter.

The number of shooting days represents a 3.4% increase from the previous quarter, when filming returned to pre-pandemic levels.

“The biggest takeaway from this report is that the pace of local production continues to increase,” FilmLA President Paul Audley said. “The late-pandemic recovery is uneven in some ways, but community receptiveness to filming is steady and the work opportunities are undeniably there.”

Television production in the third quarter was 22.1% higher than the pre-COVID average and commercial production was 15.5% higher than the pre-COVID average.

Broadcast television production in the third quarter included “SEAL Team” on CBS, “NCIS: Los Angeles” on CBS, “Mr. Mayor” and “This is Us” on NBC and “The Rookie” and “Home Economics” on ABC.

Cable and streaming series production included Showtime’s “Super Pumped,” FX’s “Better Things,” TBS’ “Chad,” HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” Hulu’s “Pen15” and Netflix’s “Monster.”

Feature film production was lower than the pre-COVID average, which FilmLA said highlights the uneven nature of the film industry’s local recovery from the pandemic.

Filming included “Wild Chickens,” “House Party 2,” an untitled Jonah Hill project, “Me Time,” “Purple Hearts” and “892.”

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