L.A. sees big jump in location shooting

Overall production days were up 17.6 percent in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, according to FilmLA, with feature film increasing 17.6 percent and television 19 percent (pilots soared by 37.3 percent). These numbers only cover on-location shoots, not those on sound stages, so they don't provide the full picture on production activity. But the increases are so sizable - and across so many categories - that you'd have to conclude that the entertainment industry is off to a strong year in L.A. One sector worth keeping an eye on: Web-based TV. The January-March quarter saw a 35.4 percent increase in on-location shooting, and while the numbers remain small, they're likely to become an important part of the overall picture. Web budgets are typically smaller than those for traditional film or TV, and production companies aren't necessarily guild signatories, which means far smaller paychecks. For now anyway.

Features +25.5%
- 2012 1,019
- 2013 1,279
Television +19.0%
- 2012 4,277
- 2013 5,091
Commercials +0.6%
- 2012 2,309
- 2013 2,295
TOTAL +17.6%
- 2012 11,360
- 2013 13,361