Movie, commercial shoots see big drop in Los Angeles as post-pandemic production surge recedes
One of the key projects that comes during the summer that will have a big impact on the city and the industry is one that has been postponed.
On Friday morning, after hours of meetings and emails, the City Council held an executive session with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to discuss what should be done to get the California economy back on track.
The next day, on Monday, Newsom’s office announced that production companies have been ordered to suspend productions for the next month. The order is due to the coronavirus’s effect on the industry.
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On that Monday morning, however, the industry is back to business in full force. The “Gavin Newsom Production Order,” issued by the director of the state’s Division of Film and Entertainment, says that starting at midnight, California’s film and television industries will be largely limited to in-person shoots, with the exception of essential productions.
“This order represents the most aggressive and comprehensive action taken by the California government to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus,” Newsom wrote.
“The order limits the production of new video and film productions by requiring producers and directors to use every feasible means to screen their productions in-person before they can be used,” Newsom’s office said in a statement announcing the order.
While production companies are scrambling to do in-person shoots, the new order allows filming to resume at the following day’s end.
“We are hoping that this order will allow us to work around the clock in order to provide relief to the people that are most vulnerable and most in need,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “And at the same time, we’re keeping our business here and our workers in town.”
Cities across California have issued similar orders, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg; San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer; Berkeley, Oakland,