“But this is an indie film. We don’t really need production insurance, right?” asked the naive filmmaker. Wrong. Attorney Lisa Callif, Partner, Donaldson + Callif confirms that all productions need production insurance and says it’s important to be transparent with the insurance company about what you’ll be doing.

“One thing some filmmakers do is they don’t fully disclose things to their brokers, which is not a good idea,” says Callif. “You want your broker to fully understand what you’re doing, what you’re shooting and the circumstances around it because you don’t want to have coverage that doesn’t actually protect you.

Watch Lisa Callif explain the basics of production insurance:

What insurance you’ll need and why you need it are just a few of the questions Callif tackles in Film Independent’s monthly video blog LEGAL EASE. If you have a question for attorney Lisa Callif, please send them to us at education@filmindependent.org.

Tom Sveen / Film Independent Blogger

The statements and opinions expressed here are those of the lawyers who provide them. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Film Independent; its directors, officers and staff. Film Independent does not warrant the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of those statements or opinions and does not accept any legal liability arising from any reliance on them.