Los Angeles Remains World’s Soundstage Leader, But Other Locales Are Catching Up: FilmLA Report
With 6.2 million square feet of soundstages, Los Angeles remains the world leader in terms of overall stage space, but other jurisdictions are catching up, according to the latest report from the city and county film permit office.
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FilmLA says the United Kingdom, with an estimated 5.4 million square feet of dedicated stage space, “is catching up with Los Angeles. Just three years ago, the UK had only 3.5 million square feet, representing an increase of nearly 2 million square feet over that period.”
Ontario is now in third place with 3.8 million square feet of dedicated stage space, followed by Georgia (3 million square feet), New York (2.8 million) and another Canadian province, British Columbia (2.4 million).
“All of these competitive jurisdictions have plans to expand existing infrastructure by several million square feet,” FilmLA says. “This could enhance their attractiveness to film producers, especially for jurisdictions that offer generous tax incentives and other perks.”
The report notes that year-over-year shoot day activity already was down 19.5% in the fourth quarter of last year and that the film and TV industry is “being impacted by corporate restructuring and impending union negotiations which have caused many productions to pause.” The WGA is now in its second week of contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, and the DGA and SAG-AFTRA will follow soon.
See the full report here.
“The present slowdown in production notwithstanding, Los Angeles cannot afford to lose its competitive edge when it comes to soundstages and other production infrastructure,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley. “Local studio expansions and the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program are prerequisites for sustaining the high level of production we have in L.A., and for growing it further.”
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Over the past year, Los Angeles County had four studio openings and two studio expansions, including Universal’s recently completed eight-stage addition.
According to FilmLA, Los Angeles County now has 17 studio projects in various stages of development, comprising 155 planned stages and approximately three million square feet of space. This includes expansions at two major studios – Warner Bros. and Fox – and at two independent facilities – Radford Studio Center and Television City. Three facilities in the San Fernando Valley, including Sunset Glenoaks in Sun Valley, Reframe Studios in Atwater Village, and East End Capital’s studio in Glendale, are currently under construction and set to open later this year.
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Soundstage development in California has been boosted by Senate Bill 144, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in July 2021. It established a new tax credit in an amount equal to 20% or 25% for qualified expenditures for the production of a qualified motion picture in a certified studio construction project. A total of $150 million is allocated for this new credit through 2031.
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