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.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this โ and those many "Babadook" memes โ unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables โ "Bah-Bah-Doooook" โ an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More