LOS ANGELES — The film industry is experiencing a slow return to production in Los Angeles following last year's labor strikes.

There was hope the first three months of 2024 would bring productions back into full swing, but a report from FilmLA shows that has yet to materialize.

FilmLA’s president Paul Audley joined “Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh to discuss the recent report and what he envisions as the future of film production in Los Angeles.

In the first quarter of 2024, on-location filming declined by 8.7% compared to 2023. 

Television saw the biggest drop in production dropping 16.2% compared to the same time last year. Audley points to streaming companies shortening the number of episodes in a television series.

Feature film production experienced a 6.6% uptick compared to last year.

“The reality though is that features are a very small part of the total pie,” Audley said. “...But, it’s great news we saw an increase in total features.”

Audley highlights the California Film & Television Tax Credit for helping land the production of multiple feature films. 

Another positive sign for the film industry for Audley is the development of new sound stages that are used by bigger productions to help compete with places like Toronto or New York.

“This is good news for increasing capacity to do filming here and we continue to do a lot to make sure that it is easier to do filming here,” Audley said.