Last update: Monday 4/08/20 @ 3:40 p.m.
By order of local authorities, on-location filming has been shut down in the City and County of Los Angeles. Limitations and restrictions on business activity and public gatherings, with consequences for film production on-location, are now in effect across Los Angeles County. FilmLA is not accepting or processing any applications to film at this time.
Learn more about these limits. and a helpful option from FilmLA if your filming plans are affected.
A Word From FilmLA
The emergence of Coronavirus – also known as COVID-19 – as an international public health concern has prompted governments, employers, schools, labor organizations and families across the globe to take action to protect life and safety.
FilmLA encourages all Angelenos to exercise their right to seek and receive reliable, trustworthy information about COVID-19 from authoritative sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO)., and LA County Department of Public Health.
We hope all will stay safe during this difficult time.
Table of Contents
Filming Restrictions by Jurisdiction
All on-location filming, along with other forms of business activity and public gatherings, has temporarily been shut down by order of local authorities. A summary of these limits is presented below.
City of Los Angeles UPDATED
Beginning midnight on March 19, 2020, a “Safer at Home” Order applies in the City of Los Angeles. Temporary limits on non-essential business activity and public gatherings are in effect to protect the public and slow the spread of COVID-19. These limits have specific implications for on-location filming, namely:
- All on-location filming in the City of Los Angeles is ordered to stop by midnight on March 19, 2020.
- All applications for on-location film permits for any location in the city limits of the City of Los Angeles shall be rejected until further notice.
- Any existing permits for on-location filming after March 20, 2020 are hereby revoked.
County of Los Angeles UPDATED
Beginning midnight on March 19, 2020, a “Safer at Home” Public Health Order applies in the County of Los Angeles. Temporary limits on non-essential business activity and public gatherings are in effect to protect the public and slow the spread of COVID-19. These limits have specific implications for on-location filming, namely:
- All on-location filming in unincorporated areas of the County of Los Angeles is ordered to stop by midnight on March 19, 2020.
- No applications for on-location film permits will be processed for any location in the unincorporated areas of the County of Los Angeles until further notice.
- Any existing permits for on-location filming after March 20, 2020 are no longer valid.
COVID-19 PRODUCTION LIMITS TIMELINE
This timeline reflects FilmLA’s knowledge of COVID-19 related filming limits enacted from 3/12/20 through 3/20/20.Download (.PDF)
Frequently Asked Questions
Permit Application Suspension
Recognizing the extraordinary impact of the COVID-19 State of Emergency on our customers, FilmLA has developed a program to help those who recently submitted valid film permit applications, but were subsequently unable to execute their filming plans.
As a reminder, all filmmakers who request permits from FilmLA acknowledge that “before a permit (or rider) shall be issued, permittee shall pay to FilmLA the applicable permit (or rider) application or processing fee as well as all estimated use charges and other fees (including clean-up and repair deposits) of the Permit Authority (or any of its departments) in connection with such permit (or rider).”
There are two ways to take advantage of this program.
Option 1: Government Order
FilmLA will “pause” or suspend a film permit application for up to 60 days following the original permit application date.
To qualify for this program, and claim a suspension, filmmakers must:
- Have submitted to FilmLA a complete film permit application that included filming start dates occurring on or after March 10, 2020.
- Have experienced a complete inability to film at one or more requested locations, due to direct government action that: 1) Closed requested locations to filming, or 2) Imposed limitations on total size of cast and crew.
- Have paid all FilmLA and government fees related to the application, either previously, or at the time the suspension request is communicated to FilmLA.
- Request suspension, pending approval, in writing by email to the FilmLA Production Coordinator assigned to your permit, within ten (10) days of permit cancellation.
- FilmLA will attempt, but cannot guarantee, suspension/recovery of government fees.
Option 2: Voluntary Action
This option benefits a small group of filmmakers whose plans were not directly affected by government action, but who were moved to cancel their own shoots in the early days of the COVID-19 State of Emergency.
Under this option, FilmLA will “pause” or suspend the permit application for up to 60 days following the original permit application date.
