The industry that runs Los Angeles is failing. Film and production in the city fell to its lowest point in 25 years since the start of the pandemic, according to a report by FilmLA.
“The impact of COVID-19 on local film production and jobs cannot be overstated. With production paused for 87 days and the industry responsible and cautious in returning to work, total annual production fell to unprecedented lows,” Paul Audley, FilmLA president, said in a statement.
FilmLA found that during the television pilot season, shooting was down by 61.2 percent, feature films finished 2020 down by 55.8 percent and commercials were down 14.3 percent compared to 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.
There was one bright spot. Reality TV was the biggest driver in 2020. The number of days shooting went from 1,006 in 2019 to 1,946 in 2020, an increase of 93.4 percent.
Productions operating in Hollywood are working under demanding COVID-19 protocols with mandatory testing and strict personal protective equipment guidelines. And according to CBS LA, productions workt in a “zone system” keeping groups of people seperate on the set and limit the potential spread of the virus.
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