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The TV comedy resurgence cannot come soon enough for the Los Angeles production community because Hollywood is fast losing ground on the drama side to New York and Vancouver. New York State’s August 2010 decision to extend and expand its Film Production Tax Credit Program continues to pay dividends in TV in a big way. A record 11 broadcast drama pilots are shooting in New York this season, up from 9 last year and 0 the year before, just before the tax credit vote. For the first time this year New York eclipsed traditional location leader, Los Angeles, in the number of drama broadcast pilot shoots. What’s more, Los Angeles fell from first to third place with 8 of the 41 drama pilots shot here. That is down from 11 (out of 42) last year and 14 (out of 43) the year before.
The biggest gainer this year is Vancouver, which shot up to second place with 9 pilots, doubling its tally of 4.5 last year (Production of Fox’s Alcatraz was split between Vancouver and San Francisco). While currency exchange rate with Canada is still not as favorable as it was 3 years ago, it is a fraction better than last season. And filming in Vancouver is still a bargain compared to the U.S. Additionally, with so much production going on, there are experienced crews, Vancouver can relatively easily stand in for many locations in the U.S. and it shares a time zone with Los Angeles, making communication simple. Overall, runaway production accelerated this year with a total of 11 broadcast pilots filmed in Canada: 9 in Vancouver and one each in Toronto (CW’s Beauty And The Beast) and Montreal (ABC’s Zero Hour). That is almost double the 6 pilots shot north of the border last year. Additionally, NBC’s Frontier is being filmed in Australia.
After a year of saber-rattling among Georgia state legislators about killing the film incentive program, they just voted to tweak but keep the program in place. Two drama pilots are shooting in Atlanta thus year, NBC’s untitled JJ Abrams/Eric Kripke and Fox’s Kevin Williamson. The location choice for the latter accommodates Williamson as one of his two series on the air, The Vampire Diaries, also shoots there. The only other city/state with multiple pilots this season, Chicago (Chicago Fire, John Berman/Rob Wright) also has aa tax credit program in place. For several projects, like Chicago Fire, the shooting location matches their setting. The list includes Gotham, 666 Park Avenue, Trooper, Golden Boy, Elementary, Baby Big Shot and The Carrie Diaries (New York), Scruples, Widow Detective, Devious Maids and County (Los Angeles), Chicago Fire & Josh Berman/Bob Wright (Chicago) and Nashville (Nashville). But among the US shoots, we also have Manhattan-set Gilded Lily shooting in Boston and New England-set Shelter filming in North Carolina.
Comedy pilots continue to be a Los Angeles domain, with all half-hour pilots filming here. (One of them, NBC’s Next Caller, may move to New York if picked up to series.) With comedy pilots factored in, Los Angeles’ share of pilot production remained unchanged from last year at 60%. However, comedies on average employ fewer people as they do fewer location shoots. (Multi-camera sitcoms film almost entirely on a soundstage.) That is not good news for the city, which already posted a 3% decline in television activity last year, when Los Angeles’ overall share of produced pilots (broadcast and cable) decreased to 51% from 58% the year before and 82% seven years ago, according to FilmLA. Here is a list of this year’s broadcast drama pilots by location:
Related: AFTRA Again Dominates Broadcast Pilots But SAG Affiliation Is On The Rise
NEW YORK
- 666 Park Avenue ABC
- The Carrie Diaries CW
- Golden Boy CBS
- Guilty Fox
- Trooper CBS
- Elementary CBS
- Gotham ABC
- Americana ABC
- Roland Emmerich ABC
- Notorious NBC
- Baby Big Shot CBS
VANCOUVER
- Beauty & The Beast ABC
- Penoza ABC
- Midnight Sun NBC
- Mockingbird Lane NBC
- The Selection CW
- Arrow CW
- Cult CW
- Joey Dakota CW
- First Cut CW
LOS ANGELES
- Bad Girls CBS
- Scruples ABC
- Devious Maids ABC
- Widow Detective CBS
- County NBC
- Karyn Usher Fox
- The Asset Fox
- Applebaum CBS
ATLANTA
- Untitled J.J. Abrams/Eric Kripke NBC
- Untitled Kevin Williamson Fox
CHICAGO
- Josh Berman/Rob Wright Fox
- Chicago Fire NBC
OTHERS
Shelter CW (North Carolina)
Gilded Lilys ABC (Boston)
Nashville ABC (Nashville)
Zero Hour (Montreal)
Last Resort ABC (Hawaii)
Frontier NBC (Australia)
Untitled Las Vegas CBS (Santa Fe)
Beauty And The Beast CW (Toronto)
Do No Harm NBC (Philadelphia)
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LA should be ashamed and embarrassed. What is the deal with not being able to shoot in Los Angeles? Why in the world can’t they do what is necessary to make sure we don’t go to another city to do what THIS CITY is famous for. It’s pathetic.
