Los Angeles Movie & TV Production Permits Begin To Percolate, FilmLA Says

FilmLA said Wednesday that it has received more than 570 film permits for 422 film, TV and commercial projects since mid-June, when the City of Los Angeles and L.A. County got the OK to begin the process of resuming film and TV production amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Still photography and commercials permits make up almost half of the incoming activity (44%, per FilmLA), with music videos (14%) and reality TV (8%) shoots also beginning to stir. A couple of feature films are also in this first mix: Michael Bay’s pandemic thriller Songbird, Ryan Murphy’s Netflix musical comedy The Prom and Anthony Nardolillo’s 7th & Union starring Omar Chaparro and Edy Ganem.

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Unscripted projects on the list include USA Network’s Miz & Mrs., E!’s Botched and Fox’s The Masked Singer, which is hopeful to ramp up production to make it on the fall schedule. TV drama projects granted permits include FX’s Snowfall, Disney+’s Big Shot and Freeform’s limited series Love in the Time of Corona.

FilmLA said today that the total number of permit applications is about 34% of the normal, non-pandemic load at the organization, which saw limited filming activity underway as of June 19. It said that “overall activity will remain low until scripted television and feature production pick up — which is expected in early September.” It says all of its city and county jurisdictions are now open to filming.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that there are few other industries seeking to reopen as responsibly as the film business,” FilmLA president Paul Audley said. “Hundreds of smaller projects have successfully applied safe set practices as outlined in state and local public health orders. Meanwhile, continuing dialogue between studio and labor representatives is driving focused attention to cast, crew and vendor safety and compliance.”

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