Despite Shoots Like 'Captain Marvel,' On-Location Filming in L.A. Fell During Second Quarter

An increase in film production was offset by a decline in TV shoots, with a number of shows on hiatus.

While on-location feature film production in the greater Los Angeles area was up during the second quarter of 2018 thanks to movies like Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Anne Boden and Ryan Fleck’s Captain Marvel, overall location shooting was down because a number of TV shows were on hiatus.

According to FilmL.A., which on Wednesday released a quarterly report, on-location filming for the quarter dropped by 5.2 percent in comparison to the same quarter in 2017, as 8,979 shooting days were logged.

Feature film production, which was up for the second consecutive quarter in a row, registered an 11 percent rise for the quarter in comparison to the same quarter in 2017.

But television saw a 15.1 percent decline (to 2,953 shooting days) in the second quarter 2018 versus second quarter 2017. Breaking it down into the various categories, while TV comedies posted a 23 percent increase and TV pilots (which accounted for 110 shooting days) saw no change from second quarter 2017, TV dramas slipped by nine percent, reality TV was down by a steep 31.6 percent (to 879 shooting days), web-based TV was down 14.6 percent and an "other category" that includes students projects and music videos was down 7.9 percent.

The effects of the California Film and Television Tax Credit program, which was recently renewed, accounted for significant numbers of shooting days in the various categories. In the feature film category, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Captain Marvel and the Transformers spinoff Bumblebee all benefited from the incentive program. In television, I’m Dying Up Here, Ballers, The OA, SWAT, Strange Angel, Snowfall, Mayans M.C. and Animal Kingdom also took advantage of the credits.

"We are grateful for the continued positive impact of the California Film Tax Credit as it boosts employment and production in Greater Los Angeles," said FilmL.A. president Paul Audley. "While TV drama is down quarter to quarter, much of that is due to the production cycle of these shows which went on hiatus during the second quarter. Increases in feature film, commercials and TV comedy production are very good news for the region’s economy."

Incentivized projects brought to Los Angeles by the tax credit program contributed 11.3 percent or 136 of the 1,184 shooting days in the feature category. They comprised 17.4 percent of the TV comedy shoots and 28 percent of the TV drama shoots.

"The California Film and Television Tax Credit program has proven to be a vital tool against runaway production. And it is delivering results for the men and women who are the heart and soul of our entertainment industry and middle class — the people who swing the hammers, drive the trucks, run the cable and serve the food on set,” added Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “This report contains good news, but it also shows that L.A. has to stay in the fight to keep jobs and revenue where they belong — right here, in the creative capital of the world."