FilmLA, a partner film office for the city and county of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, on Aug. 5 issued an update regarding regional filming activity.

Following nearly a year and a half of reduced production activity, high on-location production levels from April through June allowed FilmLA to announce its best quarter since late 2019. A total of 9,791 shoot days were recorded across all categories in the second quarter of 2021. A year prior, the COVID-19 shutdown sent filming levels crashing to record lows.

Last year’s unusual circumstances required FilmLA analysts to look for new ways to understand present-day filming levels. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the average number of shoot days recorded in a quarter totaled 9,135, meaning that the second quarter of 2021 activity bested the 2019 average quarterly by 7.2%.

The second quarter of 2021 also delivered an increase in shoot days compared to the immediate three months prior. By that measure, quarterly production increased approximately 40 % (from 7,011 shoot days to 9,791) since March.

All of the four major categories tracked by FilmLA – features, commercials, television and other  – experienced significantly increased activity. Leading the pack were commercials, with a 55.5% increase, followed by the other category (up 49.7%), features (43.3%) and television (30.5%).

Another way to evaluate recent growth is to compare each category to its five-year rolling average. By this measure, shoot days for television were up by 82.1%, followed by commercials (up 38.5%). Trailing behind, however, were the other category (down 7.7%) and features (down 9.4%).

“By almost any available measure, the second quarter was good for filming in Los Angeles,” FilmLA President Paul Audley said. “With local COVID-19 cases rising, it’s not clear whether that will be sustainable, but the industry’s commitment to community, cast and crew safety remains firmly in place.”

Television series that shot locally include CBS’ “Ghosts,” “The Dropout” (Hulu), “American Crime Story: Impeachment” (FX), “Animal Kingdom” (TNT), Starz’s “Gaslit,” “Star Trek: Picard” (CBS All Access) and two new Netflix series — “Lincoln Lawyer” and “Monster.”

Feature films that shot locally include Netflix’s “Day Shift”, “Hollywood Stargirl” (Disney+) and “Kimi” (HBO Max). The new Steven Spielberg movie, “The Fabelmans,” also started shooting last month.

FilmLA analysts declined to predict how the spread of COVID-19 will impact regional production activity moving forward.

“Appendix J protocols specific to filming were removed by Los Angeles County in June,” Audley said. “Nonetheless, the industry’s robust safety guidelines remain firmly in place and these have so far proven effective for keeping business moving safely.”

For information, visit filmla.com.