Culver City is rolling out the red carpet for film crews again, unveiling an expanded package of incentives this week that makes on-location filming cheaper and faster. City leaders say the pilot trims administrative costs by hundreds of dollars, and in some cases roughly $1,700, from a typical three-day production. Working with FilmLA, the city is eliminating some permit application fees, waiving daily-use charges and easing insurance thresholds in a bid to keep small and mid-sized shoots - and the crews, caterers and gear rentals that follow them - working inside city limits instead of chasing better deals elsewhere.
What changed
As reported by MyNewsLA, Culver City has dropped per-application motion and still-photography permit fees, a shift FilmLA estimates will save productions about $660 per permit. The city is also waiving daily-use fees that had been $350 for motion shoots and $75 for still photography. According to FilmLA's figures, the package cuts administrative costs by roughly $1,700 for a typical three-day shoot, or nearly 60 percent. "As soon as we realized we could do more to support filmmaking in Culver City, we took immediate action," Mayor Freddy Puza said.
Pilot program and cap
According to the City Council staff report, the one-year pilot rolls back permit and staffing fees to their December 2024 levels and places a $500,000 cap on total subsidies for the 12-month period. The report also directs that productions receive free parking at Veterans Memorial Park, the Culver City Senior Center and downtown parking structures. It calls for a film-location familiarization tour and a vendor directory designed to steer more production spending toward local businesses. City staff will track activity during the pilot and return to the council with results and any recommendations.
Where this fits regionally
The move lines up with broader efforts to keep film and television production in California. The California Film Commission expanded the state's Film & Television Tax Credit Program to $750 million per year in 2025, while FilmLA has been launching lower-cost permitting pilots and partnerships across the region to make on-location work more accessible for smaller projects. Local tweaks like Culver City's incentive package are part of a larger strategy to keep the Los Angeles area competitive with other states and countries that lure productions with hefty rebates.
How to apply
Productions that want to use the new incentives should begin the permitting process through FilmLA and follow the city's updated pilot rules and timelines. The City of Culver City's filming page includes application links, parking details and contact information for the Film Coordinator.
FilmLA and city officials say the early response is encouraging, with permit activity in Culver City increasing since the incentive program began, according to MyNewsLA. City leaders plan to watch how the pilot affects bookings and local spending before deciding what comes next.
