Why do videographers need insurance?
Unhappy clients
Making videos is a complex process – first comes planning, followed by a careful filming stage and you may also edit. Each step brings opportunity for slip-ups and disagreements. You might select a location that didn’t meet client expectations, misplace your memory card at a wedding, or mistakenly publish a corporate video before sign-off, without cutting a defamatory comment. If someone feels they have lost money due to such an issue, they might try to sue you for negligence – luckily, videographers’ professional indemnity insurance is there to help with the costs.
Accidents and injuries
Filming a music video might not seem like risky business, but accidents can strike out of the blue. You might direct an actor to step backwards, causing them to lose their footing, or a set designer could trip on your camera cable, leading to a head injury. As a video business owner, you might not realise you carry responsibility for keeping members of the public and their property safe – public liability insurance could provide a lifeline for videographers if your actions were questioned in court.
Employee complaint
Working on your craft solo is usually how you operate, but when things become busy you hire someone to help. Your new employee assists with lifting some boxes filled with DSLR shoulder mounts, tripods and headphones onto your van to take to a shoot. When lifting these items, they injure their back and cannot work further. Later down the line, you receive a document stating the member of staff is claiming against you for damages. Employers’ liability insurance can help a videographer fund the associated costs.
What insurance is available for videographers?
Professional indemnity insurance
When you provide a professional or expert service for others, such as videography, there’s always a chance someone could say you made a mistake which has cost them. You might accidentally leave something in the final edit a client asked to be removed, or even unintentionally use someone else’s intellectual property. Professional indemnity cover with Hiscox covers breach of contract as standard, helps with rectification costs and can step in to assist with the cost of defence and settlement of claims. This includes cover for issues such as defamation, breach of copyright and professional negligence.
Public liability insurance
For videographers, public liability insurance provides a financial safety net if someone outside of your business suffers injury or property damage in the course of your work – perhaps on a set or in your studio. This type of insurance could be relevant whether you’re a videographer operating as a sole trader or the owner of a large business, since any professional contact with people can bring risk. With comprehensive insurance, you’ll be covered for legal fees and compensation demands related to incidents on location or during client visits.
Employers' liability insurance
As soon as you take on any member of staff, employers’ liability insurance could become a legal requirement (external link). Whether you get busy enough to employ someone to handle your admin and finances, or you need assistance on shoots, their workplace wellbeing is your responsibility. So if your videography assistant says they broke their ankle falling while unloading your kit, employers’ liability cover can help with the cost of the claim. It can assist with funding legal defence and also settlement sums.
Many videographers can also gain reassurance from having other useful covers such as portable equipment insurance to protect your camera and cyber and data insurance to help recover from digital breaches. Additionally, legal protection to cover contractual disputes and a personal accident policy to safeguard against injuries.
If you’re not sure what you need, tell us a little more about your videography business. We’ll help you to build your quote and explore any other insurance needs.
Build my coverInsurance for videographers: FAQs
Does Hiscox videographer insurance cover me for working abroad?
Yes, if you select this option when building your policy, videographer insurance from Hiscox provides cover for work which takes place abroad – as long as you are normally a resident in the UK.
For video professionals who regularly travel to shoots on location, wedding venues, international meetings, or who might need to do so for a one-off event, this added protection can be invaluable.
When you build your cover, you’ll be able to choose between worldwide, Europe or UK-only cover, so it’s possible to select the option which best suits your business needs.
What insurance do I need to cover a copyright infringement claim?
You’d never intentionally steal someone else’s work, but in creative fields such as videography, you may be at risk of falling foul of copyright laws.
You might accidentally include background music someone else owns the rights to or a stock video clip which you mistakenly believe to be in the public domain. You could even be accused of passing off another company’s intellectual property if they believe your video used imagery that may lead viewers to think the content was theirs.
The most relevant type of insurance for a copyright infringement claim is professional indemnity insurance – at Hiscox, this covers videographers and other professionals for infringement of copyright, trademarks and moral rights.
How much does videographer insurance cost?
The cost of videographer insurance will depend on the type of cover you build into the policy, the kind of work you do and also the cover limits you set.
For instance, you may decide that due to the risk profile of the contracts you take on, you might need to add a higher cover limit for legal protection insurance.
With Hiscox, insurance can be tailored to your circumstances, so there’s no standardised cost for a videographer policy. However, it might be helpful to know that our average small business insurance quotes start from £8.40 a month*.
Read our FAQ guide to how much business insurance costs for more detail.
*Figures based on an average of all business insurance policies sold to at least 10% of our customer base between April 2023 and April 2024
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