LA Approves $1 Deals for Small Film Productions Amid Industry Slump
New measures aim to cut costs and retain jobs by offering free permits and low-cost property rentals for micro-budget productions.
The Los Angeles City Council has approved two measures designed to make it more affordable for small film productions to shoot within the city, a move aimed at combating a decline in local industry jobs.
Under the new measures, crews of 10 or fewer individuals can film in Los Angeles for free. Additionally, productions can utilize city-owned parking lots, yards, and other properties for staging and filming for a nominal fee of $1 per day. These initiatives are part of Councilmember Adrin Nazarian's "Keep Hollywood Home" campaign, which seeks to reduce filming costs and administrative hurdles.
"Today marks a major milestone for the Keep Hollywood Home campaign," Nazarian stated. "With these latest actions, all Phase 1 motions have now been approved by the City. This progress demonstrates the impact of the Ad Hoc Committee and our commitment to keep up the pressure for real reforms."
The council's decision comes in the wake of a recent report from Film LA indicating a continued downturn in film and television production within Los Angeles. The report showed a 5% decrease in production days from June 2026 to September 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Production also fell 11% from the previous quarter and was 36% below the five-year average.
These efforts to boost production occur despite California's expansion of its film and television tax credit program, which increased from $350 million to $750 million last year.
Nazarian launched the "Keep Hollywood Home" campaign on April 29, 2025, calling on relevant agencies to streamline the film permitting process and remove regulatory obstacles. The recently approved measures represent "Phase 1" of this plan, which also includes developing a "Made in LA" branding system, soundstage certification, and an audit of the city's film infrastructure.
Future phases are expected to include a pilot program to waive fees for certain city departments for productions with fewer than 50 crew members, incentives for post-production and visual effects companies, and fee caps for productions using certified LA soundstages. Plans also involve offering incentives to local businesses that support film crews and establishing a $2 million seed fund for smaller productions.
