liability insurance

HerzogisGod

HerzogisGod

Well-known member
i was out scouting a used book store the other day and the owner i talked to brought up insurance; something i never really considered. it's gonna be a twenty person shoot and the owner of the store said he would love to help but not without insurance. This makes total sense to me, of course.

So how do i go about getting liability insurance. who do i talk to?



thanks
 
I've used Hammond, Martin and Walsh (I guess before Smith joined).
It's more cost effective to carry year round than to get for a particular shoot.

It's often overlooked at the semi-pro level of production, but I had to have it in order to get the stage we wanted...

http://www.entertainmentinsurance.com/

Also some folks use the prod insurance excuse just to blow off folks they don't perceive as serious, so see if you can get a commitment for the location before spending the dough.

I did find that having it opened some doors to more free equipment. Must be some kind of rite of passage,,,, if you are working steadily then getting it for the year might actually be a good idea.
 
It's difficult these days to find insurance companies that will cover a film or film production company. I had a shoot in Hawaii and needed $1 liability, etc etc.

First tip...talk to a BROKER, not an agent. A Broker will find you your best coverage at the best price...and will look all over the country for someone to cover you. Mine did and I got a great policy (though it's through Liberty Mutual and I've heard some not-so-great stories about them when the &$#* hits the fan. Currently, my company has $1 million in liability along with $25,000 in floating equipment (that I own) coverage as well as $1 million in coverage for rental equipment. That policy cost me $500 to cover one year. I was very surprised at how inexpensive it is to cover...and it's oh so important!
 
I believe there are two types of insurance. One that is made more for "movies" and another for basic productions. That being said I use the basic prod insurance. I simply state i'm a "videographer" to the insurance company and I'll be doing things like: Music Videos, Weddng videos, Commercials, etc. And like Wilshire said the cost is around $450 to $650 a year. I've heard though if you tell the "wrong" person you're making a movie insurance can be upwards of $7K. I guess that's to cover all the people, places, equipment, etc.

hope that helps
 
When you get into movie insurance people start listening much more closely. It's still possible to get inexpensive coverage through a number of sources, unless you add high risk stuff, ie stunts, jet skis, explosions, etc. The biggest one to keep an eye on is that a lot of these inexpensive insurance funds will not touch a project that has anything resembling a gun in them. Even fake guns.

Needless to say I'd love to insure all my stuff for a year for 500 bucks. That's pretty awesome if it's possible.
 
Also note that videography isnt necessarily going to have a crew that needs Worker's Comp, location insurance, auto insurance, etc. Movie sets tend to break stuff, and unfortunately, sometimes people as well. So insurance costs more.
 
Wilshireblvd said:
It's difficult these days to find insurance companies that will cover a film or film production company. I had a shoot in Hawaii and needed $1 liability, etc etc.

First tip...talk to a BROKER, not an agent. A Broker will find you your best coverage at the best price...and will look all over the country for someone to cover you. Mine did and I got a great policy (though it's through Liberty Mutual and I've heard some not-so-great stories about them when the &$#* hits the fan. Currently, my company has $1 million in liability along with $25,000 in floating equipment (that I own) coverage as well as $1 million in coverage for rental equipment. That policy cost me $500 to cover one year. I was very surprised at how inexpensive it is to cover...and it's oh so important!
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what broker did you go through? how much do you have to pay them to find you a reputable insurance company?

$500 sounds reasonable for $1 million liability insurance, but will that cover you if you are using a store/restaurant location and say your lights catch on fire and causes damage or say one of your actors trips and breaks something in the store?

i have 2 locations that will let me use their property but only if i have some kind of insurance that says if i damage anything then i am liable.
 
Well, I think I paid something over $400 16 years ago, so that sounds like a pretty good deal.

The idea is not to ever have to file a claim. What you do get immediate value from is the insurance certificate that basically demonstrates you are not a self-absorbed flake who will vanish if you cause any damage. Anyone with experience related to production has met enough of those.

I've also seen a 10k crack an antique stained glass window, and gaffer's tape lift a big strip of wood out of a nice floor, so even with reasonable care things can happen that you need to follow through and take care of.

Worst story I've heard was a no-permit, uninsured shoot in one of San Francisco's top hotels, where an inexperienced crewmember put a 2k right under a fire sprinkler head and triggered all the sprinklers for an entire floor furnished with antique furniture and velvet draperies. Of course they just ran away. Any wonder it can be tough to get a location sometimes?
 
be very careful with these policies - these sound very VERY inexpensive - I have never seen liability for commercial production work be this cheap - these are likely policies that will cover personal use - read the fine print.

Insurance is there to add credibility but also to protect you - if a fire started you would end up paying it off for a very long time - but insurance protects you - that is why you need to make sure you have the correct kind. There is a reason places like film emporium charge the higher prices - its a different type of insurance.

if you are paying 500 a year for 1 million in liability - dont expect it to really cover you in a large situation if it can be argued that is was a commercial and not personal project.
 
True. The ~ $400+ was for a single, two-day shoot. A full year was around $1,700, which was a better deal if you had frequent productions requiring insurance.

We were usually involved in effects work on our own property, but this time it was a rented stage with Universal Studios involved.
 
FilmBoy77 said:
what broker did you go through? how much do you have to pay them to find you a reputable insurance company?

$500 sounds reasonable for $1 million liability insurance, but will that cover you if you are using a store/restaurant location and say your lights catch on fire and causes damage or say one of your actors trips and breaks something in the store?

i have 2 locations that will let me use their property but only if i have some kind of insurance that says if i damage anything then i am liable.
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Sorry for the delay in answering this particular message. I went through a reputable insurance brokerage here in Omaha. I think my policy is out of Indiana (I'll have to double check), but it's for all 50 states and some foreign countries. And yes, as long as my damage to the restaurant, etc is less than 1 million...I'm covered. However, if my PA trips on the light cable and breaks his nose, this particular policy will not cover that. That's gotta be under workman's comp.
 
film emporium . http://www.filmemporium.com/

They have great customer service and sometimes through in a few extra days to pad everything.

I get my inusrance from them for most shoots.

Anything over an 11 person cast/crew that is over 3 days, I get insurance for. Technically, in California/NY (and other states i'm sure) you are supposed to have it regardless.
 
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