The tents lining California and Battery streets were part of the set for an untitled Netflix thriller filming under the working title "2034," directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and starring Rachel McAdams and Jeff Daniels, among others.
"I was walking around, and there's a million tents everywhere, which seems more than normal for this area," San Francisco resident Andrew Eljumaily said.
As crews filmed scenes Friday, the production also served as a visible example of a broader effort by city and state leaders to bring more film and television projects back to California after years of productions leaving for states and countries with more generous incentives.
"It's really important for us to have productions here," said Manijeh Fata, executive director of Film SF, the city's official film office.
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Earlier this year, San Francisco expanded its film incentive program. The revamped program now covers 100% of qualifying city fees, including permits and police services, while also offering rebates on local production spending in an effort to attract more projects.
Carolyn Tyler, a Film SF commissioner, said the loss of productions has affected far more than movie studios.
"It was disturbing and sad because it's not just about these big filmmakers and actors making money. It's the trickle-down economy, everything from hotels to caterers," Tyler said.
The impact extends to workers on set as well, including local security guards, production assistants and other crew members supporting the production.
The city is not alone in trying to reverse the trend. California is making a similar push statewide.
Last year, California expanded its film and television tax credit program, increasing annual funding from $330 million to $750 million and broadening eligibility in an effort to make the state more competitive.
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This week, the California Film Commission announced 41 new film projects had joined the program. Since the expanded program launched last July, 170 projects have entered it.
Projects cited by the commission include "Donkey," an animated project in the "Shrek" series, "Heat 2" and "Gold Mountain," an Ang Lee project filming outside Sacramento. The commission also pointed to "One Battle After Another" as a recent California production.
"When we invest in the industry, the industry invests back in us," said Colleen Bell, director of the California Film Commission.
Bell said six independent film projects from the latest round plan to shoot in the Bay Area, representing about 403 filming days.
"It's the projects, it's the employment, it's the economic activity that's generated from having production in your community. It's also the benefits to the many small and ancillary businesses that support entertainment production that will benefit from this," Bell said.
With "2034" currently filming downtown, city and state officials hope the renewed incentives will bring more productions, jobs and local spending to San Francisco and across California.