Los Angeles: Where Filming Fees Are Sky-High and Taxpayers Foot the Bill

Los Angeles is known for its glamour, but behind the scenes, filming here comes with a hefty price tag. The city's high permit fees and strict regulations are driving producers away. In 2019, an independent filmmaker paid $1, 500 a day for a fire marshal to inspect his shoot location in Griffith Park. The marshal did little more than sit in his car and do crossword puzzles. This is just one example of the excessive fees filmmakers face. On top of the fire marshal fee, the producer had to pay a $931 permit application fee, $2, 964 for a monitor from the Department of Parks and Recreation, a $456 reporting fee, and a $1, 350 film use fee. That's over $10, 000 in fees for a small production with no major stunts or lighting. These high costs are pushing producers to shoot elsewhere. In just three years, shoot days in Los Angeles dropped from 9, 220 per quarter to just 4, 380. Even small productions aren't safe from these fees. One filmmaker had to pay for two police officers and a site representative for a shoot in a private bathroom. The officers cost $1, 500 a day, even though the shoot was indoors. This increased the filmmaker's personnel costs by 30%. The city's solution? Tax credits for big studios. Major productions like "Bel-Air" and "Fallout" can absorb these costs, thanks to tax incentives approved by California legislators. But smaller productions still have to pay high fees. This is a government shakedown, plain and simple. Instead of lowering fees, the city is shifting the burden to taxpayers. It's time for a change. Permits should be affordable and straightforward. Fines and insurance requirements should be enough to ensure productions don't disrupt or damage locations. It's time to end the shakedown and make filming in Los Angeles fair for everyone.