Filming in the Los Angeles area returned to pre-pandemic levels between April and June, with on-location filming reaching its highest level since late 2019, according to figures released Thursday.
According to FilmLA, the nonprofit agency that coordinates film approvals in the Los Angeles area, a total of 9,791 days of shooting were recorded in the second quarter of 2021, 7.2% more than the average number of days of shooting per quarter in 2019, which was 9,135.
“The second quarter was good for filming in Los Angeles by almost all available standards,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “With the increase in local COVID-19 cases, it’s not clear if this will be sustainable, but the industry’s commitment to the safety of the community, cast and crew remains strong.”
Production in the second quarter of 2021 has increased roughly 40% since March, and production in all categories – feature films, commercials, television, and others – increased significantly, FilmLA reported.
Commercials saw the sharpest increase compared to the first quarter of 2021, with production increasing 55.5% to 1,544 days of shooting. The miscellaneous category – which includes photo shoots, student and documentary films, music and industrial videos – increased 49.7%, movies 43.3% and television 30.5%.
Filming for television was also above the five-year average with an increase of 82.1% and for commercials with an increase of 38.5%. Filming days for TV reality productions saw the largest increase, 189.3% from the five-year quarterly average, and TV series production increased 120.7%.
However, the number of days of shooting for feature films decreased by 9.4% compared to the five-year average and the category “Other” decreased by 7.7%.
Feature films shot locally in the second quarter included Netflix’s “Day Shift,” Disney + ‘s “Hollywood Stargirl,” and HBO Max’s “Kimi.”
TV shows that were shot in the second quarter include “Ghosts” from CBS, “The Dropout” from Hulus, “American Crime Story: Impeachment” from FX, “Animal Kingdom” from TNT and “Lincoln Lawyer” and “Monster” from Netflix.
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