Strong performance in scripted TV, though, serves as cause for optimism
On-location film production in Greater Los Angeles slipped 1.9 percent in the second quarter of 2015 to 9,396 Shoot Days (SD), according to a new research update from FilmL.A., the not-for-profit organization which serves as the official film office of the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles and other area jurisdictions.
Despite the quarterly slip, FilmL.A.’s report reveals growth in local scripted television production. TV drama production rose 12.3 percent (to 1,004 SD) in the second quarter of 2015 over the same period the prior year. TV sitcom production, although a much smaller category, jumped 94.2 percent (to 505 SD), and digital Web-based TV increased 34.0 percent (to 437 SD). TV reality production slipped 13.7 percent (to 1,420 SD).
“This is a mixed report, but things are certainly looking brighter for television in Los Angeles,” said FilmL.A. President Paul Audley. “The year-round production of scripted series, plus the support of the California Film & Television Tax Credit, invites an optimistic outlook for this segment.”
FilmL.A.’s 2015 Pilot Production Report, released last week, showed that the 22 dramas approved for California’s film incentive annually spend about $1.2 billion in the state and employ thousands of cast and crew members and background performers. As of now, California is home to 53 one-hour drama series in total, the most in a single year since 2010.
Local on-location feature production increased a scant 0.4 percent (to 1,193 SD) in the second quarter of 2015, while Commercial production slipped 7.3 percent (to 1,248 SD). Unlike for Television, both categories are tracking down year-to-date and against their respective 5-year averages.
“While there is some good news in this report, it is a reminder that we must be unified and aggressive in protecting our position as the entertainment capital of the world,”said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. “We cannot take for granted the direct and indirect jobs created by the film industry and we must work together across the 88 cities in Los Angeles County to make this the easiest and most attractive place to do business.”
“Today’s report further proves the critical importance of our new California Film Tax Credit, which will keep production where it belongs — in Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “I look forward to seeing accelerated growth in L.A.’s film production as the next round of film tax credits takes effect.”
The new application period for the state tax credit opened on July 13, and specifically targets feature films and independent projects.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads โ essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More