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    FilmLA Reports Lensing Uptick in February But Activity Remains 40% Below Normal

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1866 Views
    Paul Audley, president of FilmLA

    Is a production recovery from the pandemic in the offing?

    LOS ANGELES --

    FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, has issued an update regarding regional filming activity since the reopening of LA County to on-location filming last June.

    Over the last thirty-seven weeks, FilmLA has processed approximately 5,533 film permit applications spanning 3,789 unique projects.

    Film permit applications declined from November 2020 through January 2021, the surge in COVID-19 cases leading to a substantial drop in local production. But in February, FilmLA received 777 film permit applications, an increase of 43.1 percent compared to the prior month. A late-month surge in production established last month as the third busiest FilmLA has experienced since last June, although activity remains around 40 percent below normal for this time of year.

    After health officials gave production permission to move forward, applications peaked in October (880 applications), declining to 813 in November, 613 in December, and just 543 in January.

    The three-month decline in production due to rising local COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths matched analyst expectations. In February, SAG-AFTRA, the Producers Guild of America and the Joint Policy Committee–the bargaining group that represents commercial advertisers and advertising agencies–agreed that effective February 1, filming was clear to resume.

    “As new COVID-19 case counts diminish and more projects restart production, we are optimistic that the local film economy will soon be back on track,” said Paul Audley, president of FilmLA. “On-location filming, for months conducted safely in observance of strict health protocols, will surely rise again with the reopening of businesses and expanding vaccine availability.”

    Some of the series that recently started and/or resumed filming include All American (the CW), American Crime Impeachment Story (FX), Curb Your Enthusiasm (HB0), Dear White People (Netflix), Generation (HBO Max), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), Lone Star (Fox), Seal Team (CBS), Shameless (Showtime), This is Us (NBC), and You (Lifetime).

    Reality TV series that shot throughout the region since the first of the year include American Gangster: Trap Queens, Botched, Legendary, Lucky Dog, MTV Cribs, Property Brothers: Forever Home, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Dogs.

    Several feature films shot locally, mostly independents. Some of the larger productions include the Michael Bay-directed Ambulance with Jake Gyllenhaal, A24’s C’Mon C’Mon starring Joaquin Phoenix, and Netflix’s Sweet Girl with Jason Momoa and Marisa Tomei.

    Commercial productions that shot over the past two months include spots for AT&T, Buick, Jimmy John’s, KIA, Modelo, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen.

    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 mandatory Health Orders that apply to filming on location.

    Category:News
    Tags:COVID-19FilmLAPaul Audley



    Review: Director Ben Taylor’s “Joy”

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    Toward the end of Netflix's "Joy," the muffled cry of a newborn baby prompts a man and woman in a hospital to embrace out of pure bliss. They aren't the parents, but they had as much to do with the birth as the mom and dad.

    This charming and winning movie charts the decade-long true story of how the world's first IVF baby was born in England in 1978 — a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl who paved the way for millions more. It's an upbeat, very English affair, mixing sober discussion of endometriosis with chocolate biscuits.

    The couple embracing that day were pioneering scientist Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist. Together with surgeon Patrick Steptoe, the trio succeeded with in vitro fertilization, a method of treating infertility. Edwards would go on to win the Nobel Prize.

    "Joy" has been birthed at a time when science is under threat in America — even IVF — so it's downright inspiring to see plucky, smart scientists working hard to change the world. "What we're doing, it matters," says Steptoe, played with quiet economy by Bill Nighy.

    "Joy" is the personal stories of the three scientists — mostly through the eyes of Purdy, a polite lab-coated warrior. "If I hear a commotion, I'm not very good at staying out of it," she says. Perfectly played by Thomasin McKenzie, Purdy is both vulnerable and strong, learning through the process to be a better human. James Norton plays Edwards with charm, self-doubt and calm spirit.

    Jack Thorne's script nicely explains the massive pressure the trio faced. IVF may have become common and uncontroversial over the last decades, but back in the late '70s it was experimental and shunned. The Anglican church called it a sin, the newspapers labeled it Frankenstein-ish and other... Read More

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