LA Throws Smaller Productions Filming in the State an Extra Incentive
LA’s attempts to regain ground in the race to host film and TV shoots has been major news over the last few years. While they have revamped their tax credit program considerably, permitting costs remain a major sticking point - and now there’s a little relief ahead, for smaller productions, at least. Brandon Blake, entertainment attorney at Blake & Wang P.A., shares the details.
Small Productions Benefit
The 6-month pilot program will reduce permit application fees for qualifying productions from the current $931 to $359. Notification fees will also drop from $250 to $156 per location, and LA Fire Department spot check fees will be waived. This initiative will roll out on April 27, under the name “Low Impact Permit Pilot Program.”
There is, of course, a catch. For now, only tiny productions with fewer than 30 cast and crew will qualify. The shoot must, at maximum, last 3 consecutive days, and cover, at most, 3 locations. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, it will not (yet, perhaps) cover the majority of professional feature film and TV work, nor most commercials. And those were exactly who cited LA’s permitting fees as too high to start with.
Other Pilot Programs
This comes alongside another pilot, this time reducing city parking fees by 20% for all productions, and promises of an expedited permitting process. Those could have a real impact across the board as well.
Given that the additional barriers LA seems to throw up for productions that other states with tax incentives do not, it’s questionable why they would decide to start the permitting fee reduction program with such a small category of productions. However, there is an expansion in the works, with larger productions and the hopes of a tiered system overall, which offers some hope that we will soon see this much-needed incentive expand to larger projects as well.
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