The number of filming days for commercials on location in Los Angeles during the first quarter of 2006 has decreased a little more than seven percent as compared to the same time period in ’05. Based on FilmL.A. lensing permits, the tally for spots in January-March ’06 is 1,896 production days, down from the 2,044 days in the first quarter of ’05.
Permit applications handled by FilmL.A. (formerly the Entertainment Industry Development Corp.)–which oversees the joint Los Angeles City/County Film Office–account for an estimated 80 percent-plus of location shooting in Los Angeles County.
While it’s difficult to pinpoint reasons for the decline, a prevalent school of thought is that more work is going elsewhere, either to other states or in some cases foreign countries. Indeed, many other states and municipalities are adopting or improving on financial incentives to attract filming business, a fact that was acknowledged by FilmL.A. president Steve MacDonald relative to overall production also spanning features and TV.
MacDonald noted that Los Angeles’ overall production days are up four-plus percent for the first quarter of ’06 when stacked up against ’05; however, that is due to a dramatic nearly 128 percent increase in reality TV production, which rose to 1,942 days, compared to 856 days during the first quarter of ’05. (TV dramas increased 6.8 percent, but sitcom location production dropped 65 percent. Feature films, though, were up nearly nine percent.)
“The big jump in the reality sector, which tends to have lower budgets and less of an economic impact helped to shore up our [production day] numbers,” said MacDonald. “While the figures might suggest that L.A. is holding its own, a look at other jurisdictions provides a different perspective. MacDonald cited record production-day increases reported by New York City, for example.
In New York, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting reported that on-location production days increased 35 percent in ’05 over the prior year, to a total of 31,570. That makes ’05 the busiest production year for that city in more than a decade.
FilmL.A. also referenced figures compiled by the California Film Commission regarding other states, such as Illinois seeing its production spending jump 198 percent from ’03 to ’04 and then 28 percent from ’04 to ’05, and New Mexico reporting a whopping 348 percent rise in production spending between ’04 and ’05.
“The production landscape is expanding both in the U.S. and internationally, and these dramatic growth figures prompt important questions, such as how many jobs and how much revenue is Los Angeles losing to other regions? asked MacDonald. “When you take into account that other regions are just beginning to develop a talent pool and long-term infrastructure, L.A.’s modest growth is not encouraging.”
The FilmL.A. figures for Greater Los Angeles represent the number of film-permitted, on-location production days in the City of Los Angeles, Diamond Bar, Southgate and West Hollywood, unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, the Angeles National Forest, and in more than 800 facilities operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The tally of filming days does not include production that occurs only on soundstages or in surrounding cities.
Directors Amy+Pilar and Jose Antonio Prat Join Reform School
Boutique content production company Reform has added comedy directing duo Amy+Pilar (Amy York Rubin and Pilar Boehm) and award-winning multicultural director Jose Antonio Prat to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded entertainment.
Partners in both life and art, Amy+Pilar are know for their sharp wit and comedic timing. Their synchronicity is evident in a body of work across TV, film and commercials. Prior to joining Reform School, Amy+Pilar had been repped in the ad market by production company Knucklehead.
Amy has directed high-profile comedy sketches featuring stars like Amy Schumer, Kate McKinnon, and Sarah Silverman. On the episodic front, Amy has helmed for series such as Fresh Off the Boat, Casual, Superstore and Angie Tribeca--as well as the pilot for the hit Netflix comedy Dead to Me.
Before joining forces with Amy behind the camera, Pilar was a psychotherapist, a background that informs her ability to create fascinating characters and stage irresistible, nuanced performances. Amy and Pilar’s shared passion for comedy brought them together. Their collaboration began with a Synchrony Bank campaign, starring cult-comedy favorite Maribeth Monroe (Workaholics), and they went on to direct the pilot of the Hulu series Love, Victor. Amy+Pilar’s ad fare also includes spots for Uber’s “Go-Get” campaign and “Shift,” starring Martin Starr.
“We have been fans of Amy and Pilar for a long time,” said Ryan Ennis, executive director at Reform School. “They excel at capturing comedic performances and dialogue. Coming from the TV and L.A. comedy scenes, they’ve built a strong following and collaborated with some of our favorite funny people.... Read More