FilmLA: Tax Credits Help But LA Production Remains Low
On-location film and television production in the greater Los Angeles area dropped 4.8% during the three-month period ending September 30 compared to the same timeframe last year, recording 4,171 total shoot days according to a report.
Tax Credits Aid Select Projects While Overall Production Declines
The decline marks an 11.5% drop from the second quarter and sits nearly 29% below the five-year average for the region. FilmLA Chief Executive Denise Gutches stated in the report that where tax credits apply, they are working to bring productions back to Los Angeles and put local crews to work. Gutches added that overall production remains far below where Los Angeles needs it to be, leaving crews and businesses across the region feeling the impact. The tracked figures cover only on-location filming and exclude productions shot on certified soundstages.
Television shoot days fell to 1,400 during the quarter, representing a 2.8% slide from the third quarter of 2025 and a nearly 53% drop compared with the five-year average. Incentivized projects accounted for roughly 23% of those television shoot days, up from about 9% a year earlier. Among them was the CBS drama “Tracker,” which relocated to Los Angeles from Vancouver for its fourth season after securing a state tax credit. Elwood Reid, showrunner and executive producer of “Tracker,” said in a statement that California’s incentive made the relocation possible, noting that after more than a decade away, he had forgotten what he was missing in Los Angeles.
Comedy Gains Ground as Other Television Genres Lose Share
Comedy programming drove the largest gains within the television sector, logging 192 shoot days for a 143% increase over the 79 days recorded in the third quarter of 2025. More than 60% of those comedy shoot days went to projects receiving production incentives. FilmLA noted that this figure could be higher since many comedies shoot on soundstages, which are omitted from the on-location report. Third-quarter comedy numbers also marked a 16% improvement over the five-year average.
Other television genres lost ground during the period. Dramas fell to 494 shoot days, down 9.4%, while reality programming dropped 2.9% to 630 shoot days, and pilots slid 52.6% to just 9 shoot days.
LA film production shoot days down 39% under Karen Bass. Do you have anything positive to say, Karen? Or are you going to continue being nasty? pic.twitter.com/CzM9iYxwpg
Feature Films Show Growth While Commercials Continue to Struggle
Feature film production offered a bright spot with 533 shoot days, marking a 2.1% increase from a year earlier and a roughly 20% jump from the second quarter. Incentivized projects accounted for about 24% of that total, up from roughly 22% a year earlier, and included productions such as Netflix’s “13 Going on 30” reboot and Jonah Hill’s comedy “Cut Off” from Warner Bros., according to FilmLA. Despite the quarter-over-quarter gains, feature film numbers remain down 19.3% compared to the five-year average.
Commercial production, which remains ineligible for state tax credits, continued to struggle with 562 shoot days. That total represents a nearly 16% decline from the same period in 2025, though it showed a 3.5% improvement over the second quarter. FilmLA’s catch-all category for student productions, still photo shoots, documentaries, and online content recorded 1,676 shoot days, down 4.2% from 2025. Within that grouping, online content filming rose 16.3% to 556 shoot days.
