On-location filming in Greater Los Angeles took another major hit in the first quarter of 2025, falling -22.4% year-over-year to just 5,295 shoot days (SD), according to a new report from FilmLA, the partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles.
The drop in production—mirroring global industry cutbacks and intensifying out-of-state competition—affected all major filming categories tracked by FilmLA.
Even the “Other” category, which includes lower-budget content like still photography, student films, and documentaries, fell by -20.2% to 2,378 SD.
Commercials fared the best, dipping just -2.1% to 796 shoot days, while Television production plummeted -30.5% to 1,670 SD and Feature Films declined -28.9% to 451 SD.
FilmLA emphasized that while the Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires displaced hundreds of industry workers and forced last-minute production reschedules, the fires had only a small impact on the overall decline. Combined, those areas accounted for just 1.3% of all regional filming over the past four years, with 545 locations falling within the burn zones.
“Loss of filming opportunity in no way compares to the cost of the Eaton and Palisades Fires in terms of loss of life, resident displacement and property damage,” said Philip Sokoloski, FilmLA’s VP of Integrated Communications. “But their impact on local filming levels appears to have been temporary.”
TV Production Hit Hardest
Television production—long the backbone of L.A.’s entertainment economy—continues to see massive year-over-year decline. After peaking in 2021 at 18,560 annual shoot days, TV production dropped to just 7,716 SD in 2024—a staggering -58.4% decrease over three years.
In Q1 2025:
- TV Dramas fell -38.9% to 440 SD, with only 77 SD supported by the California Film & TV Tax Credit.
- TV Comedies dropped -29.9% to 110 SD, hampered by their ongoing ineligibility for state tax credits.
- Reality TV saw a -26.4% dip to 969 SD, after propping up local production during the 2023 strikes.
“This has become the second-slowest start to a year we’ve seen in a decade,” Sokoloski added, warning that without new intervention, the trend is likely to continue.
Call for State Support Intensifies
FilmLA and industry stakeholders are throwing their support behind Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal to expand California’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program to at least $750 million annually, including pending legislation (SB630 and AB1138) that would make the program more internationally competitive.
“California can’t afford to surrender any more work to its competitors,” Sokoloski warned. “The average location shoot brings $670,000 and 1,500 jobs per day into the local economy. This is not just a Hollywood issue—this is a California jobs issue.”
FilmLA President Paul Audley testified in Sacramento last month to emphasize the economic stakes. With 10,500 entertainment-related businesses operating in the state, the pressure to retain production dollars is more urgent than ever.
As L.A. heads into Q2, hopes for a rebound rest not only on legislative action, but also on the industry’s willingness to reinvest in California. Until then, production remains in a precarious state—and the city’s once-booming entertainment economy continues to search for its comeback.
REELated:
FilmLA’s yearly report shows hope for L.A. production despite 5.6% decline
