FilmLA Raises Fees Due to Decline in Local Filming, Strike-Related Work Stoppages

FilmLA will raise its fees beginning July 1, 2024. Local jurisdictions are expected to follow suit. In a statement, the official film office for the city and county of Los Angeles noted that it “receives no direct financial support from state or local government for the services we provide” and was “directly affected by periods of work disruption, as well as the observed, multi-year pattern of production decline in Greater Los Angeles.”

“We recognize that news of a fee increase is never welcome, and we appreciate our customers’ understanding,” the organization’s president Paul Audley said. “We would not increase fees without first finding ways to significantly reduce our operating costs, including down-sizing our office space and right-sizing our workforce, as we have already done.”

“Ultimately, these adjustments are necessary to sustain the people and programs that keep Los Angeles accessible to filmmakers, including rapid-turnaround permit processing, free production planning assistance, and comprehensive community relations including Neighborhood Notification and On-Location Monitoring.”

FilmLA attributed the fee increase to the rising cost of employee wages and benefits, which makes up 80% of the organization’s budget. The increase of approximately 4% will “help us recoup only around one-half of these additional costs.”

Beginning July 1, the permit application fee will be $931. Several fees—including the drone administration fee, helicopter administration fee, gunfire administration fee, special fx—explosion and smoke administration fee, and lane closure administration fee—will all be $78.

FilmLA also noted the organization anticipates that local jurisdictions—who set their own rates independently—will raise their own fees in response to the announcement. These include LA County Roads, LA County Flood Control, the City of Los Angeles Fire Department, and the City of Newport Beach.

The post FilmLA Raises Fees Due to Decline in Local Filming, Strike-Related Work Stoppages appeared first on TheWrap.