Filming In Los Angeles Returns To Pre-Pandemic Levels

STUDIO CITY, CA — Filming in Los Angeles has officially returned to pre-pandemic levels, signaling Hollywood's return to force after a year and a half of stagnated activity.

According to FilmLA, which handles film permits in Los Angeles, 9,791 shoot days were logged across all categories in the second quarter of 2021. That number was only 9,135 in the second quarter of 2019, a 7.2 percent increase from pre-pandemic years during the same time frame.

"By almost any available measure, the second quarter was good for filming in Los Angeles," said Paul Audley, President of FilmLA. "With local COVID-19 cases rising it’s not clear whether that will be sustainable, but the industry’s commitment to community, cast and crew safety remains firmly in place."

All of the four major categories — features, commercials, television and other — experienced significantly higher activity, especially commercials which saw a 55.5% increase over the first quarter.

Features were up 43.3%, television was up 30.5%, and the other category was up 49.7% compared to Q1.

Feature films shot in Los Angeles during the second quarter include "Day Shift," "Hollywood Stargirl," "Kimi," and "The Fabelmans." TV shows that were shot locally include "Ghosts," "The Dropout," "American Crime Story: Impeachment," "Animal Kingdom" and more.

The full report is available here.