In an attempt to halt the flow of runaway productions, this week the Los Angeles City Council has taken steps to attract and maintain much-needed film and TV production in the city.
By Nia Daniels 5 Dec 2014
In an attempt to halt the flow of runaway productions, this week the Los Angeles City Council has taken steps to attract and maintain much-needed film and TV production in the city.
The measures comprise two main changes: fees for filming in and on civic property will be dropped for the next five years – meaning it will be free to shoot in municipal buildings such as City Hall (pictured), libraries, police stations, parks and airports. A few specific locations will be exempt, such as the Los Angeles Zoo.
This could seem a risky move, as these fees amount to around $350,000 per year for the city, but it is believed this will be more than recoupled by the benefits the waiver – which is to be backdated to 1 July – will bring.
The second strand of the attempt to stem the flow of productions heading to shoot elsewhere is a streamlining of the permit bureaucracy, comprising more efficient record-keeping, feedback from production companies and a database of available city locations.
These latest incentives come on the tails of California’s recently hiked-up tax credits, which more than tripled from September. The drastic step was taken as the California Film Commission previously reported that runaway productions have cost the state billions over the last four years.
For more on filming in California, head over to our production guide.
This could seem a risky move, as these fees amount to around $350,000 per year for the city, but it is believed this will be more than recoupled by the benefits the waiver – which is to be backdated to 1 July – will bring.
The second strand of the attempt to stem the flow of productions heading to shoot elsewhere is a streamlining of the permit bureaucracy, comprising more efficient record-keeping, feedback from production companies and a database of available city locations.
These latest incentives come on the tails of California’s recently hiked-up tax credits, which more than tripled from September. The drastic step was taken as the California Film Commission previously reported that runaway productions have cost the state billions over the last four years.
For more on filming in California, head over to our production guide.
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