Editor’s Note: Suzy Kellett is managing director of the Washington State Film Office. She has been part of the film commission community for some 25 years, and continues to be active in the Association of Film Commissioners International. Her first post was deputy director at the Illinois Film Office, where in 1982 she was promoted to director. In ’96, she moved to the Washington State Film Office.
This month WashingtonFilmWorks, a new incentive program for Washington State, is launching its 20 percent rebate program. Qualified feature film, television and commercial projects can receive up to 20 percent of their in-state spending in a refund. If you buy, rent or hire it in Washington, it qualifies. Features need to spend a minimum of $500,000; television $300,000 and commercials $250,000 per spot.
While the program is designed to encourage filming in Washington, Kellett in this column encourages those who film anywhere to report their economic data, which is of critical importance to the survival of film commissions.
In any given year film commissions around the United States assist thousands of commercials working on location. It is our pleasure to help these commercials as they are very good business. And, for the free assistance–with locations, permitting, clearances, contacts, troubleshooting–all we ask in return is that producers tell us how many local people were hired and the amount of production spending left in our area.
I realize we are low on the totem pole of “To Do’s” for a producer with an intensely busy schedule. But, helping us get those figures can be the difference between a film commission staying open or not. Film commissions use these statistics to justify their existence and track the economic impact of production. It is always our intention that individual project figures be kept confidential. The year’s production figures are then totaled and submitted for internal budgeting purposes.
Unfortunately, film commissions spend more time justifying their existence at home than they do to their customers. Government by its very nature is an employment revolving door. Film commissioners spend a great deal of time educating and re-educating old and new officials on the value of their work. Regardless of these efforts, many state, city and county leaders see our work as corporate welfare. When confronted with today’s conflicting priorities such as homelessness, deteriorating city infrastructures, education, Homeland Security, healthcare, etc, many leaders wonder if government should be investing dollars in what appears to be the lucrative business of film, television and commercial production.
It is up to film commissioners to constantly make the argument of how many LOCAL jobs are created, the levels of LOCAL production spending, the LOCAL support services that get hired and the overall marketing value. Feature, television and commercial producers hold the key in helping us make these arguments when they share their production figures with us.
OK, yes, we might be annoying from time to time when we bug you about this, but we just want to make sure we are still around the next time that you call.
L.A. Location Lensing Declines In 2024 Despite Uptick In 4th Quarter
FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, has issued an update regarding regional filming activity. Overall production in Greater Los Angeles increased 6.2 percent from October through December 2024 to 5,860 Shoot Days (SD) according to FilmLA’s latest report. Most production types tracked by FilmLA achieved gains in the fourth quarter, except for reality TV, which instead logged its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline.
The lift across all remaining categories came too late to rescue 2024 from the combined effects of runaway production, industry contraction and slower-than-hoped-for post- strike recovery. With just 23,480 SD filmed on-location in L.A. in 2024, overall annual production finished the year 5.6 percent below the prior year. That made 2024 the second least productive year observed by FilmLA; only 2020, disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, saw lower levels of filming in area communities.
The continuing decline of reality TV production in Los Angeles was among the most disappointing developments of 2024. Down 45.7 percent for the fourth quarter (to 774 SD), the category also finished the year down 45.9 percent (to 3,905 SD), which placed
it 43.1 percent below its five-year category average.
The two brightest spots in FilmLA’s latest report appeared in the feature film and television drama categories. Feature film production increased 82.4 percent in the fourth quarter to 589 SD, a gain analysts attribute to independent film activity. The
California Film & Television Tax Credit Program also played a part, driving 19.2 percent of quarterly category activity. Overall, annual Feature production was up 18.8 percent in 2024, though the... Read More