Movies

Stay in LA campaign holds rally to encourage local film production

BBG News

On Sunday, a grassroots initiative focused on bolstering movie and TV production within Los Angeles took place a rally in Sun Valley, intending to highlight the challenges faced by our city’s entertainment sector.

At SirReal Studio Services, there was a gathering where various speakers from diverse areas within the entertainment sector, alongside state and federal politicians, spoke up. They urged state and local authorities to take additional steps to aid an industry that provides employment for numerous workers (over 50,000) in Southern California.

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, representing Los Angeles, stated, “I’ve come to this gathering since the Hollywood production significantly contributes to our regional and state economic prosperity.

She went on to say, “This problem affects the entire country. We’re finding ourselves in competition with other nations who are stealing our businesses, resources, narratives, and even our skilled workers by employing their own crews instead of ours. This trend is harmful to our local industry.

The rally was the group’s initial gathering since they initiated a petition in January with over 22,000 signatures. It attracted actors, crew members, business owners, community organizers, and union officials.

The petition aimed at implementing specific rewards and various strategies to counteract what’s often referred to as manufacturing flight, and it garnered the support of several prominent figures such as actors Keanu Reeves and Olivia Wilde, along with directors Rian Johnson and Patty Jenkins.

In a statement, Pamela Buzick Kim, co-founder of Stay in LA, stated that the pandemic spanning generations closed down both production and post-production facilities, prompted projects to relocate out of state, and ultimately left behind Californian creators such as makeup artists, hair stylists, editors, and others.

As a movie enthusiast, I’m speaking up now. Let’s shift our focus towards our governing bodies – not just to hear, but to take action. They need to enact legislation that secures the future of entertainment in California, invests in our communities, and helps revive an industry on the brink of vanishing, safeguarding a dream that might otherwise fade away.

Governor Gavin Newsom has suggested increasing California’s annual film and television tax credit program budget from $330 million to $750 million. This move aims to enhance California’s competitiveness against states like New York and other global contenders in attracting Hollywood productions. If the Legislature agrees, the increased funding could become effective as soon as this July and last for five years.

Hollywood Inc.

Struggling with a production delay, Hollywood workers are now confronted by another challenge due to the aftermath of the Southern California wildfires.

Or:

With a production slowdown already on their hands, Hollywood staff must deal with yet another issue caused by the effects of the Southern California fires.

To encourage film production amidst the ongoing challenges posed by recent wildfires, officials in Los Angeles have proposed several measures for disaster relief. These include temporarily lifting tax incentive caps on productions filmed within Los Angeles County over the next three years.

Furthermore, they’ve been vocal about reducing or abolishing production permit costs in the local area and encouraging studios and streaming platforms to commit that a minimum of 10% of their projects will take place in Los Angeles.

Despite the end of the Hollywood labor strikes, production has yet to recover.

Over the last five years, there’s been a 30% decrease in filming activities, as reported by FilmLA, an organization that monitors on-set days within the Greater Los Angeles region.

According to FilmLA’s report, the usage rate of annual sound stages decreased by 7% in 2023, reaching 63%. This figure is significantly lower than the typical 90% occupancy rate for sound stages between 2016 and 2022.

Simultaneously, numerous entertainment firms have reduced their production budgets while still capitalizing on attractive tax benefits available in locations outside of California.

Hollywood Inc.

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California’s film industry is in crisis. Can it be saved?

As a passionate enthusiast, I’ve noticed that California faces challenges in its film and TV production sector. Collaboratively with industry insiders and experts, we’re brainstorming potential solutions to rectify this situation.

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2025-04-07 04:01

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