LA fires disrupt location shooting

Freakier Friday uses Los Angeles locations, but the Coleman house was burned in the L.A. fires, reshaping the production.

LA fires disrupt location shooting and claim iconic sites

The production of Freakier Friday wrapped key LA shoots in summer 2024, using locations from Echo Park Lake to the Wiltern Theater as a modern, city-forward backdrop. The Coleman family house in Pacific Palisades served as the home setting, and the crew faced a long process to reconnect with the homeowners after not hearing back during scouting. The project is notable for its effort to film in LA as a main setting, a throughline the team says helps anchor the story to real-life neighborhoods. FilmLA notes that in 2024 only a small share of major studio features shot heavily within the 30-mile zone, highlighting the city’s shrinking footprint even as producers still chase authentic LA vibes.

Months after filming, the Palisades and other adjacent districts were hit by January fires that destroyed the Coleman house location and other nearby spots such as Altadena Town and Country Club’s pickleball tournament venue. The fires illustrate how climate events can upend production plans and erase crucial on-screen memories. Location logistics remain complex; a car stunt on the First Street Bridge required quick coordination and permits, underscoring LA’s infrastructure as a critical asset for big shoots. Director Nisha Ganatra and production designer Kay Lee emphasize that the film’s look aimed to celebrate LA while acknowledging its evolving reality. The team remains committed to filming in the city, even as they acknowledge a slower cycle for studio features in the area and a broader industry shift toward global locations.

The piece frames Los Angeles not just as a backdrop but as a character in the industry story. It reveals a tension between the city’s enduring appeal for location shoots and the climate risks that threaten a stable production calendar. With fires destroying long-used locations, studios face higher insurance costs and tense negotiations with homeowners, municipalities, and unions. The downturn in LA-centric features in 2024 suggests the industry is recalibrating its map for cost, risk, and diversification. Yet the article also shows resilience: crews familiar with LA’s streets, permits, and crew networks can still pull off ambitious sequences, provided there is support from city officials and insurers. The broader implication is clear: to keep LA at the center of film culture, stakeholders must invest in resilience, protect key neighborhoods, and simplify access for large-scale shoots while balancing safety and community needs.

Highlights

The city’s screen identity will depend on how well it pairs creative ambition with risk-aware planning.