The question of insurance on a shoot is settled before day one — or it comes up at the worst possible moment. A dolly falling off a truck during transport, equipment stolen overnight from a vehicle parked outside, water damage in a studio flooding two days’ worth of rental gear: these accidents happen. What changes everything is having the right contract before they occur.
Here is how insurance coverage works on a professional production: who covers what, with what amounts, and what I systematically include in my rental contracts.
Who is responsible for rented equipment on a shoot?
The short answer: the production. As soon as equipment is entrusted to a film crew via a rental contract, responsibility for that equipment passes to the renter — the production company — for the entire duration of the contract. This is a standard clause in all professional grip rental agreements.
In practical terms, this means that if the dolly comes back damaged, if equipment goes missing between locations, or if a transport accident destroys gear, the production is liable for the value of the loss. The amounts are not trivial: a dolly, track and hydraulic head package often represents 80,000 to 120,000 euros worth of equipment. Without adequate coverage, a single incident can throw an entire production budget off balance.
On an HBO shoot I worked on in Paris a few years ago, the unit production manager insisted that the insurance certificate be verified before the first crate went into the truck. That reflex stayed with me. It has been my rule ever since.
The three types of contracts that cover a shoot
The provider’s professional liability — what it actually covers
Professional liability insurance (PL) protects the provider — the key grip or rental company — against damage caused to third parties in the course of their work. It does not cover the value of the equipment itself.
If my dolly causes an accident on set and injures someone, my professional liability steps in. If that same dolly is accidentally damaged by the production during the shoot, it is not my PL that settles the matter — it is the production’s all-risk equipment coverage.
This distinction is routinely misunderstood. Many production managers believe the provider’s PL covers all risks. It does not.
The production’s all-risk equipment insurance
This is the core contract. All-risk equipment insurance covers the value of the equipment against accidental damage, theft, transport-related damage and unforeseen technical incidents.
Premiums run around 1 to 3% of the insured value per year — depending on the provider, the geographical area of the shoot, and the conditions of use (studio or exterior, domestic or international). For a 25-day shoot with 100,000 euros of rented equipment, that represents between 700 and 2,000 euros per year, often negotiated pro rata for the shoot’s duration.
Deductibles are a critical point. They range from 500 to 2,000 euros depending on the contract. On a 3,000-euro claim, a 1,500-euro deductible radically changes the equation. Check this figure before signing (it is the detail nobody reads first, and it is often where things go wrong).
Production-specific insurance — the market players
Several insurers have specialised in the film and audiovisual sector. Three names regularly appear on French professional productions.
Gras Savoye (Willis Towers Watson since 2016) is the sector’s long-standing broker. Their cinema contracts cover equipment, liability, and often the financial losses linked to a shoot interruption. They work with productions of all sizes, from short films to international features — I have seen their contracts on Agat Films projects as well as Netflix productions.
AXA Art has positioned itself on high-value equipment, which includes high-end cinema grip gear. Their expertise on specialised equipment is precise, which limits valuation disputes in the event of a claim.
Hiscox offers modular policies suited to one-off shoots. For a production that shoots infrequently throughout the year, their duration-based contracts are often more relevant than annual coverage.
Who pays for what: the split between production, rental house and owner-operator key grip
This question comes up in every negotiation. The answer depends on the arrangement chosen, but here is the standard split on a professional production.
The production covers the all-risk equipment insurance for all rented equipment during the shoot. This is a non-negotiable contractual obligation. If a production refuses to take out this coverage, it is a serious red flag about their financial stability — I have walked away for less.
The rental provider (owner-operator key grip) maintains their professional liability permanently, covers their fleet between shoots via their own all-risk policy, and insures transport of their equipment to the set. Once the equipment is handed over to the production, the production’s coverage takes over.
Salaried grip technicians generally do not need to take out specific coverage. Their liability in the performance of their duties is covered by the employer — the production company or service company.
It sometimes happens that the provider offers an all-inclusive coverage package including equipment during the shoot, rolled into the rental rate. This approach simplifies administration for the production, but dilutes accountability. I prefer a clear split: the production covers what it uses.
Three real-world cases to understand what actually happens
Case 1 — Dolly damaged during transport
A production truck swerves on the way to the location. The dolly shifts in the crate, the track sections topple. Result: a bent wheel axle, two track sections out of service. Estimated damage: 4,500 euros in repairs.
