FilmLA Releases Full 2020 Production Reports

STUDIO CITY, CA — Although 2020 set record lows in terms of shooting days for the film, TV and advertising industries, data from FilmLA showed signs of life as the year came to a close.

According to a new report, overall production in 2020 was 48% lower than 2019 and 49.8% lower than the five year average. The number of total on-location shoot days in Los Angeles was 18,993 in 2020, the lowest production yield FilmLA has reported over 25 years of service to the region.

FilmLA, which coordinates film permits across L.A. County, estimates that 198 television projects were shut down between mid-March and mid-June due to pandemic-related restrictions. Feature films saw the biggest drop off, declining 55.8% between 2020 and 2019.

"COVID-19 decimated the traditional broadcast pilot season this year, which typically runs from late February to early May," FilmLA said in the report.

However, television shoot days in the fourth quarter of 2020 were 6.2% higher than 2019 levels. TV accounted for 54.4% of total shoot days in the quarter, an increase from 38.2% in 2019. Reality television increased 12.1% compared to 2019, growing by 93.4% in the fourth quarter.

The report indicates that production studios had big plans going into 2020, with 215 new scripted television projects planned. It was the highest number of planned projects since FilmLA began tracking that data in 2011.

The number of streaming projects scheduled in 2020 also increased slightly, and 66% of 2020 television projecst went straight to streaming.

"As FilmLA reported last year, in 2019 the numbers of new streaming projects surpassed new broadcast projects for the first time," the report said. "It can be assumed that a rising number of new streaming shows is a trend that will continue, barring the failure of or consolidation among existing platforms."

The start of 2021 has looked bleaker for the film industry, as the renewed surge of coronavirus caused many studios to pause filming in January. The Screen Actors Guild asked its members to refrain from joining productions due to the extreme strain on hospitals and limited ICU capacity.

"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."

City News Service contributed to this report.