General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance (GL) covers third-party bodily injury and property damage caused by your production. In plain terms: if your gear, crew, or activity injures someone who isn't part of your production, or damages property that isn't yours, GL pays for it. A pedestrian trips over your cable. A light stand scratches a location's hardwood floor. A stand falls and dents a parked car. These are the everyday accidents of filmmaking, and GL is the policy standing between them and your bank account. It's the base layer of protection every production needs, no matter how small.

Why it's the policy you reach for first

GL isn't just protection — it's an enabler. You'll discover fast that half the film world simply won't let you work without proof of it. That proof is a document called a Certificate of Insurance (COI), and you'll be asked for one constantly:

• Film permits almost always require a COI, often naming the city as additionally insured (a term you met in the Permits course).
• Location agreements — most owners, and nearly all businesses, want to see a COI before they let a crew in.
• Equipment rental houses won't hand over a camera package without proof of insurance (more in Chapter 4).
• Studios, stages, and many vendors require it as a condition of doing business.

So GL is the key that unlocks the doors of production. Without it, you can't get permitted, can't rent real gear, and can't sign most serious locations. It's genuinely the first practical step to becoming a functioning production.

The Certificate of Insurance and "additional insured"

The COI is a one-page summary of your policy that proves you're covered. The phrase you'll hear constantly is "additional insured" — when a permit office, location, or rental house asks to be named as additional insured, they want your policy to extend its protection to them for your production's activities. Your broker issues a COI with that party listed, usually for free and within a day. It's a routine request; you'll do it over and over. Here's roughly what a COI conveys:

The COI proves coverage to whoever's asking; "additional insured" extends that coverage to them for your shoot. A $1M/$2M limit is a common requirement — always check what each party specifically demands.

Coverage limits, in plain terms

You'll see limits written like $1,000,000 / $2,000,000. The first number is the per-occurrence limit — the most the policy pays for any single incident. The second is the aggregate — the most it pays across the whole policy period. A $1M/$2M policy is the standard baseline many permit offices, locations, and rental houses require, so it's a sensible default. Some situations (big venues, higher-risk shoots) demand more. The practical rule: find out the specific limit each party requires before you buy, so your policy actually satisfies them and you're not scrambling to raise limits the day before you shoot.

How to get it

Getting GL is refreshingly straightforward, and you have options sized to your project:

• Short-term / production policies. Coverage by the day, week, or project — perfect for a one-off shoot. Some providers even sell it online in minutes.
• Annual policies. If you shoot regularly, a yearly policy can be cheaper than repeated short-term ones and keeps you always covered.
• A production insurance package. GL is often bundled with the other coverages you need into one policy — which is exactly what the next chapter covers.
• Work with a broker who knows film. An entertainment-focused insurance broker will size the policy right, issue COIs fast, and save you from buying the wrong thing.

General liability is your foundation — the policy that protects you from the accidents of production and unlocks the doors you need. But it's usually not sold alone; it's the anchor of a broader bundle. Next we open up that full production insurance package and see everything it can include.