What will it take to lure production back to LA in Wake of Fires?
Survive until 2025, they said.
They didn’t say what would happen next.
A week into the new year, wildfires devastated Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena, causing an estimated $250 billion in damage. For the entertainment industry, they also disrupted production schedules, destroyed filming locations and left many workers without a home.
“This is definitely a setback,” said Colleen Bell, executive director of the California Film Commission. “I’m sure there are people in the entertainment industry who feel like this is the last straw.”
Film workers in LA were already struggling to recover from the pandemic, two strikes and a sharp drop in production volume.
“People are afraid that in five or 10 years the industry as we know it won’t exist anymore, and that’s really sad,” said Amy Baer, executive producer of “The Apprentice.” “I hope everything doesn’t get derailed by everything we’re going through right now.”
But Bell isn’t giving up on LA just yet.
“There is a powerful spirit of community and collaboration here,” she says. “This is definitely a difficult moment, but I am confident that we can rebuild stronger and more resilient than ever.”
So what will it take to bring production back to LA in the wake of the fires? Start by keeping permit costs low, says LA location manager Danny Finn, a member of the board of Location Managers Guild International.
“Temporarily suspending permit fees would be a huge step in the right direction,” he says.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has already proposed expanding the state’s film incentives from $330 million to $700 million per year. The Motion Picture Association is pushing for additional changes that would make the program more generous and competitive with those of other states.
Film financing has become so dependent on government subsidies, both domestic and international, that it is difficult to justify the higher costs of filming in LA without state support.
“There’s a way to do it: by studios, streamers and networks saying we’re going to do it,” Baer says. “It’s almost like a task force. You get Bob Iger and Ted Sarandos and Donna Langley and everyone together, and you say, “Okay, Governor Newsom, we want to see manufacturing increase over the next six months to help get this economy back on its feet and help these people.” restore.'”
LA Mayor Karen Bass created a film and TV task force in August 2024 to slow “production leakage to other markets.” Baer says productions will have to tighten their belts if they want to commit to LA. “I don’t think this is a bad price to pay to restart an economy that was already suffering before this disaster happened.”
Despite the high cost of shooting in LA, the city enjoys many benefits. Mike Schur, who shot “A Man on the Inside” in LA last year, notes that the city is a hub for the creative community.
“The happiest sets I find are the sets where people are at home,” says Schur. “They go home at night and see their family or friends or do whatever they want to do near their house. I think the benefits you get from staying home far outweigh the minimal benefits you might get from shooting in a remote location.”
During the first week of the fires, permit applications fell 80%, indicating a pause in on-location shooting, although work on studio lots returned relatively quickly, said FilmLA spokesman Philip Sokoloski.
The Max show “Hacks” resumed filming its fourth season in LA after a brief hiatus. One of the main filming locations, a mansion in Altadena, was lost in the Eaton fire. Finn, who works on the show, says it won’t be too bad.
“We have no shortage of filming opportunities,” he says. “And I think that since the invention of moving images, this is still and will continue to be the best place on earth to make a movie or television show.”
Carolyn Giardina, Marc Malkin, Michael Schneider and Jazz Tangcay contributed to this story.
