Drop in location shoots

The recession, coupled with aggressive poaching by other states, has trimmed 2009 filming in the area by 19.4 percent, the steepest year-over-year decline since they began collecting numbers in 1993. All categories were hit: feature films were down 29.9 percent, TV production down 16.6 percent and commercials down 12 percent. The numbers come from FilmLA, the nonprofit group that helps coordinate film permit activity. Not to sound like a broken record on this, but these decreases, while significant, don't fully reflect L.A. production activity because they don't include statistics from backlots and sound stages, which I've been told are up to their necks in work (production companies often find them a cheaper alternative to on-location shooting). Nevertheless, the FilmLA press release uses the data to make a big pitch for the state's $500-million giveaway program for productions that are shot in California. "The incentive generates rapid returns in both economic stimulus and jobs," says FilmL.A. President Paul Audley. Other states that have offered incentives are finding the returns a lot less than imagined.