On-location production of commercials in the City of Los Angeles, unincorporated parts of L.A. County and other local jurisdictions declined 7.5 percent in the second quarter of 2011 as compared to the same period last year–1,484 permitted production days (PPD) in April-June of this year versus 1,604 for the same period in 2010. This decrease ended what had been a 21-month surge in on-location spot lensing.
The downturn in commercials contributed to an overall stall in on-location production in Greater L.A. which collectively increased just 1.1 percent in the second quarter of ’11 as stacked up against the Q2 performance of ’10.
The quarterly findings were tallied and reported on by FilmL.A., the not-for-profit community benefit organization that coordinates permits for filmed entertainment shot in much of the L.A. area.
Production in the TV category dropped 0.7 percent in the second quarter (4,024 vs. 4,052 PPD), led by losses in sitcoms (down 29.4 percent) and TV reality (down 12.9 percent) subcategories. The TV pilots subcategory was up 4.5 percent.
The TV drama subcategory (up 26.6 percent) had a surprisingly robust quarter due to heavy reliance by shows such as Hawthorne and Sons of Anarchy on uncertified soundstages for extended periods. Within FilmL.A.’s service areas, filming anywhere other than a certified soundstage or studio backlot requires a film permit.
On-location theatrical feature production increased four percent (1,604 vs. 1,542 PPD). Unlike every other quarter since July 2009, this past quarter the California Film & Television Tax Credit had only minor impact on local feature production totals. In 2009/2010, the state doubled its $100 million annual allocation to encourage filming in California. With less assistance available this year, only five incentivized feature projects filmed on-location in Los Angeles this past quarter, generating 117 PPD, or 7.3 percent of overall feature production. By comparison, the same quarter in 2010 saw 16 incentivized feature projects shooting locally, generating 423 PPD and 27 percent of feature production.
“We expect to see features get a boost as a new crop of incentivized projects hits the streets,” said Paul Audley, president of FilmL.A. “Unfortunately, the momentum we carried in television may be gone. A lot of the new shows you’ll see this fall won’t be filming in California. As a result, we’re expecting a lackluster second half of the year for TV.”
“Overnight Success” Has Been More Than A Decade In The Making For Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson
Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit "The Perfect Couple," have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of "Gossip Girl." Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's "This Must Be the Place." They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles — "The White Lotus" for Fahy and "Bad Sisters" for Hewson — that have led to new frontiers of opportunity.
Susanne Bier, who directed "The Perfect Couple," says both Fahy and Hewson are "going to be big stars."
"They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways," Bier says. "Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do."
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of "Bad Sisters, " out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called "Sirens," written by Molly Smith Metzler ("Maid") for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor ("The Crown," "Challengers") and Brandon Sklenar ("It Ends With Us").
The two actors spoke candidly about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and... Read More