Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — Film production in Los Angeles is starting to see some encouraging signs of growth according to a report released this week, which found that on-location activity for the first quarter increased by 10.7% compared to the last three months of 2025.
On-location film production activity between January to March totaled 5,121 shoot days, up from the prior quarter’s 4,625, but that still represented a 3.3% decrease from the first quarter of 2025, which saw 5,295 shoot days.
FilmLA is the official film office for the city and county of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions.
To date, 147 projects have been awarded tax credits through the latest round of the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program. Each approved production was given 180 days to start filming, with the first of the projects confirmed to be underway.
In quarter one, FilmLA found that incentivized projects accounted for nearly 7% of all shoot days taking place in the Greater Los Angeles area, including 21.8% of all feature production and 17.1% of all television production happening on location.
The highlight of quarter one was the feature film category, which finished the quarter with 687 shoot days, an increase of 45.2% over the prior quarter, and a 52.3% increase year-over-year.
FilmLA Research found that 21.8% of all shoot days in this category went to state incentivized projects such as “Behemoth!” (Searchlight Pictures), “One Attempt Remaining” (Netflix), and “Nightwatching” (Amazon MGM Studios). The majority of feature film activity in the first quarter came from independent films.
The report also showed that a 33.7% increase of shoot days in the TV drama category can be attributed to the state’s film tax program. Shoot days in this category were up 40.5% in quarter one compared to the prior quarter, and up 7.3% compared to the same period last year.
Projects in this category include the “Baywatch” reboot (Fox), “The Rookie S8” (ABC), “Matlock” season two (CBS), “9-1-1” season nine (Fox), and “The Morning Show” season five (Apple TV+).
In the TV comedy, there were a total of 120 shoot days, representing a 9.1% increase compared to the previous quarter of 110 shoot days, as well as the first quarter of 2025.
The report also showed that the state’s recent film tax credit expansion is boosting the number of projects with episodes lasting 20 minutes or more. In this category, there was a 38.3% increase in shoot days for incentivized projects, such as “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” season 18 (FX), “The Studio” season two (Apple TV+), “High Potential” season two (ABC), “Nobody Wants This” season two (Netflix), and “Hacks” season five (HBO MAX).
Overall, the television category had 1,196 shoot days in quarter one, down slightly from the prior quarter of 1,247 shoot days, or about a 4.1% difference. Compared to the same period last year, the category is down by 28.4% from the 1,670 shoot days in the first quarter of 2025.
“While it’s still too early to make predictions for the coming months, the increase in shoot days we are seeing in key categories gives hope for a broader rise in production activity and points to the California Film and Television Tax Program’s growing impact on local job creation,” FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches said in a statement.
“While some of the latest numbers are encouraging, we know that there is still significant work to be done to bring filming and jobs back to the region,” Gutches added. “FilmLA is committed to building on the progress underway with our government partners to make filming here as easy, affordable, and straightforward as possible.”
Gutches further stated she was optimistic about recently launched initiatives to support the industry, such as the Low Impact Permit Pilot Program.
“We have a long way to go, but after years of decline, Hollywood is finally turning a corner with more productions and more jobs,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “We have worked hand in hand with industry partners to make filming in Los Angeles easier and more affordable.
“That means lowering costs, cutting red tape, and creating a more predictable and efficient process for production. And we are not stopping here. City Hall will continue to partner with the industry to support good paying union jobs and expand economic opportunity across L.A.”
The report, however, noted the TV reality category continued in a downward trend with 463 shoot days, or a 33.7% decline compared to the prior year, which had 698 shoot days, and a 55.2% decline compared to the first quarter of 2025.
The five-year average is down by 71.1%.
Production of commercials increased, with 794 shoot days this quarter, an increase of 35.5% compared to the prior quarter, which stood at 586 shoot days.
In the “other” category, which includes still photography, student films, documentaries, short films, online content, music and industrial videos, shoot days increased to 2,444, an increase of 5.4% compared to the prior quarter, and up 2.8% compared to the first quarter of 2025.
