Filming on L.A. Streets Down From Year Ago

The shooting of films, TV shows, commercials and music videos on the streets of Los Angeles in June continued to drop from a year earlier, when studios were rushing to finish projects as a possible actors strike loomed.

Days spent shooting in public areas during the month declined 19% from a year earlier, according to the Entertainment Industry Development Corp., which issues film permits for most of L.A. County.

The biggest decreases continue to be in feature film shooting, which was most affected by the strike fears. In June, film shooting was down nearly 40% to 614 days.

For the first half of the year, production days dropped nearly 20% from a year earlier to 13,381. One production day equals a single day of shooting on a project.

The numbers are skewed from their usual levels because studios accelerated film production in late 2000 and early 2001 so they would be ready if writers and actors walked out. Both groups eventually settled without a strike.

Although the EIDC numbers don’t include production on studio lots, where permits aren’t required, they are considered a barometer of Southern California production activity.