Santa Clarita filming has been on the rise over the last few years, because of the many attractions the city has to offer the film industry, according to officials.

The city of Santa Clarita saw an increase in location filming in 2017 with the film office reporting 556 film permits and 1,385 location film days, which generated an estimated $33.9 million in economic impact to the community, according to a news release.

“This represents a 1.5 percent increase in permits, a 1.4 percent increase in film days, and a three percent increase to the estimated economic impact when compared to 2016,” the news release said. “This is the fourth consecutive calendar year the Santa Clarita Film Office has recorded more than 500 permits, over 1,300 film days and $30 million or more in estimated economic impact generated from location filming alone.”

Not included in the reported numbers are the film days and economic benefit from filming that takes place on 10 different certified sound stages, which do not require a film permit, according to officials.

“Santa Clarita is one of the preferred places for film production and location filming in the Los Angeles area, as demonstrated by yet another strong year,” said Mayor Laurene Weste. “Filming continues to be a big part of our business community and local economy, supporting high paying jobs and hundreds of local companies. We will continue to do everything we can to be a film-friendly city and ensure our unique and beautiful valley remains a top choice for productions.”

Many factors have contributed to the continued success and appeal of filming in Santa Clarita, including the city’s 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, the news release said.

Another reason Santa Clarita is sought after is because of its unique neighborhoods, the mountains and plenty of open space, which offers the film community a lot to work with, said Evan Thomason, economic development associate with the City of Santa Clarita.

The Santa Clarita Valley is also located within the entertainment industry’s coveted “Thirty Mile Zone” and offers thousands of film-friendly locations that can double as almost anywhere in the world, according to officials.

“The thirty-mile zone is a geographic boundary that circle around Century City, which is a union designation area that provides cheaper filming cost,” Thomason said. “Santa Clarita has been used to replicate West Virginia, The Middle East, Mexico and several other parts of the world.”

Santa Clarita has always had a history of filmmaking, going back as far as when silent films were being made, Thomason said.
Last year, dozens of television shows took advantage of all the Santa Clarita Valley had to offer and more than half of the film days reported in 2017 were attributed to TV production alone.

Many locally based shows such as “Atypical,” “Ballers,” “The Guest Book,” “Mayans MC,” “MythBusters,” “NCIS,” “Santa Clarita Diet,” “Shooter,” “Shut Eye,” “Stitchers,” “Ultimate Beastmaster” and “Westworld” helped contribute to the reported numbers, the news release said.

Other shows that filmed on location in Santa Clarita this past year included “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “American Horror Story,” “Animal Kingdom,” “Arrested Development,” “Baskets,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Criminal Minds,” “Drunk History,” “Fear Factor,” “John Claude Van Johnson,” “LA to Vegas,” “The Last Man on Earth,” “The Last Ship,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Orville,” “Ray Donovan,” “Seal Team,” “Sharp Objects,” “Teen Wolf,” “Ten Days in the Valley,” “This is Us,” “Timeless,” “Transparent,” “VEEP,” “Young Sheldon” and many more, the news release went on to say.

Numerous feature films were shot in Santa Clarita in 2017, including “A Wrinkle in Time,” and “The Happytime Murders,” which were filmed at local sound stages, the news release said.

The 15:17 to Paris, “A Doggone Mystery,” “A Star is Born,” “Ad Astra,” “Book Club,” “Fighting with My Family,” “Horse Soldiers,” “Jumanji,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Just Getting Started,” “Miles,” “Roman J. Israel,” “Esq.,,” “Saint Judy” and more filmed on location around town, the news release said.

“Because there are so many sound stages located in Santa Clarita, production companies are using different locations in the SCV because it is close and makes for easy opportunities to film on multiple locations in one day,” Thomason said. “One of the most sought out locations in Santa Clarita to film at is College of the Canyons.”

The residents of Santa Clarita have been very supportive of all the filming that has been taking place over the years, according to officials.
“With all the filming that is going on it is giving local businesses and residents an opportunity to rent out their homes or
work space to make extra money,” Thomason said. “No matter where we film we will always have people voicing concerns with the filming that is taking place.”

For more information about filming in Santa Clarita, please visit FilmSantaClarita.com or contact the Film Office at (661) 284-1425. For an insider’s view to filming in Santa Clarita, follow the Santa Clarita Film Office on Instagram (@FilmSantaClarita).

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