In a move to restore entertainment jobs to Hollywood, the Los Angeles City Council approved two key proposals on Tuesday. The first ordinance creates a free permit for “micro‑shoots,” allowing productions with ten or fewer people to film without paying the standard city fee. The second action advances the “Keep Hollywood Home” initiative by ordering a study on reducing fees for filming on qualified city facilities to a $1 charge or the legally required minimum.
Micro‑shoot permit program
Councilman Adrin Nazarian, who authored the micro‑shoot ordinance, said the measure will make smaller‑scale and independent filming more accessible and affordable in Los Angeles. “Today marks a major milestone for the Keep Hollywood Home campaign,” Nazarian said, noting that all Phase 1 motions of the initiative have now been approved. The next step is for city departments to develop an implementation plan.
Fee‑reduction study for city facilities
The council also voted to move forward with a study that will examine how to cut filming fees on qualified city facilities to $1 or the minimum fee required by law. Nazarian, chair of the council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Film, Entertainment and the Creative Industry, emphasized the city’s commitment to keep pressure on for real reforms that benefit local producers.
Context: declining on‑location filming
Los Angeles has seen a continued decline in on‑location filming during the third quarter of 2026, even as the state’s expanded film and television tax credit program has boosted overall production. Federal data show that LA County has lost more than 40,000 production jobs since 2022.
Adrian McDonald, former lead researcher for FilmLA, cited competition and shorter scripted television seasons as major factors. “There’s a couple of factors, number one obviously is competition,” McDonald said. “The other side of it is there’s just not as many TV shows being made anymore—scripted television shows, that is. And for those that are being made, you may have noticed this when you watch TV yourself; seasons are a lot shorter.”
FilmLA reported 4,171 shoot days from July through September, a 4.8% decrease from the same period last year. Overall filming was down about 11.5% from the second quarter and roughly 38.5% below the average for the third quarter over the previous five years.
Despite the decline, productions receiving state tax credits now account for 40.3% of scripted on‑location filming, nearly double their share a year earlier, according to FilmLA data.
Industry reaction
McDonald warned that the fee reductions alone will not attract major blockbusters. “I’m not going to lie. A major $150 million movie is not going to base their decision on whether or not they can get a reduced fee at a parking lot at a City of Los Angeles location,” he said. “That said, anything you can do to improve the perception that your city or jurisdiction is film‑friendly is important.”
The council’s actions reflect a broader effort to make Los Angeles more welcoming to independent creators while the industry grapples with shifting production patterns and competition from other regions.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
