Santa Clarita location filming reaches $30m

Location filming in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles in California, generated an economic impact of nearly $33m in 2016 hosting scenes for TV dramas including Westworld.

By Nick Goundry 13 Jan 2017

Santa Clarita location filming reaches $30m
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Location filming in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles in California, generated an economic impact of nearly $33m in 2016 hosting scenes for TV series including Westworld.

The spending came largely from TV production, with high-profile shows such as The Young Pope and Shooter filming scenes locally, while there were also long-running US hits like Criminal Minds and Grey’s Anatomy.

Film shoots included Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (pictured) from director Ang Lee, and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, which has received one of the largest California filming incentive payments in recent years.

Santa Clarita has been a persistently popular filming location for several years, even before California’s filming incentive was formally boosted two years ago. The city is within Los Angeles’ 30-Mile Zone and offers a selection of movie ranches with standing sets, while local incentives combine with the state programme to help trim production costs.

“We’re happy that Santa Clarita remains a top choice for productions looking to film in the Los Angeles area,” said Cameron Smyth, mayor of Santa Clarita.

For more on filming in California and for local contacts see our production guide.


“We remain committed to keeping Santa Clarita a top choice for filming because it is a large part of our local economy. Local filming also provides high-paying jobs for thousands of local residents and supports hundreds of local companies involved in the entertainment industry.”

California’s filming incentive still does not offer much support to big-budget studio features, but big-name actors and producers sometimes choose to film in Los Angeles to be closer to home.

Actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck is a recent example, largely filming LA sound stages as Prohibition-era Boston and Florida for his gangster feature Live by Night.

Image: Mary Cybulski/Columbia Pictures

Film shoots included Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (pictured) from director Ang Lee, and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, which has received one of the largest California filming incentive payments in recent years.

Santa Clarita has been a persistently popular filming location for several years, even before California’s filming incentive was formally boosted two years ago. The city is within Los Angeles’ 30-Mile Zone and offers a selection of movie ranches with standing sets, while local incentives combine with the state programme to help trim production costs.

“We’re happy that Santa Clarita remains a top choice for productions looking to film in the Los Angeles area,” said Cameron Smyth, mayor of Santa Clarita.

For more on filming in California and for local contacts see our production guide.


“We remain committed to keeping Santa Clarita a top choice for filming because it is a large part of our local economy. Local filming also provides high-paying jobs for thousands of local residents and supports hundreds of local companies involved in the entertainment industry.”

California’s filming incentive still does not offer much support to big-budget studio features, but big-name actors and producers sometimes choose to film in Los Angeles to be closer to home.

Actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck is a recent example, largely filming LA sound stages as Prohibition-era Boston and Florida for his gangster feature Live by Night.

Image: Mary Cybulski/Columbia Pictures

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