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Film Production In LA County Plummeted 98% Following Coronavirus Lockdown

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – New numbers released Wednesday show just how big a hit Hollywood has taken during the coronavirus pandemic.

Film, television and commercial production in Los Angeles County plunged nearly 98% in the three months after the coronavirus stay-at-home orders took effect, FilmLA reports.

The nonprofit group serves as the official film office for both the city and county of L.A.

From April to June, overall film and television production fell 97.8% compared to the same period in 2019.

There were only 194 shoot days total during that period, which are defined as one crew receiving permission to shoot at one or more locations during a single 24-hour period. While FilmLA coordinates permits for location shoots, it does not coordinate permits for projects which are shot on certified soundstages, such as sitcoms and soap operas.

On June 17, the long-running CBS daytime drama "The Bold and the Beautiful" became the first scripted network television show to resume production in L.A.

Film and TV production was ordered to shutter on March 20.

Filming has been slow to return, especially with the recent surge in coronavirus cases which have forced movie theater chains nationwide to delay their reopening and push back the release date of major summer tentpoles such as "Mulan" and "Tenet."

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom initially gave permission for production to resume and movie theaters to reopen on June 12, at the discretion of each county. L.A. County did not given its theaters the green light to reopen.

It didn't matter, however, because Newsom was forced to reverse course. On July 1, he ordered movie theaters in 19 counties, including L.A. to close again for at least three weeks because of the spike in cases.

The nonprofit reported last week that 13 of the 16 city and county jurisdictions it serves have reopened to filming, while one of the six school districts served by FilmLA has also reopened to host filming and base camp parking on campus.

"The good news is that production is starting to responsibly return, with advertising shoots, commercials, and limited television production now coming online, said FilmLA President Paul Audley in a statement Wednesday. "All permitted filming must comply with Health Orders as issued by County authorities. The measure of compliance we're seeing is a real help in keeping the industry on the road to recovery."

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)

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