Sound stage occupancy in Los Angeles continued its sharp decline in 2024, further illustrating the grim realities of the shrinking local production scene, according to a new report from FilmLA.
Per the report, regional studios consistently had around 90% average occupancy from 2016 through 2022, before tanking to 69% average occupancy in 2023. In 2024, the average occupancy weakened even further to 63%. At its highest, in Q2 of 2024, occupancy was at 67%.
The real indicator of job loss, however, is not just average stage occupancy but the number of shoot days. While FilmLA has not yet gathered more detailed data on Los Angeles production in 2024, the report did offer more insights on 2023, when a total of 1,225 projects generated 8,671 regional stage shoot days.
That’s less than any period on record other than 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic halted production for a significant period of time.
“It’s important to note that stage occupancy and stage utilization are not exactly the same,” FilmLA spokesperson Philip Sokoloski said in a statement Thursday. “A set on a stage can only create jobs when it is under construction or in use. Television budgets have increased, but episode counts have declined and there can be long delays between seasons. To see the real loss of work opportunity in this data, you have to focus on Stage Shoot Days.”
As Sokoloski points out, episodic television has been hit particularly hard by this production contraction, accounting for just 20% of all production happening on certified stages and backlots in 2023. Whereas, in past years, episodic television consistently comprised around 30% of all stage-based filming in L.A.
It’s also worth noting that, in 2023, episodic television still accounted for about 55% of shoot days in L.A. — down from about 66% the year prior.
FilmLA captured this data via 17 studios, including all of the major legacy studios and larger independents, that represent 82% of all current certified stage space in L.A. However, the organization also notes that lower than average sound stage occupancy is not exclusive to Los Angeles, or even the United States.
Several of California’s largest competing markets — including United Kingdom, New York, Georgia and Ontario — are also suffering from the global production contraction that has followed several years of unprecedented growth in film and television during the height of the streaming wars.
California lawmakers are currently weighing adjustments to the state’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program that could help revitalize the industry. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed expanding the tax incentive cap to $750M annually, which would make it the second-largest in the country after Georgia. Additionally, lawmakers have proposed increasing the individual tax credit and expanding eligibility.