To qualify for this program, and claim a suspension, filmmakers must:
- Have submitted to FilmLA a complete film permit application by March 13, 2020 or earlier, including locations with filming dates starting March 10, 2020 or later.
- Have experienced a complete inability to film at one or more requested locations, due to voluntary permit cancellation amid COVID-19 concerns.
- Have paid all FilmLA and government fees related to the application, either previously, or at the time the suspension request is communicated to FilmLA.
- Request suspension, pending approval, in writing by email to the FilmLA Production Coordinator assigned to your permit, within ten (10) days of permit cancellation.
- FilmLA will attempt, but cannot guarantee, suspension/recovery of government fees.
Please note that there is now a widely-known risk of production shutdown in a rapidly changing business and policy environment. Going forward, filmmakers who submit permit applications to FilmLA on or after March 16, 2020 are ineligible for Option 2. Keep up-to-date on changes in our client policies using our COVID-19 Resource Center.
External Resources
UPDATED – In the wake of COVID-19, a number of organizations have stepped forward to offer information and/or economic relief for entertainment workers and industry-affiliated businesses. FilmLA will continue to expand and update this list of third-party links as new information becomes available.
| Organization | Description | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actor’s Fund | Providing emergency financial assistance and counseling to all entertainment workers. | https://actorsfund.org/ | The Actors Fund and Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) have received generous COVID-19 funding from IATSE, Netflix, and SAG-IACF to assist film and television workers. |
| Launches $500,000 Emergency Fund To Aid Members Who Lost Jobs To Coronavirus Shutdown Of Live Theaters. assists actors, performers and film crew workers, is offering emergency financial assistance to individuals with immediate financial needs. Those unable to pay their basic living expenses such as food, housing and healthcare over the next two months can seek help through the group’s website. | http://www.actorsfund.jotform.com/200766730518860 | If you live in Southern California, Please apply to only ONE of these two organizations so together we may help as many people as possible. Grant Applicants to The Actors Fund may not also apply to MPTF for COVID-19 assistance. The Actors Fund and MPTF reserve the right to share names and coordinate grants to COVID-19 applicants. | |
| AICP – Association of Independent Commercial Producers | to help members lead the industry through a myriad of issues affecting the business as a result fall out due to the spread of Coronavirus/COVID-19. | https://www.aicp.com/news-roundup/coronavirus-resources | Current as of 4/6/2020 |
| American Federation of Musicians Local 47 | A listing resource for members of AFM Local 47. This list will updated regularly with news and resources for musicians about coronavirus COVID-19. | https://www.afm47.org/covid19/ | |
| American Guild of Musical Artists | AGMA Relief Fund: Any AGMA member in good standing is encouraged to apply for financial assistance through the AGMA Relief Fund. | https://www.musicalartists.org/membership/agma-relief-fund/ | |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) | The donation will be split between the The Actors Fund, the MPTF and the Academy Foundation. Some $4 million of the donation will be split equally between The Actors Fund, which supports behind-the-scenes workers as well as performers, and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), which has offered essential relief to those in need since 1921. Both organizations provide immediate assistance to individuals working in the film industry during times of crisis. | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/film-academy-pledges-6-million-help-industry-workers-impacted-by-virus-crisis-1288394 | Check back for updates. |
| Animation Guild – IATSE Local 839 | A resource for Animation Guild Members | https://animationguild.org/covid-19-resource-page/ | |
| ASCAP | Resources and Facts for ASCAP members. | https://www.ascap.com/news-events/articles/2020/03/govt-coronavirus-relief-faq | |
| Directors Guild of America (DGA) | Resources for DGA members. Contains information about the DGA COVID-19 Relief Fund: Will cover medical costs associated with COVID-19. Members can apply for short-term, interest-free loans | https://www.dga.org/The-Guild/Coronavirus-Resources-and-Updates.aspx | |
| Entertainment Industry Foundation | EIF has partnered with Music for Relief to provide funds | https://musicforrelief.org/ | |
