Film Permit Applications Drop For Second Straight Month

STUDIO CITY, CA — Significantly less people are attempting to film shows in Los Angeles during the pandemic, as suggested by new numbers released by FilmLA. The number of filming permit applications dropped by 24.9% between November and December, the second month-to-month drop since filming resumed in June.

The most recent drop is far steeper than that from October to November, when applications only decreased by 7.6%.

According to FilmLA, the nonprofit agency that coordinates film permitting in the Los Angeles area, only 613 permits were requested in December, with about one-fourth of them for television production and 6% for feature film production.

"In Los Angeles County, film production remains permissible, subject to extensive workplace health regulation through a combination of government mandates and union agreements," FilmLA said. "Current practice includes routine employee screening and COVID-19 testing, environmental sanitation, and zone-based set access control."

The news comes as many organizations have called for a production pause during the renewed surge of the virus. SAG-AFTRA, the Producers Guild, and the county Department of Public Health asked production companies to consider a hiatus, to prevent worsening the situation at area hospitals.

"Even putting aside the risk of acquiring COVID on set — a risk that we have done a great deal to mitigate through our safety protocols — on-set production always poses some risk of injury, whether because of a stunt gone wrong, an equipment failure or a garden-variety fall. Right now, with few if any hospital beds available, it is hard to understand how a worker injured on set is supposed to seek treatment," said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White. "I would like to thank the JPC and the PGA for their efforts to reinforce safety measures for all, and we acknowledge and appreciate the major studios and other producers who have proactively stepped up and postponed their production during this emergency."

CBS studios, Warner Bros. TV, Universal Television, Disney Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television indicated to FilmLA that they were pausing production until at least mid-January. The nonprofit organization praised the willingness of studios and producers to stand down until the situation grew less severe

"The industry has been extraordinarily responsible throughout the time of the pandemic, as demonstrated by their recent actions during the rise in cases of COVID-19 and embrace of strict safety protocols," FilmLA President Paul Audley said.

City News Service contributed to this report.