The production’s all-risk equipment policy steps in. Deductible of 1,000 euros: the production pays 1,000 euros, the insurer covers 3,500 euros. If the production did not take out this policy, they bear the full amount — that is also the contractual rule. No discussion.
Case 2 — Equipment stolen on location
Night shoot outdoors, production vehicle parked on a suburban street. The next morning, two cases of grip accessories have vanished — a hydraulic head and a kit of specialised fixtures. Value: 18,000 euros.
This type of claim is covered by all-risk equipment insurance, provided the declarations are made within the required timeframe — 24 to 48 hours after discovering the theft, with a police report filed. Policies often include exclusions for thefts without forced entry or equipment left unattended in areas identified as high risk. Read the clauses before the shoot, not after.
Case 3 — Water damage in a studio
A pipe bursts in a Parisian studio over the weekend. Monday morning, part of the grip equipment stored in the studio has been soaked for 36 hours. A remote head motorisation system out of service, several cables and control boxes to replace. Damage: 11,000 euros.
Two policies may apply simultaneously: the studio’s property insurance (for its liability as the premises owner) and the production’s all-risk equipment insurance. Coordination between the two insurers takes time — often more than expected. Documenting the condition of the equipment on arrival and during storage is a basic but decisive precaution.
What I systematically include in rental contracts
Thirty years on set have taught me one thing: insurance disputes almost always arise from contractual ambiguity, not from the accidents themselves. Here are the clauses I include as non-negotiable terms.
Mandatory insurance certificate before equipment leaves. The production provides a valid all-risk equipment insurance certificate before anything leaves my warehouse. This is not a formality — it is proof that coverage actually exists.
Insured value matching new replacement value. Not the market value, not the residual value: the new replacement value. A high-end dolly that is 10 years old is still a 60,000-euro dolly if you need to replace it today.
Explicit scope of coverage. Return transport, shooting locations, storage conditions between shoot days. If a shoot takes place partly outside France, this point is critical — some policies have geographical limitations that nobody notices when signing.
Contradictory condition report at handover and return. A signed inventory by both parties at each transfer. This is basic. The absence of this contradictory report is the source of the majority of disputes — and I am not exaggerating.
To accurately estimate your production’s needs and anticipate insurance questions, see our guide on how to prepare a cinema grip quote request. You can also read our analysis of daily grip rental costs to build your overall budget.
To discuss your shoot and the coverage suited to your grip rental, contact us directly or see the detail of our cinema grip services.
FAQ
Is the production required to take out equipment insurance to rent grip gear?
Yes, in professional practice. Any serious grip rental contract requires the production to provide an all-risk equipment insurance certificate covering the value of the rented gear. This obligation protects the provider and clarifies each party’s liability. A production that refuses to take out this coverage cannot expect to rent high-end equipment.
What deductible should you expect on an all-risk cinema equipment policy?
Standard deductibles range between 500 and 2,000 euros depending on the contract and insurer. On high-value equipment — a 60,000-euro dolly or a 30,000-euro remote head — a 1,500-euro deductible is common. Negotiating a lower deductible in exchange for a higher premium can be rational if the production shoots regularly.
Does the rental provider’s professional liability cover damage to rented equipment?
No. The provider’s PL covers damage caused to third parties in the course of their work — not the value of their own equipment entrusted to the production. To cover rented equipment, it is the production’s all-risk equipment insurance that applies. Confusing the two contracts is the classic mistake that leaves a production unprotected at the worst moment. I have seen it happen.
Do specialist cinema insurers like Hiscox or Gras Savoye also cover freelance grip technicians?
These insurers offer policies designed for production companies and technical service providers. An owner-operator key grip takes out all-risk equipment insurance in their own name to cover their fleet between shoots. Gras Savoye and Hiscox do offer policies suited to independent audiovisual service providers, with coverage options during and between shoots — both have offerings worth comparing.
What happens if equipment is damaged and the production is underinsured?
The production remains liable for the difference between the effective coverage and the actual value of the loss. If a policy covers 50,000 euros of equipment while the actual value is 80,000 euros, the uncovered 30,000 euros fall on the production. This is why new replacement value is the right benchmark — not the book value or residual value of the equipment.