It has been a tumultuous year for Paul Audley, who for more than a decade has led the film permitting group FilmLA.
Last March, most filming in the region was shut down. It took until June for health officials to allow shoots to restart and until the fall for Hollywood’s studios and unions to agree on terms for a safe return to work. The resurgence of the virus this winter has thrown the industry once again into disarray.
FilmLA, which contracts with the city and other municipalities to coordinate location shoots, has faced its own pressures. With the level of permits plummeting FilmLA’s primary source of revenue Audley had to furlough half of his 104 person staff.
The major studios and streamers have halted their L.A.-based projects with plans to restart them mid-January but sources say that's increasingly unrealistic.