Movie and TV production screeched to a halt last quarter as stay-at-home orders brought filming to a standstill in Tinseltown, according to a new report.
Unsurprisingly, production in Los Angeles plummeted 97.8 percent, to just 194 shooting days, compared with the April to June year-ago period, a FilmLA study said.
The stark report, which called the second quarter “a near total loss for on-location filming,” said the period marked the “lowest filming levels on record.” That’s linked to the fact that production remained shut from March 20 to June 15 due to the coronavirus.
“The first shutdowns we saw in March were voluntary, and it was hoped they could be temporary. Looking back, it was hard to imagine the impact the pandemic would have on entertainment projects in progress, and the economic security of local cast, crew, and production vendors,” said president of FilmLA Paul Audley.
During the second quarter, television production was down 98.2 percent, to 52 shoot days, as commercial production slid 95.5 percent, to 58 shoot days, and feature film production declined 99.7 percent, to 3 shoot days.
Even as Hollywood has been given the green light to go back to work, the report described the return to work as “gradual and cautious.”
“The good news is that production is starting to responsibly return, with advertising shoots, commercials, and limited television production now coming online,” offered Audley. “All permitted filming must comply with health orders as issued by county authorities. The measure of compliance we’re seeing is a real help in keeping the industry on the road to recovery.”