LA Production Slows as Hollywood Awaits Potential IATSE or Teamsters Strikes

As uncertainty loomed over potential strikes from writers, directors, and actors last spring, indie filmmakers faced significant challenges in initiating their projects. The looming threat of strikes created an environment where starting new projects seemed futile, leading to lost production days and unemployed workers. According to FilmLA’s new quarterly report, this spring mirrored last year’s disruptions.

Facing potential strikes from IATSE and the Teamsters, on-location shooting days in Los Angeles from April to June dropped by 12.4 percent compared to the same period in 2023. This statistic might be surprising given that the WGA was actually on strike during May and June of last year. Overall, shoot days declined by 15.7 percent from the beginning of the year, January-March 2024.

For workers on unscripted TV shows, the past three months likely meant a lot of unwanted time off. Shoot days for unscripted television fell by 56.9 percent in Q2 2024 when compared to Q2 2023, with only 868 shooting days recorded between April and June. Unscripted TV programming was down by 34 percent in Q2 2024 compared to Q1.

This genre’s decline significantly impacted the overall Television category, with TV filming in Los Angeles dropping by 27.7 percent. Shows filmed in LA this quarter included “American Idol” (ABC), “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA” (Netflix), “90 Day Fiance” (TLC), “The Golden Bachelorette” (ABC), “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (Bravo), and “Selling Sunset” (Netflix).

The drop in reality TV production doesn’t signal its end. Although production is down, some filming may have been moved up in the workflow. Last fall, when strikes were prevalent, Los Angeles produced almost exclusively reality shows and unscripted series.

Several factors contributed to the overall reduction in production days, including a cut in content spending (goodbye Peak TV) and corporate consolidations like the merger between Paramount and Skydance. These factors result in fewer buyers for the content being produced.

Scripted television, on the other hand, remained relatively stable in terms of shoot days when compared to the previous quarter. Shoot days were also up by approximately 100 percent compared to the prior year, which saw the writers’ strike.

Philip Sokoloski, FilmLA’s communications chief, released a statement addressing the situation: “Streaming content spending is down, and Los Angeles and its many global competitors are still reeling from post-strike paralysis. Workers in this industry, wherever they are based, are seeing fewer opportunities amid ongoing labor negotiations in an era of content contraction.”

Towards the end of the quarter, there was some positive news as IATSE reached a tentative deal with the studios, with ratification results expected on Thursday. However, the Teamsters are still far from an agreement, with a looming deadline of July 31.

“Given that there was a double strike in effect in late 2023, it’s likely the rest of this year will look better on paper,” Sokoloski added. “An authentic production lift is also possible, pending successful contract negotiations. If we see new content investment, it will be cautious and measured, and the gains will be globally distributed.”

The ongoing labor negotiations and the industry’s content contraction continue to pose challenges. However, the tentative agreements and potential for new content investment provide a glimmer of hope for the industry’s future.

Source: FilmLA