Not a thing LA can do about it. This is a state issue. Only a state incentive can level the playing field. NY has $420 million annually to spend on theirs. Vancouver has no cap. California only has $100 million.
if you look – most shows are being shot where they are set… Also – it is true that television and movies made L.A. famous… but L.A. didn’t invent the industry. If you recall – they started in NYC.
NBC’s upcoming drama “Saving Hope” is being filmed in Toronto as well.
Well, for starters, it’s a Canadian produced and financed show that NBC picked up the rights to.
“Saving Hope” is a Canadian show that got picked up by NBC, so it’s not quite the same thing.
It feels like what happened to NY several years ago.
LA is being frozen out, likely due to the up coming IATSE contract negotiations. If the studios are successful in negotiating a union contract that is favorable to them, some work will probably return.
With all of the anti union sentiment in the news these days, and changing revenue streams for the entertainment industry; I’m not surprised that the studios are taking this opportunity to play hardball.
IATSE has been reasonable in previous negotiations, and has given in to the studios on many levels, in hopes that it would bring runaway production back to LA.
Lets hope that the Leaders of our industry find some amicable solution to breath life back into Los Angeles.
STeveO
It has nothing to do with the contract negotiations. Please. It’s the IA and the I in the IA stands for “International”.
People commenting here have no freaking idea what they’re talking about. It’s shameful.
New York crews are in the same damn union, the IA. Vancouver unions are in the same damn union, the IA.
Which is one of the problems here. The IA doesn’t give a crap where you shoot, whether it’s Atlanta or Chicago or Vancouver of Toronto, because it’s all the same union and they get the same amount of money either way.
The problem here are the BRIBES paid to the producers to shoot in other states.
And the fact that California isn’t doing a damn thing about it to counter it.
Another benefit of filming in Montreal is that the Old Port doubles so easily as Europe. Zero Hour just shot “Germany in the ’30s” on my street. Benjamin Button shot its “Moscow” and “Paris” scenes on our street also. Lots closer, and less hassle, than shooting outside North America.
Sad? How about REALITY. LA long ago overpriced itself out of the market for TV and a lot of features. The era of “sense of entitlement” key grips with million dollar homes is OVER. If a show can shoot cheaper elsewhere and maintain high production value and assemble strong crew for less than LA, good for them, whether it be Atlanta, NYC, Canada or Australia. LA unions and crews needs a WAKE UP call that this (the biz is an INTERNATIONAL one for shoot locations) is the new reality. Cut your rates and keep pushing for more tax breaks for Cali and the work will come back.
Are you just upset you can’t afford a million dollar home?
One more thing – For a Local 80 key grip, scale is about $41/hr for straight time. Let’s assume he makes over scale at $50/hr (to make your math easy). And let’s assume he works 5 days per week. 14 hours per day. That’s $4,500/wk. Now let’s assume he really works 52 weeks a year. That’s $234,000 before taxes. That’s a healthy living ASSUMING you work every day of the year. But as Los Angeles has one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country I sincerely doubt anyone is buying a million dollar house on that salary. Furthermore, the labor laws in California are, in some cases, as “strict” as union working conditions (in terms of overtime, time between meals, etc). So unless you’re proposing scaling back basic labor laws and cutting rates in a State that has a very high cost of living I’m not sure what you point it.
Dude, it’s really hard to get “scale” these days. “Scale” is about as good as you can hope for when you’re a crewmember, and almost NOBODY ever gets “above scale”. So you’re assumptions are WAY of the mark.
I don’t know any crew members, key grips or gaffers, who make the kind of money your stupid-ass assumptions assume. If you’re lucky enough to be on a big hit TV show you might work 8 months out of the year and make a decent living. But only a DECENT living. LA is unbelievably expensive. Just to rent my little crackerbox of a house is almost 2500 a month.
So whatever rightwing fools posted above about LA crews being “too expensive” well that’s just effing BULLSHIT. You think New York crews are any cheaper? You think GOOD Vancouver crews are any cheaper? They are not.
The reason that production is fleeing from Los Angeles is because of BRIBES paid to the producers from the other states. That’s right. They’re BRIBES. You think that money goes into the production? No, it goes into the producer’s POCKETS. Why? Because the producers control the budgets and control the money. They pay that shit to themselves!
It’s a disgusting practice and should be illegal. There needs to be some kind of oversight for this, but there is not. The States have no idea they’re paying bribes, but they are.
They are being made fools of.
And those of us in Los Angeles who have worked our lives for this business, which is making RECORD-BREAKING profits right now, are suffering terribly.
Phil – you are right. Production in Vancouver may have to do with cost in some cases – but certainly not New York (cost cutting is why ABC sent 2 of it’s now cancelled soap operas to LA a couple years ago). Authenticity is more the reason. Now that NY offers tax incentives – it’s much more authentic to shoot where a lot of these shows are set. Even with comedies – if “Friends” – “Seinfeld” – “Everybody Hates Chris” were starting today – it would be most likely that they would film in NYC.
