MUMBAI: According to FilmL.A.-the not-for-profit organisation that issues on-location shooting permits in the city of Los Angeles, unincorporated parts of LA County and other jurisdictions, location filming in and around Los Angeles rose 4.7 per cent in the first quarter of the year, but it was not film or TV but miscellaneous projects such as music videos, industrial videos and student films.

According to FilmL.A., there were 11,604 production days in the quarter, compared to 11,087 during the same period last year (2010). 

But the news was not all that good in the major categories. "The latest data suggest a softness in the industry but not a full loss of momentum," FilmL.A. said. "Pilot production is up, and we have a couple of big features in production, so we‘re optimistic about a better set of numbers come July," it added.

Feature production actually declined 5.3 per cent during the quarter, even though there were 10 projects filming on location that were taking advantage of the California Film and Television Tax Credit.

In the television category, production dropped 3.7 per cent for the quarter, led by losses in TV reality (down 6.4%) and TV drama (down 2.6 per cent). TV sitcoms, reflecting a number of single-camera shows in production, saw a 77.3 per cent increase but still accounted for only 360 shooting days, and the production of TV pilots grew by 4.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, commercials increased by 2.4 per cent during the quarter altough FilmL.A. noted that that category appears to be falling from an 18-month surge that delivered a record year-over-year increase last year.