FilmLA and the city of Culver City Monday announced expanded incentives aimed at reducing the cost of on-location filming, including waiving several permitting fees for film and photography projects.
The city eliminated per-application motion and still photography permit fees, saving productions about $660 per permit, according to FilmLA, which manages the city’s permitting process.
Officials said daily use fees will be waived, including $350 for motion permits and $75 for still photography permits. Over a typical three-day shoot, the changes are expected to reduce administrative costs by roughly $1,700, or nearly 60%, according to FilmLA.
The changes mean Culver City locations can now be added to FilmLA multi-jurisdiction permits without additional upfront costs. Minimum insurance requirements have also been lowered to align with neighboring jurisdictions, further easing barriers for filmmakers, officials said.
“As soon as we realized we could do more to support filmmaking in Culver City, we took immediate action,” Culver City Mayor Freddy Puza said in a statement. “We are grateful to Culver City’s Economic Development Department and FilmLA for running the numbers to prove that yes, this change is not only affordable, it will create true equity of access to the City neighborhoods and locations where filmmakers already want to work.”
The expanded incentives build on a program launched in December that already offers free production parking, partial credits on permit fees and a suspension of city business tax collection for film projects.
FilmLA officials said permit activity in Culver City has increased since the incentive program began.
Last month, the city of Manhattan Beach partnered with FilmLA to centralize film permitting services under a one-year pilot program.