Filmmaking / Directing : Cheap liability insurance for Sag requirments? by Deanna Rashell

Not my area of expertise, but try to reach out to Daniel. https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Production-Insurance-101-Everything-You...

http://www.filmins.com

There is insurance then there is insurance. Production insurance may include and exclude a number of things including general liability, third parties, workman's comp, vendor equipment rentals / crew equipment, live music performance ( some will not underwrite location hip hop shoots at all... take it for what its worth ), auto use, stunts, pyrotechnics, etc.... In any case, if the municipality requires permits, the validity of the insurance relies on you having adequate permits and vice versa. I have never spent or seen less than $800 in L.A., for either a day or a month- it's based on budget partly, and the bottom minimums are in the plus / minus $1000 range. $200 would be amazing; hard to imagine here but perhaps that's a realistic quote where you are. If you have annual business insurance for a company, that may suffice, but be wary of piggybacking on the insurance of another production company- that is often insurance fraud, and people do it all the time... really bad gamble... best to talk to an entertainment agent that does business in your state. Also workers at SAG satellite offices usually have no clue about much of anything, but they are cheerfully eager to interfere. Just my experience. But that's a different thread ;)

Thanks

Hi, Deanna! I use Stan at the Barrow Group for GL policy for "Killers at Play". Very reasonable. Sshkilnyi@barrowgroup.com Cheers!

Yes, see what Royce Allen Dudley wrote and very carefully.

The thing is that many films don't need insurance, it's a group coming together to make a short or a low budget series and everyone is agreed that they are working at their own risk and some of these films are just for promotional purposes and experience however SAG now requires insurance which actually doesn't make sense to me but that is what they require so for each film a producer does, they have to get insurance in order to cast sag actors and that being the case producers will want the cheapest insurance possible for these low budget not for profit films.

Usually, low budget films are produced to seek profit. Any person, group or entity that invests in buying insurance is hoping to find profit to offset the expense of insurance. But if you and the entire group are doing a show for publicity (advertising one's craft and skills), and to exercise "your chops" in a recorded seminar, then you may want to seek insurance for an "acting workshop." That might be much cheaper than full-blown film production insurance. A working actor has to be creative to pinch pennies and get ahead!

Deanna, respectfully, SAG is a professional labor guild. The fact they offer some contracts with unpaid talent does not mean the event is non professional. Nor does "not for profit" mean anything to anyone in regard to liability. I don't know about Florida laws, but if you have a cookout in California you'd damn well better have homeowners insurance or renters insurance because if someone burns their finger you're going to get sued even though it's a friendly get together with no profit motive. Even if everyone involved agreed to or even signed a waiver releasing you from liability there's actually no such thing. You are strictly liable for anything that happens under your watch and anyone that would produce without insurance I wouldn't work for free or otherwise nor should anyone else. If you as a producer fail to provide workman's comp if someone is injured under your watch you can actually go to jail in addition to the financial ramifications . Accidents happen they are unforseeable that's why they're called accidents. Filmmaking requires a very specific insurances in addition to physical injury, it's not uncommon to have a hundred thousand dollars in equipment on an amateur film set. Insurance and Catering. Gotta have them.

Well said, Royce!