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Published Apr 21, 2021

The Thirty Mile Zone

Gary Arndt delves into the historical and economic forces shaping Hollywood, spotlighting the strategic shift from Edison’s patent pressures to Southern California’s advantageous film production locale, driven by the influential Thirty Mile Zone and union contracts that dominate Los Angeles' filmmaking landscape.
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  • TMZ Economics

    The Thirty Mile Zone (TMZ) is a crucial factor in Hollywood's filming economics. explains that filming within this zone is significantly cheaper due to union contracts that limit additional costs like travel expenses. This zone, established in the 1970s, covers most of Los Angeles and its filming ranches, making it economically advantageous for studios to shoot within its boundaries 1.

    If you ever wondered why they continued to shoot movies in such an expensive area as Los Angeles, this is the reason.

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    Productions outside the TMZ face higher costs, which is why many films and TV shows feature Southern California landscapes 1.

       

    Incentives

    Other regions offer incentives to attract film productions, competing with the benefits of the TMZ. notes that without these incentives, it's challenging to match the economic advantages of filming within the TMZ 1. States and countries provide financial incentives to lure productions, but the established infrastructure and cost benefits of the TMZ often outweigh these offers.

    The TMZ is the reason why so many states and countries offer incentives for films to be shot in their location.

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    This dynamic keeps the film industry anchored in Los Angeles, despite the high costs associated with the area 1.

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