Film Production Coverage 101: Insuring Movies, Videos, Commercials and Webisodes
Production companies have seemingly endless checklists when it comes to a shoot, and procuring the right insurance is crucial to facilitating a project’s success. Coverage is available to protect various aspects of the production – from third-party liability to equipment, vehicles and more. It also protects employees injured on the job. Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, navigating the numerous insurance coverages necessary for a film production can easily become overwhelming.
Knowing the basics of film production coverage is a must. Learn more about the types of policies available, which may make the most sense for your client’s production, and how to find a policy, in this handy guide.
What Is Film Production Coverage?
At its core, production insurance covers the life cycle of a production—the planning, creating, development, and shooting of film or related media.
But like all forms of insurance, coverage can be tailored to meet specific shoot requirements. Policyholders can combine various insurance policies, like Inland Marine, Workers’ Compensation, General Liability, Travel Accident, and more to meet production needs.
What Does the Insurance Cover?
Film production insurance covers pre-production, production, post-production, and related production activities for everything from movies to commercials to short webisodes. Essentially, if it’s being filmed, it requires an insurance policy! This ensures the production won’t be held liable for on-set and off-set injuries, as well as illness, damage to equipment, theft, copyright issues, and more.
Policies can span U.S. or foreign shoots, and cover single or multiple productions. Film production coverage can be tailored to cover unique situations, like shoots involving stunts, animals, precision driving, or underwater scenes.
Production companies can also choose between purchasing short-term or annual insurance, which is helpful for those shooting just a one-day project versus those regularly engaging in production work.
How Much Does Film Production Coverage Cost?
Film production insurance varies widely in cost depending on the scope of the production, but Abacus makes it simple to receive a quote for your client’s project with our online, easy-to-use platform., Short-term production policies start from $500; longer term policies start at $1,250; renewable, renewable policies start from $2,250.
Additional costs may arise depending on the nature of the production. This is where working with us comes in handy, You can discuss your clients’ needs with our knowledgeable staff and tailor coverage appropriately.
*NOTE: The insuring agreement in a policy sets out the covered perils, assumed risks, and nature of coverage that the insurance company provides to its insured in exchange for the premiums paid. Thus, the terms and conditions of the policy will dictate whether coverage exists and the nature of any potential benefits.