Film LA: Encouraging Signs for LA Area Filming as Select Production Categories Begin Trending Upward

FilmLA Research today issued an update regarding regional filming activity for Q1 of 2026 (January-March). On-location production activity for the period totaled 5,121 Shoot Days (SD), a 10.7 percent increase from the prior quarter (October-December of 2025, 4,625 SD) and a 3.3 percent decrease from the same period last year (5,295 SD in Q1 of 2025).

To date, 147 projects have been awarded tax credits through Version 4.0 of the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program, including the latest batch of feature film projects announced in April. With each approved production given 180 days to start filming, the very first of these projects are now confirmed to be under way. In Q1, FilmLA found that incentivized projects accounted for nearly 7 percent of all Shoot Days taking place in Greater Los Angeles, including 21.8 percent of all Feature production and 17.1 percent of all Television production happening on location.

The highlight of Q1 was the Feature Film category, which finished the quarter with 687 Shoot Days, a 45.2 percent increase over the prior quarter, and a 52.3 percent increase year over year (451 SD in Q1 2025). FilmLA Research found that 21.8 percent of all Shoot Days in this category went to state incentivized projects including Behemoth! (Searchlight Pictures), One Attempt Remaining (Netflix), & Nightwatching (Amazon MGM Studios). The majority of Feature film activity in the first quarter came from independent films.

Today’s report also revealed that 33.7 percent of the Shoot Days in the TV Drama category can be attributed to recipients of the California Film & TV Tax Credit. Shoot Days in this category were up 40.5 percent in Q1 over the prior quarter at 472 SD, and up 7.3 percent over the same period last year (440 SD in Q1 2025). Some of the titles in the category include the much anticipated Baywatch reboot (Fox), The Rookie S8 (ABC), Matlock S2 (CBS), 9-1-1 S9 (Fox), and The Morning Show S5 (Apple TV+).