Deadline: Other Locales Are Catching Up to Los Angeles

By David Robb | Published on March 13, 2023

With 6.2 million square feet of soundstages, Los Angeles remains the world leader in terms of overall stage space, but other jurisdictions are catching up, according to the latest report from the city and county film permit office.

Link to the 2023 study here:

FilmLA says the United Kingdom, with an estimated 5.4 million square feet of dedicated stage space, “is catching up with Los Angeles. Just three years ago, the UK had only 3.5 million square feet, representing an increase of nearly 2 million square feet over that period.”

Ontario is now in third place with 3.8 million square feet of dedicated stage space, followed by Georgia (3 million square feet), New York (2.8 million) and another Canadian province, British Columbia (2.4 million).

“All of these competitive jurisdictions have plans to expand existing infrastructure by several million square feet,” FilmLA says. “This could enhance their attractiveness to film producers, especially for jurisdictions that offer generous tax incentives and other perks.”

The report notes that year-over-year shoot day activity already was down 19.5% in the fourth quarter of last year and that the film and TV industry is “being impacted by corporate restructuring and impending union negotiations which have caused many productions to pause.” The WGA is now in its second week of contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, and the DGA and SAG-AFTRA will follow soon.

“The present slowdown in production notwithstanding, Los Angeles cannot afford to lose its competitive edge when it comes to soundstages and other production infrastructure,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “Local studio expansions and the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program are prerequisites for sustaining the high level of production we have in L.A., and for growing it further.”

Article Source: https://deadline.com/2023/03/los-angeles-film-production-soundstage-leader-other-catching-up-filmla-1235313740/