L.A. City Councilman Proposes “Bringing Back Hollywood” Task Force To Jump-Start Stalled Film & TV On-Location Production
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Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell on Wednesday introduced policy to create a “Bringing Back Hollywood” Task Force to establish best practices for on-location filming and safety protocols for filming at city facilities once the L.A. and California ease COVID-19 shutdown restrictions.
The three main items in his motion, which will be heard in the coming weeks before the City Council’s Health, Education, Neighborhoods, Parks, Arts, and River Committee, include:
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? A request of FilmLA, the city’s film office, and the Office of Citywide Filming to prepare recommendations for forming a “Bringing Back Hollywood” Task Force composed of industry experts, City Departments and the County Department of Public Health, to report to the Health, Education, Neighborhoods, Parks, Arts, and River Committee within 30 days.
? A request of FilmLA to prepare a report of best practices for on-location filming that takes into consideration the culture of life on a film set, and the work habits that are embedded in the fabric of a “normal” day on set.
? A request of FilmLA, with the assistance of the City’s General Services Department, to prepare a report on how to design protocols to facilitate the use of city facilities for film locations that take into consideration the health, safety and welfare of not only the productions and their crews, but the city employees of the publicly owned buildings being utilized.
“I want to ensure that all levels of our economy return to a sense of normalcy as quickly and safely as possible,” O’Farrell said, “especially our signature entertainment industry, with all the necessary precautions to protect the health and wellbeing of our workforce. This pandemic has brought the entire industry to a halt and we must prepare for a brisk, but refined and thoughtful, plan to bring Hollywood back once it is safe for productions to resume.”
Last week, FilmLA reported that TV and film on-location production in the L.A. Country area was down 18% in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year. The shoot days were already coming off a five-year low in 2019.
“As of today, with the shutdown poised to extend deep into the second quarter, FilmLA analysts predict that local Shoot Day losses are already unrecoverable for the year,” said report released by the on-location organization.
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