As LA Struggles Post-Wildfires, Creatives Call for More Filming Incentives and Local Productions to Rebuild the City
Hollywood, once the beating heart of the global entertainment industry, is increasingly finding itself sidelined as a hub for film production. Major studios have turned to more cost-effective locations such as Atlanta, London, Toronto, and Sydney in recent years. With the additional devastation of wildfires that killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes, Los Angeles’ production industry is facing an existential crisis.
Local filmmakers and workers are calling on the state government, streaming services, and studios to prioritise filming in Los Angeles as part of the recovery effort. Mark Worthington, a production designer whose home was destroyed in the Altadena fires, voiced his frustrations, urging studios to return work to LA film crews, adding, “That’s what we want.”
Prior to the fires, Worthington, like many others in the industry, had already seen a decline in work, pointing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, strikes, and the slowdown in streaming services, all of which contributed to a shift away from LA. According to ProdPro, US productions dropped by 26% in 2023 compared to 2022, while international locations such as Australia, the UK, and Canada saw growth in production numbers.
The loss has been particularly painful for those like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose biopic is being filmed in Atlanta, even though the band is strongly associated with Los Angeles. Worthington noted that the sentiment of “Survive until ’25” had been a rallying cry for local filmmakers, but the fires have only compounded their struggles. “This is adding a horrible other thing to pile on top of all the other difficulties,” he said.
While Hollywood’s major studios and streaming platforms have donated more than $70 million (£56 million) to fire relief efforts, critics argue that more needs to be done to revive LA as a centre of production. The city’s high costs, combined with the abundance of union-protected, well-paid industry jobs, have made it difficult to compete with places offering better tax breaks. However, A-list actors such as Vin Diesel have pushed for productions to return to LA, with Diesel ensuring that Fast and Furious was completed in the city.
In response to this crisis, a petition spearheaded by filmmakers including director Sarah Adina Smith is gaining traction, calling for temporary tax incentives to encourage more filming in LA. The petition, signed by nearly 20,000 people, asks the state to increase production tax incentives for LA County to make filming more affordable, which would help local creatives and aid in rebuilding the city’s production infrastructure.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s earlier proposal to boost the state’s tax credit from $330 million to $750 million has not yet been passed and may not take effect until the summer. Supporters argue that increasing these incentives would boost the local economy and help restore California’s prominence in the film industry.
Some voices are more sceptical about whether these incentives alone will bring about a new “Golden Age” for Hollywood. Composer Matthew Ferraro, whose Topanga Canyon home was destroyed in the fires, expressed disbelief, saying that while some are nostalgic for Hollywood’s former glory, others see it as an unrealistic hope. “I think it’s wishful thinking for people who are still in love with yesteryear’s dream of Hollywood,” he said.
Despite the overwhelming loss, some, like Jamie Morse, a comedian who lost her home in Topanga Canyon, remain hopeful. She sees the survival of some of her precious notebooks as a sign that better things are on the horizon. “I’m choosing to believe that this is a sign,” she said, confident that creativity and resilience will thrive in the wake of hardship.
While the path forward for Los Angeles may seem uncertain, there’s no denying the industry’s collective desire to rebuild, not just the physical city, but its place as the world’s entertainment capital.
