FIRST OFF . . .

Feature film production in California was on the upswing for the first six months of 1987, with 96 pictures filming in the state--a 23% increase over the same period last year and an 80% increase over the first two quarters of 1985, according to a study released by the California Film Commission. Only six other states reported more than four film shoots in the same period, including second-place New York with 30. Texas and Arizona, which have been offering the Golden State some competition, fell back in production 16% and 14%, respectively. Film commission director Lisa Rawlins attributed the California increase in part to bad weather in the East and fear of a directors’ strike.