L.A. Filming Permits Drop 6% in 2000

Permits to shoot feature films and TV commercials on the streets of Los Angeles fell last year as a six-month strike by actors against the advertising industry took its toll on Southern California production.

But while overall shooting fell nearly 6% in 2000, TV program and music video shoots rose over 1999 levels.

Officials attributed the drop in feature film shooting largely to light filming schedules just before and during the Democratic National Convention in August.

Overall, figures released Tuesday by the Entertainment Industry Development Corp. show, the number of production days totaled 27,608, down 5.7% from 1999. Each day of shooting is considered one production day.

Commercial production, which dried up in Los Angeles during the strike that started May 1, led the decline, plunging 25% to 4,950 production days. Feature film production fell 10% to 9,483 days. But TV program production days climbed 8% to 11,123, and music video production days rose 8% to 2,052.

The development agency issues permits for shooting in public places outside of studio lots in most of Los Angeles County. It does not issue permits for shooting on studio sound stages. Nonetheless, the number of production days it authorizes is considered a key barometer of production activity in Southern California.