The Office of Risk Management can assist any Boston University student required to shoot a film as part of required coursework for the Department of Film and Television AND who will be involved with either/or:

• Equipment rentals
• shooting at an outside location requiring evidence of liability insurance coverage
• using Screen Actors Guild actors

The first step is to arrange a meeting with Risk Management. Don't wait until the last minute to arrange this meeting. Our schedule may not always be compatible with yours, and you don't want to have to postpone your shoot because you weren't able to arrange a meeting in time with us. At this meeting you must present a letter from your professor on department letterhead confirming the name of the film and that you are required to shoot this film as part of the curriculum requirement for a specified academic course. You must also present a copy of the script at this meeting and be prepared to describe any physical action in the film.

Equipment Rentals

Film equipment rental agencies will not allow equipment out of their shop until they receive evidence of insurance. We can provide this insurance coverage on equipment that you may have to rent for your film as long as we are provided, prior to the rental, with the dates of the rental period and a list showing each piece of equipment and its replacement value. Students should be aware that this insurance coverage is subject to a deductible of $750, which the student will have to pay in the event of any claim. Be prepared to explain how the equipment will be stored and safeguarded during the rental period.

Outside Location Shoots

If an outside location requires evidence of liability coverage before allowing you to shoot your film at that location, contact our office and we will issue a certificate of insurance as evidence of the requested liability coverage. We recommend not volunteering to provide a certificate of insurance unless the location specifically requests one. This can avoid running around on both our end and your end.

Screen Actors Guild

If actors from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will be used, bring the form from SAG to your meeting with Risk Management, along with the names and Social Security numbers of the SAG actors that will be in the film. The SAG form has a section requiring a signature from the Boston University Office of Risk Management as verification that Workers Compensation benefits will be applied to any SAG actor injured in the student's film. Even though SAG actors are not employees of Boston University, we provide this benefit in order to help students complete their films, since SAG will not allow their members to appear in Boston University student films unless receiving Workers Compensation coverage. Workers Compensation, briefly, provides for coverage of medical expenses and any lost wages for SAG members injured in the course of a Boston University student film production. Any Workers Compensation claim would result in a payment directly from University funds since Boston University is self-insured for Workers Compensation in Massachusetts. Be cautious on the set, and alert Risk Management immediately should any Workers Compensation claim possibly arise.