Liability Insurance

D

digitalskylight

Active member
I was asked by someone that I'm shooting a wedding for (getting paid about $5,000) if I had liability insurance, and to get faxed the proof once I do.

First, what company provides the best liability insurance for filmmakers?

Secondly, what specific one would i need? I've only found "Errors/Omissions" and "Equipment/Rental" insurance.

Finally, is it worth spending the money? I'll already have to take out 30% on my wedding video payment for taxes, and the rest would undoubtedly be going towards the cost of the liability.
 
digitalskylight said:
I was asked by someone that I'm shooting a wedding for (getting paid about $5,000) if I had liability insurance, and to get faxed the proof once I do.

First, what company provides the best liability insurance for filmmakers?

Secondly, what specific one would i need? I've only found "Errors/Omissions" and "Equipment/Rental" insurance.

Finally, is it worth spending the money? I'll already have to take out 30% on my wedding video payment for taxes, and the rest would undoubtedly be going towards the cost of the liability.
Click to expand...

Meither E&O or Equipment insurance does what you need. E&O is coverage for mistakes you make like not clearing the music rights (or getting permission but from the wrong person) or failing to get releases from people on camera. It's needed for distribution but not really applicable to wedding or event shoots. Equipment insurance covers you in the event some of your gear is lost, stolen, or damaged on site - again, smart to have but the venue doesn't really care one way or the other what happens to you or your gear. The insurance you're being asked to show that you have is general liability insurance, covering you for liability for any injury or damage you cause to the people in attendance or to the premisis itself. What if a light falls over onto a wedding guest, injuring him and starting a fire that burns down the reception hall or the bride trips over one of your mic cables as she walks down the aisle, falls, and breaks her arm? They want you to prove you have the insurance coverage that will pay for that. It's like car insurance ... collision and comprehensive covers you for your own losses, good to have but not required unless your bank requires it to give you the loan, but the law requires you to have liability insurance covering damage to other drivers and their vehicles before you can legally drive at all.

Talk to your regualr insurance agent for starters, if they handle business as well as personal insurance. You probabaly don't need specialized entertainment industry insurance for a wedding video business, general business insurance would likely suffice. Ask about a) general liability insurance; and b) Inland Marine Insurance if you want to cover your own gear against loss when you're on-site or traveling to and from (sounds weird but that is what it's called). Note that most home-owner's or rentor's insurance policies DO NOT cover equipment used professionally or in a home-based business and definitely not any liability that might occur. Covering yourself for your own losses is smart, covering others for injury or damage liabilty you incurr caused by your activities is absolutely mandatory.
 
Last edited:
If what they are wanting is a general liability policy (probable) any business insurance agency can do that, nothing to special here. If you are a one man band, a year of this type of coverage will cost you around $600/year for a $mil worth of coverage. At least that is what it is in the Great Northwest. Once you get that, you can request a certificate of insurance for your customer. If they want it, you van name them as an additional insured. Usually an agent will do a few of these for free, but at some point they will charge you a fee.

Grant
 
ggrantly said:
If what they are wanting is a general liability policy (probable) any business insurance agency can do that, nothing to special here.
Click to expand...


Mmmm... not really. The agent will want to know what you do because it matters to the insurer. I got ejected once because I said I did photography, got the policy, but then they found out that wasn't all I did so they canceled the policy (because the ins. co. didn't cover film/video).

Also, you CAN get an "event policy" (or just a short term production policy) as short term option, but as far as I know, the cost for a year of general liability would most likely be the same or less than a temporary policy for only that coverage.
 
May not be the same, but the cost per unit of coverage is much, much higher on short-term production by production policies. A $2M annual policy, with a baseline workers comp rider, will run you $4k and up. The good news is that they are happy to spread the payments just like any other insurance underwriter. You pay an installment charge for the priveledge, but it isn't much - maybe $5 or $10 per installment for them to amortize the premium.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top