FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, has issued an update regarding regional filming activity after the reopening of areas in L.A. County to production.
FilmLA resumed remote office operations on Monday, June 15, and began accepting permit applications for filming as early as Friday, June 19. To date, 13 of the 16 city and county jurisdictions served by FilmLA have reopened to filming, while one of the six school districts served by FilmLA has also reopened to host filming and base camp parking on campus.
FilmLA’s COVID-19 Resource Center lists the areas served by FilmLA and their current filming availability. This page also includes links to resources from film industry organizations and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, including the latest safety guidelines that apply to filming on location.
“Since reopening we’ve seen growing interest from filmmakers and the community about how filming can safely and responsibly resume,” said FilmLA president Paul Audley. “New Health Orders that apply to permit seekers–which are mandates issued by the County Public Health Department with guidance from industry advisors–need to be taken seriously. That will make our work of re-introducing filming to local communities much easier.”
Since reopening for business, FilmLA has received approximately 14 film permit applications per day, while fielding hundreds of calls from filmmakers interested in resuming work. This is about 20 percent of the daily application intake FilmLA would expect under normal conditions.
Based on that activity volume, FilmLA representatives characterized filming’s return as cautious and gradual, with smaller still photo shoots and commercials comprising around 56 percent of incoming applications. The next largest group of applicants comes from television, with reality shoots leading the way. The largest television project to apply to shoot on location is Freeform’s Love in the Time of Corona.
FilmLA representatives also noted that three major television soap operas have resumed filming on stages in Los Angeles–The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless, and General Hospital. However, because these projects are shot on certified sound stages, FilmLA does not coordinate permits for them.
On Wednesday, July 8, FilmLA will publish a more comprehensive quarterly report comparing local on-location filming from April-June 2020 against the same period in 2019. That report, which will break down total recorded Shoot Days by filming category, will also look at five-year category averages.
