Congratulations! Principal photography on your production is complete and so far, everything has gone off without a hitch. You’ve managed to remain on budget, and footage was delivered to the post facility on time. While you understand that editing is both an art and a science, the cut of the film you got back was not what you were looking for. Instead of seamless edits, you got jump cuts!
While faulty editing is a problem that will cost your production time and money, it’s not the most serious risk you face at this stage. Let’s consider a second scenario:
Imagine you’re making a documentary about jazz. Your sound engineer composes an original piece to be used as background music in a scene. All is well and good until a famous jazz musician sues for copyright infringement, claiming that the music is too similar to a well-known piece of theirs. While you know the case would be won in court, the associated delay and cost would harm your production.
Your film is slated to be broadcast in a matter of months, and the clock is ticking.
The best defense against unforeseen perils such as the above is a specialized film insurance policy designed to protect you, the filmmaker. An Entertainment Package Policy includes:
Faulty Stock, Camera & Processing insurance provides protection against:
But does not cover: Loss caused by errors of judgment in exposure, lighting or sound recording, or from the use of incorrect type of camera, lens, raw film or tape stock.
This is a standard liability coverage included in entertainment package policies which will arrange a defense if you are sued for reasons connected with your production, regardless of whether the suit has any merit. Returning to the example above involving music, this coverage would prevent you from having to pay for legal defense costs out of pocket.
You’ve come too far to let unforeseen circumstances put you behind.
Make sure you have the right film production insurance coverage.