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Production

FilmLA sounded a postive note on California’s enhanced incentives as it announced that Q3 feature production in Greater Los Angeles bucked an overall decline to generate nearly 10% more activity year-on-year.

There were 522 shoot days in the July through September period, climbing 9.7% against Q3 2024. Local productions included Chris Rock’s drama Misty Green for A24 starring Anna Kendrick and Adam Driver.

Recent actions by California Governor Gavin Newsom and the state legislature to strengthen California’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program means that the California Film Commission was processing applications days after the state budget and legislative measure were approved.

The first 22 projects to be approved for the expanded state credit — including 18 television series planned for Greater Los Angeles — have 180 days to start production after the incentive award. In the third quarter, around 22% of Los Angeles-area feature production and 9% of television production came from incentive-linked projects.

However overall the picture was not as rosy. On-location production in Greater Los Angeles declined by 13.2% compared to the same period in 2024. FilmLA recorded 4,380 shoot days across all categories.

Television activity overall registered 1,441 shoot days and dropped 20.7%, yet it remains the region’s core production driver. FilmLA said the decrease was primarily due to a steep quarterly drop in reality TV production to 649 shoot days after recent spring highs. Shows that shot in the area include ABC’s Dancing With The Stars and Hulu’s The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives.

“We know that it will take a little while for new incentive-backed projects to get underway and be reflected in our data, so we were not surprised to see on-location production continue to slip this summer despite the state’s increased investment,” said FilmLA vice president Philip Sokoloski.

“Fortunately, we’ve already begun to see early signs of these incentives having their desired effect; we’re excited to be taking calls from productions looking to line up their locations and pull permits.”

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