Colby Spencer: I don’t know if everybody knows: there’s production insurance, show insurance but there’s also cast insurance claims and they can be some of the biggest claims that a project can incur. One of the examples that I saw on the Front Row blog was when Heath Ledger died during The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), which would have been before you joined Front Row. But that had to be recast with new actors and all of the fallout that happens from something like that and the insurance followed as well.
Mike Groner: I believe that is still the largest cast claim in Canada for a Canadian film.
Colby: And I do know the largest in the US was The Fast and the Furious franchise, which was $50 million, and that was Paul Walker when he passed away, so a huge amount of money. Big losses to do stuff like that.
Mike: The cast insurance part of the production package is without a doubt your biggest exposure on any film. You can just imagine the costs associated with replacing an actor midway if they got injured or died, or even if an actor breaks a leg, and you have to shut down for two days, significant costs are being bled from the production company for holding locations, equipment, you still have to carry your cast and crew.
Those are hundreds of thousands of dollars a day in costs that are going to be spent whether you’re able to film or not.
Colby: I read a couple stories, one was about Brad Pitt in Se7en (1995), and I guess when he did a scene and hit the car, he actually hurt himself and they just kept him in a sling anyway. So, he got hurt in the movie but he also got hurt in real life and I feel like they worked around it on purpose, so it’s possible to “take an injury in” and use it as part of the story.
Mike: And there’s also the situation of actor availability. For someone like Pitt, who may have three other projects lined up, if they lost him for a week while his arm was getting better, they may not be able to finish their project for six months after his next project is done.
Colby: And it’s funny when you watch it as an audience member, you don’t even care, but you know the people who were working on that stuff care, they had a lot of sleepless nights.
Mike: It’s not too much different than writing in a pregnancy on a TV show or movie. These things happen and in the case of Brad Pitt injuring himself, that’s insurable, but you cannot really insure against someone getting pregnant; it’s not an injury.
Colby: That’s interesting because I know actors sign contracts that they won’t do certain things but that’s not necessarily related to film production insurance.
Mike: Well, we require actors, actresses and the director – anyone who is going to be insured as a cast member on a film – they have to undergo a physical. And as part of that physical, they do warrant that they’re not going to jump off buildings, go scuba diving, ride a motorcycle, etc. Basically, we want them in a bubble for the next six weeks.
Are you a producer in Canada or the US? Get a quote for film production insurance here.
Content courtesy of the Vantropolis podcast
About: Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc. is an independent insurance broker that specializes in the entertainment industry – specifically, the film industry. Front Row works hard to provide insurance protection for a very low cost. Should a claim occur, Front Row works diligently with clients and insurers to expedite the payment.
Disclaimer: Informational statements regarding insurance coverage are for general description purposes only. These statements do not amend, modify or supplement any insurance policy. Consult the actual policy or your broker for details regarding terms, conditions, coverage, exclusions, products, services and programs which may be available to you. Your eligibility for particular products and services is subject to the final determination of underwriting qualifications and acceptance by the insurance underwriting company providing such products or services. This website does not make any representations that coverage does or does not exist for any particular claim or loss, or type of claim or loss, under any policy. Whether coverage exists or does not exist for any particular claim or loss under any policy depends on the facts and circumstances involved in the claim or loss and all applicable policy wording.