4 important forms of protection that every film-maker should consider
Whether you’re a self-employed videographer or managing a large team, you may know that accidents can happen to even the most well-prepared film-maker. If you aren’t careful, these incidents can seriously derail your production.
To ensure that your project runs smoothly, it’s important to protect yourself against the unexpected, as this can be a significant weight off your mind when filming.
Cover comes in many forms, so if you aren’t sure which is right for you, read on for four important forms of protection that every film-maker should consider.
It’s important to decide whether you need annual or short-term cover before filming
One of the first questions you should consider when choosing which form of protection you need is how long you need it to last. Would annual cover be more useful for your project, or do you only need it for the short term?
Every production is different, which is why it’s important to think carefully when choosing which type of protection you want.
If you work on productions regularly, annual cover can save you time by avoiding the necessity of filling out paperwork before every new project. On the other hand, if you’re only doing a single project and would rather keep costs down, short-term insurance may be more useful to you.
If you aren’t sure which would be more suitable, you may want to discuss it with a broker who can offer some expertise and help you find the cover that meets your requirements.
1. Public Liability Insurance
When you’re shooting on location, it may be in an area that sees heavy traffic from members of the public. If this is the case, it’s sensible to protect yourself and your production from the associated risks.
Public Liability Insurance covers compensation and legal costs if a member of the public is injured because of your filming.
Even when you do everything right, accidents can still occur. For example, something as easily overlooked as an improperly mounted camera on a boom could fall and injure someone.
If this were to happen, you would be liable and may have to pay for compensation and legal fees. Without cover in place, the cost of these expenses could be a serious setback to your production.
Having Public Liability Insurance before you start filming can give you peace of mind to know that you’re protected against any unexpected accidents.
2. Employers Liability Insurance
On a similar note, you may also want to consider Employers Liability Insurance in case a member of your production team was to sustain an injury while shooting.
As a film-maker, you’ll know that the health and safety of your team is crucially important. While you’ll probably do everything you can to minimise the risks to their wellbeing, accidents can still occur.
While nobody likes to think about worst-case scenarios like accident or injury, it’s important to prepare for the unexpected.
Employers Liability Insurance can give you one less thing to worry about while filming, knowing that your production would not be substantially affected by one of your crew suffering an injury.
3. Equipment Insurance
As you may know, film equipment can be eye-wateringly expensive and can represent a significant investment on your part. Whether you own the equipment or plan to rent it, it’s important to make sure you’re fully protected when shooting.
The larger the project is, the more likely it is that some equipment issue will arise. This could be anything from accidental damage to intentional theft.
If this happened and you don’t have protection in place, you could be left with a significant bill to cover for its replacement.
Making sure your equipment is covered can let you focus on your project without any fears or concerns of damage, letting you focus entirely on the production.
4. Film Producer’s Indemnity Insurance
Sometimes, things don’t always go perfectly to plan – perhaps a shoot has gone wrong, or an unexpected problem has forced you to reschedule.
These minor setbacks can be a normal part of any production but can also be very costly. This can particularly be a problem when you’re on a tight budget and might struggle to absorb the costs of reshoots.
If you don’t have protection, issues like this can have a knock-on effect and seriously impact your whole production.
Film Producer’s Indemnity Insurance can be invaluable for giving you peace of mind to know that you’ll be able to finish your project without the risk of expensive reshoots affecting your production.
Get in touch
If you want to protect your production from the unexpected, we can help. Email creative@eggarforrester.com or use our contact form to request a call back from our team.