The few shows that take place in the south are obviously cheaper to film there… and talent is more widespread than in the past. It’s the 21st century reality.
Sad, no, things cycle and change constantly. As you said this is reality. I am hopeful for an amicable solution.
It sounds like you may know who I am, since I’m not hiding behind a ambiguous screen name.
I think “sense of entitlement” is in all levels of the entertainment industry, not just grips such as myself that are LUCKY enough to live in a nice home. My home doesn’t entirely from the income I make as a grip.
We all have skill sets that we bring to the table. It is a symbiotic relationship. Together we create a product. All products have market cycles. How we find ways to make the industry function profitably on all levels is our key to survival.
SteveO
You have no freaking idea what the F you’re talking about. New York crews get paid the same as Los Angeles crews. Vancouver crews, the ones who are experienced and know what they’re doing, get the same pay as we do down here. The union is International. That’s what the I in the “IA” stands for, you ignoramus.
The studios are making record profits, which you would know if you paid attention. They now want to break our backs while they roll in the money.
The reason productions aren’t shooting in Los Angeles is because of bribes paid to the producers.
It’s really very simple. Follow the money.
Actually, there are different contracts for west coast locals, local 600 camera, is one of the only truly international locals.
Cut your rates? You must be a producer. FYI, union labor is amongst the cheapest line items on a buget. I have seen big name talent getting over $100,000 a week. Crews will be worked 18+ hour days to avoid having a star work a single day over their schedule. Producers, co-producers, executive producers all take big chunks of the budget before the first grip is on the payroll. We are so cheap, I have heard about entire construction teams doing work at the producer’s home, on the clock, with either no one noticing or no one caring. Cutting rates will only encourage worse, more unhealthy, more dangerous working conditions than already exist. Check out Haskell Wexler’s recent article in the Huffington Post.
As for work going to Canada, not having to pay employees health insurance is big discount. If you were against national healthcare in this country, don’t complain about runaway production.
States offering tax breaks to lure film production have been very successful, and not just NY. Michigan, New Mexico, and even Utah have all seen surges in production since offering tax breaks. When New York’s tax incentive ran out and was tied up in a delayed budget, the number of production days took a nose dive. My understanding is that LA initially refused to offer a tax break because thir representatives felt they didn’t need to in the home of the film industry. This cultivated production in other states that started competing for those production dollars. If those tax rebates are what Phil is calling bribes, then yes you are sort of correct. Except that it is the type of bribe that is offered to many corporations to encourage them to bring jobs to a state and it is not illegal.
NYC used to be the hub of film production way, way back in the day. Happy to see that it’s creeping up to the forefront once again!
Yeah – I was thinking the same thing… the article says this is “the first time” NYC has had more production. I’m not sure what specific measure they used because the film and television industry started in NYC and then moved to LA for the land and less cost (like the Dodgers and SF Giants). Things go in cycles.
You wouldn’t know it in my neighborhood. Pilot season brings the white trucks, craft services on my sidewalk and very nice production people loving my dog when we’re out for walks. Lots of production in Hancock Park area. (It seems so.)
Vancouver is hot and crowded. Was just passing through location scouting and they were wrapping up filming Red Machine, another production taking its spot right after. Looked like an airport of production crews lined up waiting to shoot their stuff.
The exchange rate has ZERO to do with runaway production. Please stop saying it does, because even the Canadians have shown there is NO correlation whatsoever. It’s about the incentive. Nothing else.
Agree, we’ll shoot wherever the incentives and rebates are most favorable.
“We”? So you’re one of the producers putting the bribe money in your pockets?
Can someone tell me why our legislators cannot or will not create with a Los Angeles tax incentive?
California does have an incentive. At $100 million a year, it’s still one of the top (in terms of total spent), but its not enough. Everyone else has one competitor: California. California has dozens. It’s about state incentives, not City incentives.
Considering that most of those drama pilots are set in NYC, it makes sense they’d be shot there. Not that surprising. Maybe some will move to back to LA to keep costs down once picked up to series.
Good point. Like Mad Men or Body of Proof. The shooting in New Orleans is about LA. I suspect the plan is that if they get picked up they will come to LA and apply to for the incentive as a “relocating” show.
Vancouver can stand in for Seattle but not San Francisco. They really should stop trying (Alcatraz, I’m looking at you, and glad you’re basically cancelled.)
Vancouver can stand in for San Francisco if you get a few walk-ups and drive-throughs plus some aerial footage. Worked very well with RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.
well it helps that most of that film took place in doors or in the forest, bridge, and not on city streets like Alcatraz does
Man it sucks that nothing is shooting in san francisco
One factor not mentioned is that above-the-line directors, actors and crew actually prefer to shoot in NY or Vancouver. Remember when Michigan had that fabulous tax break? It didn’t mean anything because nobody wanted to be working in Detroit for any period of time.