Public liability, equipment, and what happens if you damage a product or a place. Here are the cover types worth their price.
The three real risks
Three categories, by decreasing potential cost.
Damage caused to a third party: somebody injured, premises damaged, a product destroyed. That is the highest and least anticipated risk.
Damage to the entrusted product: an item lent by a brand, sometimes expensive, for which you are responsible while it is with you.
And your own equipment: camera, lenses, microphone. That is the most visible and most limited risk.
One note on proportion: the third risk is the one everybody insures first, and it is the only one whose maximum amount is known in advance.
What a client may ask for
Four frequent requests, all legitimate.
A certificate of cover, before a shoot on their premises.
Proof of professional status, to book the expense.
A written liability clause, stating who answers for what.
And sometimes a specific guarantee, if the shoot takes place in a public space, a warehouse or an industrial site.
One practical consequence: having those documents ready turns an awkward request into a two-minute formality, and often makes the difference against a competitor who does not have them.
What to check before choosing
Five points, to read before signing.
The cover ceiling, and whether it matches the type of places you work in.
The exclusions, notably rented equipment, drones and shoots abroad.
Cover for equipment away from home, which is not automatic.
Cover for a product entrusted by a client, often absent from basic contracts.
And the definition of the declared activity: cover taken out for a different activity may not apply.
One simple precaution: describe your real activity to the insurer, including shoots at other people's premises. An inaccurate declaration is the leading cause of refused claims.
The role of writing with the client
Three clauses reducing risk even before insurance.
Who is responsible for the product during the shoot, and from what moment.
What happens if the product is damaged during normal use, which regularly happens in demonstrations.
And the obligation to obtain filming permissions for locations, when the shoot does not take place at your home.
One useful sentence in every quote: normal use of the product during the demonstration does not constitute damage. It avoids half the discussions.
From when it becomes necessary
Three thresholds, in this order.
From the very first shoot away from home, public liability becomes relevant.
As soon as you receive expensive products, cover for entrusted goods becomes useful.
And as soon as your equipment represents a sum you could not replace immediately, equipment insurance makes sense.
One note on cost: those three covers added together stay modest relative to the turnover of a regular activity. The real cost is not the premium, it is the uncovered claim.
The situations where the question really arises
| Situation | The risk | What reduces it |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting in a shop | A broken item, a fall | A written agreement and a scout visit |
| A valuable loaned product | A loss or breakage | A photographed condition report |
| Late delivery | A missed campaign | A clear deadline clause |
What to ask an insurer before signing
What is covered while shooting on someone else's premises, the ceiling, the excess and the treatment of loaned equipment, to be confirmed with a professional.
What does not replace insurance
A well-written contract limits disputes, it does not pay for the broken window. Both are useful, for different things.
Three concrete risks and what covers them
| The risk | What can happen | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| The equipment | Theft, breakage, water damage | The exact scope of cover |
| Damage caused at a client's | An object broken during a shoot | Professional liability |
| A dispute over a delivery | A contested order | What the contract covers |
What to check before signing anything
The exclusions. A contract that does not cover equipment left in a vehicle, or shoots abroad, leaves precisely the most frequent situations of the job outside its scope.
What belongs to a professional and not a forum
The regime applicable to your status and country. The obligations and the suitable cover are confirmed with an insurer or an accountant, because an unsuitable contract costs at the exact moment you thought you were covered.
The practical detail
Four habits worth a guarantee.
Photographing the product received, from every angle, on the day it arrives.
Photographing the place before starting a shoot at a third party's.
Keeping those images with the order file.
And reporting any incident immediately, in writing, rather than hoping it passes.
One last marker, valid for anybody filming at other people's places: insurance does not replace caution, it replaces catastrophe. Cables get taped to the floor, products are placed away from edges, and tripods are never left unattended in a passageway.
