In what might be the most Hollywood move since someone greenlit three Twilight reboots in one year, Los Angeles city officials announced a $5 million subsidy to attract microdrama production — because apparently, nothing says “we’re open for business” like throwing cash at 3-minute cliffhanger shows. (variety.com)
Now, in theory, this kind of incentive program sounds… fine?
In practice, it’s like giving a toddler a paint set and hoping they rebuild the Sistine Chapel.
But here’s the thing we all know — yet no one says loudly enough:
If LA really wants to save its film industry, it doesn’t need another subsidy.
It needs to fire Film LA.
Yes, we said it.
FILM LA HAS BEEN RUNNING LA’S INDUSTRY LIKE A DMV FOR CREATIVES
Let’s be crystal clear: Film LA, the quasi-governmental permitting body that exists to manage shoots in the region? They’re basically the Content Police with clipboards.
They:
- make simple permits feel like tax audits
- slow down productions like a bad Wi-Fi signal
- require more paperwork than a Supreme Court nomination
- charge fees that make indie producers cry
- and route every creative decision through the same committee that can’t figure out where to park a food truck
If Film LA were a character in a microdrama, its arc would be:
Episode 1: “Welcome to LA!”
Episode 15: “Please fill out Form 49-B”
Episode 25: “Sir, your dolly track is missing an environmental impact statement.”
Series Finale: “You may never film again.”
So when LA government says, “Here’s $5 million for microdrama production,” we hear:
“Maybe we should stop letting Film LA manage everything and actually encourage production?”
Novel concept.
$5 MILLION SOUNDS GLAMOROUS — UNTIL YOU REALIZE WHERE IT’S GOING
We get it. LA sees microdramas blowing up everywhere else — China, India, Europe — and thinks:
“Let’s siphon some of that scroll money back onto Sunset Boulevard.”
So taxpayers earmark $5 million.
But here’s the plot twist they didn’t prepare for:
Microdramas don’t care about geography.
They don’t need stages.
They don’t need base camps.
They don’t need Film LA permits.
They need fast turnaround, cheap crews, and agile production infrastructure — none of which exist if you leave Film LA in front of the fax machine.
This is like subsidizing Blockbuster Video in 2026.
IF LA WANTS MICRODRAMA MONEY… FIRE THE GATEKEEPER
Here’s an idea crazier than the notion that microdramas need government subsidies:
Just remove the bureaucratic sandpaper from every production’s gears.
You want microdrama creators to shoot in LA? Don’t hand them $5 million — just stop making them fill out forms longer than the script.
Right now, you have:
✔ a city that subsidizes production
× a permitting body that throttles it
That’s like hiring a personal trainer and then locking them in the basement.
Instead, do this:
🔹 Abolish Film LA’s monopoly on permits
🔹 Decentralize location approvals
🔹 Slash fees for vertical production crews
🔹 Make one-day permits literally one day
🔹 Stop requiring environmental statements for handheld shots
Boom. Microdrama creators suddenly treat LA like the content playground it claims to want to be.
No checks. No delays. No Film LA forms disguised as ancient scrolls.
Just production. Fast. Fluid. Unhindered.
THE REAL COST OF RED TAPE?
Let’s back up and quantify the invisible tax Film LA imposes:
💸 Time wasted waiting for permits
💸 Location fees that outprice indie budgets
💸 Insurance hoops nobody understands
💸 Unexpected inspections
💸 Permit clerks who ask for signatures you didn’t know you needed
Now compare that to a $5 million subsidy:
Wouldn’t it make more sense to remove the obstacle rather than throw money at the symptom?
Sure it would. But then Film LA wouldn’t have a reason to exist, and we can’t have that, can we?
(We’re kidding. Please fire them.)
LA’S BRANDING CRISIS IS WORSE THAN ITS TAX CODE
We keep hearing LA wants to market itself as a global studio hub for the digital era.
Microdramas are the perfect entry point — short productions, small crews, low overhead, high viewership. But you can’t brand yourself as a center of creative innovation when the first thing a producer encounters is:
“Please complete Section D of the permit only after you’ve reconciled your crew lunch receipts with three notarized signatures.”
That’s less “creative hub.” That’s more “boring office job with terrible coffee.”
SO HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY, IN BULLET POINTS AND CAPS LOCK:
THE CITY DOESN’T NEED TO SPEND $5 MILLION TO ENTICE MICRODRAMA MAKERS.
IT JUST NEEDS TO REMOVE THE FRICTION.
AND THAT FRICTION IS NAMED FILM LA.
Seriously. Get rid of the endless paperwork. Cut the red tape. Streamline the process.
Let creators shoot quickly, cheaply, and without auditions for the Permit Gods.
The microdrama economy doesn’t need handouts. What it needs is access.
THE FINAL SCENE
This $5 million subsidy announcement will probably generate some headlines, maybe a ribbon-cutting, and a press photo where everyone wears sunglasses at Sunset Boulevard.
But nothing will change unless LA stops treating production like a slow bureaucracy instead of a creative engine. Film LA doesn’t support production — it manages it to death.
So here’s the honest pitch:
Stop subsidizing microdramas.
Just fire Film LA.
Watch production boom.
Repeat.
It’s cheaper, faster, and frankly, way funnier.
