Streaming is sidelining TV pilots. That's one of the findings in a pair of new reports released Wednesday by the nonprofit that manages most of L.A. County's film-permitting process.
The reports document the pandemic and how the rise in streaming services is changing the film-production world and challenging California's place in it.
<p>The percentage of scripted TV projects that have foregone a traditional pilot episode and instead gone "straight-to-series" (STS) has skyrocketed, from 6% in 2012 to 66% in 2020. That's a trend largely driven by streamers, who distributed nearly 90% of their 2020 projects using that model, compared to 76.3% for cable and 15.3% for broadcast. </p><p>"We've been told (streamers' projects) get vetted a lot more heavily upfront," said the nonprofit FilmLA's president, Paul Audley. That, alongside streaming's rise, has ushered in the shift away from shooting a pilot and then shopping it to buyers.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Data and graphic from FilmLA</small></p><p>And for the second straight year, streaming made up the largest portion of scripted-TV projects. Of the 215 total such projects in FilmLA's 2020 cycle, streaming led the way with 97 projects, up 27.6% from 2019. Scripted cable projects rose 11.3% to 59, while broadcast fell 11.9% from 67 to 59. 2019 was the first year streaming projects eclipsed broadcast, and that margin has now widened.</p><p>California retains its spot as the top location for new scripted-TV projects. But there is increasing competition from other suitors trying to lure Hollywood productions. In 2018, the Golden State hosted 52.4% of scripted-TV projects. That fell to 43.1% in 2019 and further to 41.1% in 2020.<br/></p><p>The state is still king when it comes to streaming, but its overall share is steadily falling. California hosted 29 new scripted projects last year, compared to Canada's 24 and New York's 17. Georgia, which has made a play for Hollywood's films, only hosted six scripted productions. </p><p>Last year was the bleakest year on record for production in the nonprofit FilmLA's 25-year history. After a nearly three-month pandemic-induced shutdown, film and TV production in L.A. returned slowly in 2020 under new restrictions. Those rules extended shooting timelines but limited what could be produced, cutting on-location shooting days in L.A. County 48% year-over-year, according to a new year-in-review report from the nonprofit.</p><p>Still, there were some bright spots, including the re-emergence of reality television. In the last quarter of 2020, overall television production days rose 6% year-over-year, with reality TV leading the way with a 93% increase from 2019. That's a reflection of reality's simpler production requirements compared to scripted shows, which make it easier to adhere to public health and industry guidelines.</p><p>Scripted television, on the other hand, plummeted. Drama shoot-days in 2020 fell 45.8% year-over-year, and comedy dropped 75.9%. Those figures likely underestimate the damage, because of FilmLA's methodology. The organization measures production volume by shoot-days; but due to the new health and safety protocols, Audley said productions are now requiring more time, meaning it takes more shoot-days to create the same amount of output. </p><p>"It's a double-edged sword," Audley said. "One edge is real gratitude that the industry and public health have found a way for the film industry to work at least at some level, because there are thousands of small businesses dependent on this industry and whatever work we can get out is really helpful. The other side is this pandemic has really decimated this industry that has a huge impact on Los Angeles." </p>
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Production in Hollywood dropped for the second month in a row in December and is expected to remain slow as coronavirus cases surge in Los Angeles.
Warner Bros. TV, Universal Television, Disney Television Studios, CBS Studios, Sony Pictures Television and other production studios have halted production until at least mid-January after FilmLA circulated a Christmas Eve alert from county health authorities strongly recommending production companies limit or pause activity through the end of the year.
<p>Both SAG-AFTRA and the Producers Guild recommended a halt on on-set commercial production in the region on Jan. 3 .</p><p>According to FilmLA, the nonprofit that issues filming permits for the county and city, permit applications fell 24.9% from November to December. That's up from the 7.6% dip in applications between October and November. </p><p>FilmLA spokesperson Philip Sokoloski said larger budget products like feature films and scripted TV may not resume filming until the middle of this month or later.</p><p>"There's a lot pending but no real understanding of exactly when the work will return," he said. </p><p>FilmLA sent out the alert on the recommendation of county health officials who were facing zero capacity at hospital intensive care units by mid-December. Sokoloski said public health officials opted not to shut down production as they did in March because "there's a very high level of voluntary compliance" among studios. </p><p>TV production accounted for 27% of permit requests in December. A handful of series began shooting locally, including "Insecure" (HBO), "Tacoma FD" (HBO Max) and "The L Word: Generation Q" (Showtime).</p><p>Commercial shoots for products by companies including Haagen Dazs, Honda and Mountain Dew comprised 28% of permits issued last month. Feature film production made up just 6% of permitting across 26 films, mostly independent projects, including "Monstrous," "Slayers" and "This Land."</p>
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The Netflix comedy "The Kominsky Method," HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm and LIfetime's "You" were some of the few television productions filming in Los Angeles last month.
Production in Hollywood dropped in November for the first time since filming resumed in June partly due to the holidays, the election and, of course, the pandemic.
FilmLA, the nonprofit that issues city permits, is averaging just 39 new production permits a day. That's a 7.6% decrease since October, said FilmLA president Paul Audley.
<p>The dip in activity isn't surprising, he added. Audley said last year saw a steeper decline during November. </p><p>This year, he said the film industry is trying to catch up after months of reduced business. He expects a similar slow period to take place in December.</p><p>In addition to the television series in production, 40 feature films also began filming in the city including "To Leslie" <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/allison-janney-john-hawkes-join-leslie-cannes-1297957" target="_blank">starring Allison Janney</a> and "He's All That," a remake of the 90s romantic comedy, "She's All That," with <a href="https://people.com/movies/addison-rae-first-look-hes-all-that-movie/" target="_blank">TikTok star Addison Rae</a>.</p><p>Advertising projects like still photography and commercials still make up the majority of production across the city, accounting for 44% of all issued permits. Feature films followed, representing 25% of permits, and TV production lagged behind with 5%. </p><p>Audley said public health officials have not yet added additional restrictions to filming. Talent agencies and guilds in L.A. have set their own protocols for testing and social distancing on site. </p><p>"I think it's because they're already under such extreme conditions to operate," he said. </p><p>Commercials will likely lead most production this month, Audley said, as those projects are smaller and work on shorter timelines.</p><p>Still, he's preparing for a plateau in production until large populations are vaccinated or case numbers across the city begin to improve.</p>
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