Santa Clarita in Los Angeles county reports blockbuster year of filming

Santa Clarita in Los Angeles county has reported a blockbuster year of filming in the city in 2021, following Covid disruptions in 2020. 

The local film office reported 570 film permits and 1,505 filming days, which generated approximately $37.6m in economic impact to the local community.

Compared wth 2020, this marks an overall rise of 62% in permits, 42.6% in film days and 40.8% to the estimated economic impact.

The city of Santa Clarita accounted its success to their film incentive program, movie ranch overlay zone, low-cost permit fees and expedited permit processing, along with the California Film and Television tax credit program.

Numerous TV shows and feature films have been shot on location in Santa Clarita, including American Crime Story: Impeachment, Netflix's Atypical, Blindspotting, HBO's Euphoria, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Steven Soderbergh's Kimi, and Dog starring Channing Tatum. 

"Santa Clarita has a rich history of film production and location filming, and we are thrilled to see the numbers have rebounded from the pandemic shutdowns,” said Santa Clarita mayor, Laurene Weste. “Filming provides thousands of jobs locally and supports every segment of our local economy. We continue to be a film-friendly City and ensure our beautiful valley remains a top choice for productions now … and well into the future.”

The Covid-19 pandemic slowed down film and TV production in Calfornia, almost driving the industry to a halt in the summer of 2020, which resulted in projects relocating, such as Hulu limited series Nine Perfect Strangers moving to Australia. Production resumed gradually in the state where by April 2021 on-location filming in Los Angeles returned to 60% of normal levels.

Santa Clarita has also been further boosted by the announcement from Blackhall Studios that it is constructing a 1.34m square ft television and movie studio complex in the city, which includes 20 stages and is slated to open in 2024. The move is part of California's attempts to keep up with the increase in demand of TV and film production in Hollywood.