Film and TV shoots in L.A. continue to drop despite state tax credit

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred Los Angeles is still struggling to bring filming back to the region, though projects that receive a state tax credit are making up a growing share of local shoot days, according to a new report.For the three-month period that ended Sept.30, there were 4,171 shoot days in the greater L.A.

area, down 4.8% compared with the same period last year, according to FilmLA Research, a program of FilmLA which tracks on-location production.That’s also down about 11.5% from the second quarter, and nearly 29% below the five-year average.“Where the tax credit applies, it’s working to bring productions back to Los Angeles and put local crews to work,” FilmLA Chief Executive Denise Gutches said in a statement.

“Still, overall production remains far below where Los Angeles needs it to be, and crews and businesses across the region are feeling it.”The report counts only on-location filming.Productions shot on certified soundstages aren’t included.Television shoot days totaled 1,400, a 2.8% slide from the third quarter of 2025 and a drop of nearly 53% compared with the five-year average.

About 23% of the TV shoot days were for incentivized projects, up from about 9% a year earlier.Among them was the CBS drama “Tracker,” which relocated to L.A.

from Vancouver for the show’s fourth season after receiving a state tax credit.“California’s incentive is what made it possible to bring ‘Tracker’ here,” Elwood Reid, showrunner and executive producer of “Tracker,” said in a statement.“Los Angeles is the big leagues, and after more than a decade away, I’d forgotten what I was missing.”Within television, comedy made the biggest gains, with 192 days of filming, up 143% from the 79 days in the third quarter of 2025.

More than 60% of the comedy shoot days were for projects that received a produc...