Insurance

COVERAGE AND RESPONSIBILITY

All projects approved by Production Administration are covered by the school’s insurance policy. In the event of an insurance claim (theft, damaged equipment, third party property damage) the student filmmaker is responsible for a standard deductible.

These amounts are “new” per each incident, so not cumulative over the production.

COVERAGE PROVIDED BY LMU

There are three types of insurance that are provided to you and your project: 

General Commercial Liability (GCL)  

Property Damage  (PD)  

Worker’s Compensation (WC) 

GENERAL COMMERCIAL LIABILITY 

This is a policy that covers activities, actions and damage from those circumstances not directly related to filming that would normally be resolved by litigation. It covers all the people and property directly involved with an accident you may have that was not directly related to filming. 

For example, if you were filming at a private residence and a piece of equipment fell and damaged a neighbor’s fence – that would be an incident covered by General Liability. 

Another example might be if a neighbor slipped and fell due to you having not secured or maintained your set properly. 

PROPERTY DAMAGE  

This insurance refers to the specific property that you may rent from an off-campus vendor and covers accidental damage or loss for that equipment. This insurance only covers damage to the specific property that you rented for filming. (Remember that leaving equipment unsecured or unattended is considered negligence and any resulting loss or damage would not be covered by LMU’s insurance.) 

WORKER’S COMPENSATION (WC) 

This is insurance for the members of your cast or crew that may be injured on the set while working on the project. Note: for documentary projects, our WC does not cover subjects provided they are performing their normal activities and the student filmmaker does not direct them in any manner.  

The LMU Worker’s Compensation policy covers all projects within the United States. For projects shooting outside of the United States, WC coverage, may be provided under our Foreign Package policy. It would require additional cost that the student would have to bear.   In order for a project to be covered by the Foreign Package policy, it must be reviewed, underwriter approved and specifically declared on the policy.  

INSURANCE RESTRICTIONS 

To help you understand the scope of our coverage, please review the list of excluded items below and their exceptions. The following elements are not covered by the SFTV Insurance Policy:

• Use of aircraft (including drones). Students may purchase their own drone coverage. 
• Use of watercraft valued over $50,000 (replacement value of craft) or over 26ft in length. Students may purchase their own insurance policy provided the filming activity is approved. 
• Use of pyrotechnics. 
• Use of animals without a professional animal handler. (see Animals section for more information) If you obtain the services of a professional, they must provide proof of their own insurance. Exotic animals are never permitted in student films.  
• Use of railroads, either on a train or near train tracks.  
• Any water activities (pool, ocean, river, lake) without a lifeguard on set. 
• Minors on set without a parent/guardian and a studio teacher. 
• Alcohol and drug use. 
• Criminal activity, or violation of federal, state, and local regulations. 
• Filming on rooftops. You can NEVER film on a roof while at SFTV.  
• Unauthorized use of others’ intellectual property.  
• Damage or injury, which resulted due to an insured’s Gross Negligence 
• Skydiving, the use of planes, scuba diving, parasailing, major stunts, extreme sports or any other similar “hazardous” activity. 
• Property insurance is extended to projects shooting outside the state of California however equipment valued over $10,000 must have the Risk Manager’s approval before leaving the United States. 
• LMU insurance coverage does not provide Errors & Omission insurance. 
• Platforms such as Sharegrid or Gigster. You may, however, request a COI for individuals or companies, regardless of whether you made contact with them via such a platform.

MOTOR VEHICLE COVERAGE

Picture Vehicles.

As long as the vehicle is not moving in the shot, your picture vehicle is considered a prop. Damage is covered by SFTV’s insurance with the student filmmaker responsible the $3500 deductible. 

Personal Vehicles

Personal vehicles are allowed to be used, however the personal auto insurance policy on the vehicle will respond in the event of a claim not LMU’s insurance. Check with your personal auto insurance carrier for possible coverage.  

Production Trucks

Production trucks are not covered. If you are renting any production vehicles, it is highly recommended to purchase the insurance coverage from the rental company.  The student filmmaker is also responsible for SFTV’s gear in the truck. Please see Production Trucks for required security measures when parking overnight.