| Field of Vision | Documentary Freelancer Relief Fund: Field of Vision and Topic Studios have created a $250,000 fund to provide grants for freelancers working in the Documentary field. The fund will distribute unrestricted grants of up to $2000 to support personal financial needs during the COVID19 pandemic to freelancers who have experienced hardship from loss of income or opportunity as a result of the pandemicWe will be disbursing funding in two different blocks. One in April, and one in May. We know that people’s situations are changing, and so wanted to ensure there were two different timings to accommodate evolving need. | https://fieldofvision.org/relief-fund | |
| Freelance Co-op Emergency Fund | Part of our mission of making creativity sustainable is supporting freelancers in uncertain and unprecedented times. | https://freelancecoop.org/emergencyfund/ | |
| Help Feed the Frontlines | Organization co-founded by some local moms & a dad, many of whom work in the entertainment industry | https://www.frontlinefoods.org/los-angeles/ | |
| I.A.T.S.E. Cares | A joint effort by the union’s Young Workers Committee and its Disaster Response Committee, the new IATSE Coronavirus Active Response and Engagement Service is a buddy system where members in need may sign up to have a volunteer check in with them as often as they choose. Extending its annuity hardship withdrawals for those who need financial aid stemming from job losses. Committed $2.5 million to entertainment charities. | https://iatsecares.org/resources/ | |
| Los Angeles – Mayor’s Economic Relief Package | Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced an $11 million economic relief package for small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Small businesses in the city of Los Angeles can apply for no-fee loans of $5,000–$20,000. | https://ewddlacity.com/index.php/microloan-program | |
| Leveler | A tool for people with job security to help people whose work status has been impacted by COVID-19. The list includes freelancers, service industry, and gig economy workers | https://www.leveler.info/ | To apply: https://www.leveler.info/signup |
| Local 600 – International Cinematographers Guild | Information and resources for Local 600 members. | https://www.icg600.com/NewsFeed.aspx/NewsID/180 | Current as of 4/7/2020 |
| Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles | The COVID-19 Crisis Fund will support critical needs identified by the City as it responds to the pandemic. The Mayor’s Fund, a 501c3, can quickly take in and disburse funds and is uniquely aligned with the City. | https://mayorsfundla.org/covid19/ | |
| Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF) – Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund | Assistance with issues including health insurance, mental health assistance, rent, food, and other essentials | https://mptf.com/covid-19-relief-funds/#mptf-covid | |
| Netflix – Relief Fund | Established a $100 M relief fund. Most of the funds will go toward hardest-hit workers on Netflix’s own productions around the world. The company had already committed to paying workers two weeks pay following the production suspensions last week. To date, Netflix has also announced $1M additional relief funding for film & TV production in the UK, India and France. | https://media.netflix.com/en/company-blog/emergency-support-for-workers-in-the-creative-community | Check back for more info. |
| SAG-AFTRA | The guild’s two major divisions – the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and the SAG-AFTRA Motion Picture Players Welfare Fund (MPPWF) have created a COVID-19 fund | https://www.sagaftra.org/news-events/news/covid-19 | |
| Sony – Global Relief Fund for COVID-19 | This pledge will provide assistance in three areas: individuals engaged in frontline medical and first responder efforts to fight the virus; support for children and educators who must now work remotely; and support for members of the creative community in the entertainment industry. | https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/202004/20-027E/ | |
| Teamsters 399 | Allowing out-of-work members to apply for jobs at local grocery stores through the union. | https://www.ht399.org/4715-2/ | Labor Board’s assistance options: https://www.labor.ca.gov/coronavirus2019/ |
| WarnerMedia | $100 million in relief funds for crews impacted by COVID-19 | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warnermedia-create-100-million-relief-fund-crews-1287234 | Check back for more info. |
| Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation Fund | To request assistance for financial aid, please call (888) 994-3863, ext. 6003, or https://wrpioneers.org/contact/. A social worker will contact you to set up a phone interview to discuss eligibility and the application process. In most cases, grants can be processed between 3-5 business days after we receive the completed application. | https://wrpioneers.org/services/paf/ |