EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles has been trying to find ways to encourage more films and TV series to stay in the city, hoping to stem a 30% reduction in production over the last five years, according to FilmLA.
Now, a small group, including L.A. City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, are working on a local solution to help bring mid-budget movies back to the city. The plan includes reducing “onerous regulations and permitting” as well other “unnecessary fees, inconsistent safety requirements.”
Cale Thomas, a makeup artist who is co-chair of the L..A political and legislative subcommittee for IATSE Local 706, and members of CA United and Stay in LA as well as producer Greg Zekowski have been working with Nazarian and other councilmembers including Hugo Soto Martinez and Nithya Raman.
Nazarian has presented and had a motion approved that is now under consideration with L.A.’s chief legislative analyst for approval. It is expected to be back on the floor over the next month.
“Los Angeles has historically been the heart and soul of the entertainment industry. However, the Covid-19 pandemic, recent Hollywood strikes and additional economic constraints have led to a steep decline in local film production. The city must act quickly, as we risk losing significant market share to other areas of the country. In addition to providing stable, well-paying jobs to our residents, the significant boost to our local economy has the potential to bring desperately needed revenue to our City,” said Nazarian.
“The onerous regulations and permitting required by the City are significant obstacles to production companies. Bureaucratic permitting, expensive and often unnecessary fees, inconsistent safety requirements, and lack of City personnel and resources dedicated to filming requests are among the most significant hurdles to our entertainment industry. Prompt action is necessary to bring film, television and commercial production back to Los Angeles,” he added.
The group has proposed alternatives for reducing requirements of public safety personnel required at shoots; offering waived or reduced fees for utilizing public property as shoot locations; creating a pool of film-certified public safety officers available for rates competitive with other cities that are currently taking production away from L.A.; identifying and enforcing the price gouging of crew parking and base camps for film shoots; and recommended streamlining the film permitting review process which includes staffing and resources necessary across all departments involved and revising the stage certification process that allow for more stages to certify and limit additional expenses.
The city is now working with the Fire Department, Police Department, Department of Recreation and Parks, Bureau of Public Works, Economic Workforce and Development Department, Department of Transportation and FilmLA on these proposals.
This comes on top of statewide help that has been proposed in the California legislature. Two California lawmakers introduced two bills to bolster proposals already made by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Nazarian said these bills are “poised to revitalize production throughout the state. Now, we must do our part at the local level to keep production in Los Angeles.”
Thomas has worked on a number of major Marvel and Star Wars movies and series including The Guardians of the Galaxy, Ahsoka and The Mandalorian, as well as movies such as Babylon and series such as Watchmen. But he told Deadline that these proposals are aimed at mid-budget movies up to $20 million, which used to be the lifeblood of Hollywood.
“We’re looking at movies like Boyz N the Hood, Fridays and American History X; these are the types of movies historically shot in L.A. that are now completely off the table because their dollars go a lot further in these other markets for a multitude of reasons. It’s death by a thousand ants,” he said.
“We’re not talking about the Marvels, the Lucasfilms, the Harry Potters, we’re not talking about big tentpole franchise IP. Movies like Star Wars have never been made in L.A. We’re talking about the jobs that pay our rent,” he added.