Towed Generators

Towed generators are considered vehicles and are not covered while in transit. They are covered once on location and functioning as a power plant. 

ADDITIONAL INSURANCE COVERAGE 

If your project requires additional insurance coverage and you need to purchase your own insurance, below are several companies that offer student production insurance.  

Abacus Find a Broker

ispeakproduction.com Insurance Services

Gallagher Entertainment Insurance

FILMING OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES 

To be LMU-sanctioned, any filming needs to be approved by faculty, PAT, Risk Management, and, in some cases, the insurance company itself. LMU procures specific liability and property damage coverage in support of SFTV activities to cover LMU’s interests.   These policies have deductibles in the event of a loss.  The deductibles may be adjusted in the event of change in coverage.  The student is responsible for the deductible in the event of a loss, regardless of cause of loss.  The liability and property damage policies are intended to cover domestic and limited foreign exposure.  

There are two pre-approval process for filming internationally. Risk Management must approve the project, and then the insurance company itself (aka an underwriter) must approve the project. Foreign coverage of equipment is not guaranteed.

LMU reserves the right to modify the terms and coverage as necessary based on LMU requirement and market conditions. The project is not fully approved by Risk Management until (a) script is approved (b) foreign location is approved and (c) foreign coverage of equipment and liability requests from foreign entity are approved by the insurance company.

This processing time for this pre-approval is not set and cannot be guaranteed. It has ranged from 5 days to more than 5 months. Therefore, please allow sufficient time for your requests as Risk Management cannot guarantee an approval.

Once approved, LMU provides the same insurance coverage worldwide as for domestic productions, including liability umbrella and worker’s compensation. In some cases, insurance has approved the international activity, but under specific conditions, e.g. a higher deductible (in one case $10,000 per incident instead of the regular $3,500) or an additional policy fee to be paid by the student. The deductible amount may change given the change in coverage required for the specific ask being reviewed.  The deductible range may be a flat amount (e.g. $10,000), but the underwriters may require a percentage-based deductible if losses exceed a certain amount instead of a flat deductible.

TRAVEL ADVISORIES:

Please note that the first thing the underwriter will check is the Travel Advisories issued by the US Department of State. This categorizes regions in four levels:

Level 1: Exercise normal precautions
Level 2: Exercise increased caution
Level 3: Reconsider travel
Level 4: Do not travel

Usually, the insurance will only allow travel to regions in Level 1 and 2.

STUDENT REQUEST PROCESS: To request the pre-approval to film outside of the United States, students need to submit (via PAT and email, before the TAP process, copying your faculty) a write-up description of the project and international activities. Do this as early as possible.

This needs to include:

• Project synopsis (short)
• Schedule and script/treatment
• Descriptions of all “hazardous activities” planned for filming
• Description of the following logistical issues:
  • Where exactly you will be filming?
  • How safe is the area?
  • How will your gear be stored (guarded)?
  • Where will your camera gear be kept overnight (hotel)?
  • What is the total value (and ideally list) of all gear you will be taking from LMU? (you can get this from our departments)
  • What is the estimated value of other gear you will be renting on location? (from local vendor)
  • How will the equipment be transported to filming location? Professional transportation like FEDEX/DHL?
  • Will there be cargo insurance purchased as a result? Who will sign for it upon arrival?
  • If student is transporting the equipment – how is it packaged? Is it checked in luggage / carry on?
  • If renting foreign equipment at production country, are there specific requirements from the company?

Our insurance brokers may decline to cover a project for any number of reasons. Before you begin writing your script you may want to check with the Head of Production to see if there are any red flags. An uncovered loss could jeopardize insurance coverage for all students and SFTV.  If you have questions about any production element in your project, please consult with the Head of Production or  contact:   

Jennifer Khong, LMU Senior Director of Risk Management

jennifer.khong@lmu.edu // 310.338.3071 (Office) // 310.985.1403 (Cell)