Insurance for Videographers
Video work means filming moments that happen once, with audio packs, gimbals, lights and sometimes a drone spread across a room you don’t control. We look for videographer insurance that covers the kit, the people walking around it and the footage you have promised to deliver, and the insurer decides after reviewing your gear list and the kind of shoots you book.
Wedding films or production work: which one you run
The first question, for comp and for underwriting, is what kind of video business you run. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s class 4361(1), Photographers N.O.C., covers noncommercial videography that memorializes events such as weddings and family celebrations, alongside still photography. Producing commercials, music videos, industrial films or videotaped depositions moves a company to 9610, Motion Pictures, production, where a payroll limitation applies to some highly paid workers. An editing suite that cuts footage for others is 7607(1), Video Post-Production.
The answer shapes more than comp. A solo wedding filmmaker and a crew shooting brand spots have different gear values, contracts and permit demands, so describe the mix of work on the application. Still photographers share class 4361, and our photographer insurance page covers their side. Our California class code guide explains how the bureau assigns a business to one code.
Videographer insurance for owned and rented gear
A camera bag lifted from the car between ceremony and reception, a gimbal knocked off a table during first-dance setup, a rented cinema lens cracked on a hillside: these are equipment losses, and a liability policy is not written for your own kit. Tools and equipment insurance, an inland marine line, covers gear at shoots, in transit and in off-site storage against theft, fire, storm and vandalism, as Insureon describes it for videographers.
Schedule the expensive pieces by serial number, and list rented or borrowed equipment separately with its replacement value. Our inland marine explainer shows how those floaters list items and values.
Cables, stands and guests at the venue
A shotgun mic cable run across a reception aisle or a slider rig set up beside the dance floor creates the classic videographer liability claim: a guest catches a foot and falls. General liability answers for injury and damage to people and property that aren’t yours, and it is the policy a venue checks before you load in.
Venue terms vary, and one published example shows the shape. A California public university’s published vendor rules, for instance, want a certificate on file before the event that names its governing board as additional insured, with at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, $300,000 for damage to rented premises and $1,000,000 of auto if a vehicle comes on campus. Our additional insured guide explains the endorsement behind that request.
Film permits: state property and Los Angeles
Shooting on state-owned property runs through the California Film Commission, and its insurance list is specific. General liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence with an additional insured endorsement naming the State of California, including its officers, agents and employees; $1,000,000 of auto covering owned, hired and non-owned vehicles if vehicles are used; workers’ comp, or a statement of exemption if you have no employees; at least $2,000,000 of drone liability listing the specific aircraft; and $5,000,000 of aviation cover when a helicopter or fixed-wing plane is involved.
Inside the City of Los Angeles, FilmLA processes permits and asks for certificates that meet both the City’s and FilmLA’s requirements, and other cities set their own terms. Send us the permit office’s wording as soon as you have it, so the certificate request matches it line for line.
Drone footage: Part 107, Remote ID and the 10-day report
Paid aerial work requires an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate under 14 CFR Part 107, kept current with free online recurrent training every 24 calendar months; night flights need training updated for night operations. Under Part 107 every drone is registered whatever its weight, at $5 per drone for three years, and must broadcast Remote ID outside FAA-Recognized Identification Areas. If a flight causes serious injury, loss of consciousness or damage to property other than the drone itself above $500, the remote pilot reports it to the FAA within 10 calendar days under section 107.9.
Insureon notes that standard general liability and equipment policies often exclude drone incidents. Drone liability is something we ask insurers about separately, listing each aircraft, and the Film Commission’s $2,000,000 minimum gives a useful benchmark if you fly on state property.
Lost footage, music rights and faces in your reel
A corrupted card or a failed drive after a once-only event leaves a couple with no film, and the claim that follows is about your professional service. Professional liability, also called errors and omissions, is the policy we request for missed or lost footage and late delivery disputes. Back up on site and keep a written delivery timeline in every contract.
Licensing is the other video-specific exposure. Unlicensed music in a highlight reel or a client’s ad can bring a copyright claim, and media liability for copyright, trademark and privacy allegations is a cover we ask insurers about. Your own promo reel carries risk too: California Civil Code 3344 makes anyone who knowingly uses another person’s name, voice, photograph or likeness in advertising without consent liable for the greater of $750 or actual damages, plus profits from the use, possible punitive damages and attorney’s fees. Consent for a minor must come from a parent or guardian, so get signed releases before a guest’s face goes into your marketing.
Second shooters, editors and AB 5
Videographers are one of the professional services listed in the AB 5 exemptions, where the older Borello test applies instead of the ABC test once additional requirements are met. Treat a written contract with each second shooter or freelance editor as the starting point, and check the current conditions on the Labor Agency’s AB 5 page. Our guide to employees and independent contractors covers the wider rule.
When you do hire, workers’ comp follows, and crew who drive their own cars to shoots bring hired and non-owned auto into the plan.
What videographer insurance costs
Insureon publishes average premiums for the video professionals who buy through it; they are national figures, not California prices or a Mithril1 quote. It lists general liability at about $29 a month, a business owner’s policy at about $46 a month and workers’ comp at about $56 a month. Its photographer cost page puts equipment cover for photo and video professionals at about $43 a month ($519 a year); drone liability is quoted on its own. Treat these as starting points for a solo shooter at standard limits; production companies with crews and expensive camera packages pay well above them.
Equipment cover scales with the declared value of your gear, liability with revenue and the type of shoots, and comp with payroll in your class. From those averages, a solo wedding videographer carrying general liability (about $348 a year) and equipment cover would be near $867 a year; hiring an assistant on workers’ comp adds about $672, for roughly $1,539.
Drone work, commercial production under class 9610, high permit limits, rented cinema packages and past equipment claims push the premium up. A modest gear list, event-only work, secure storage and a higher deductible bring it down. The insurer prices the actual business.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Is videographer insurance different from photographer insurance?
The core lines match, but video adds audio and lighting rigs, cables across venues, music licensing, drone flights and, for production work, film-permit limits and class 9610. Our photographer page covers still work; list your video services on their own.
Does my policy cover rented cameras and lenses?
Only if the equipment policy includes rented or borrowed gear. Tell us the rental values ahead of a shoot so the floater lists them for the dates you have the gear.
Do I need separate drone coverage for aerial shots?
Plan on it. Standard liability and equipment policies often exclude drone incidents, and the California Film Commission asks for at least $2,000,000 of drone liability listing each aircraft on state property.
What happens if a card fails and I lose a client’s wedding footage?
That is a professional service claim, so professional liability is the policy that answers it. Backing up on site and keeping the delivery terms in writing helps both the client relationship and any claim.
Can I get a venue or permit certificate through Mithril1?
It can be arranged once an insurer has accepted your application. We then request the certificate using the venue’s or permit office’s exact wording, so send it as early as you can.