Film sets carry real risks, and productions require insurance before you step on as a performer. If you are doing stunts, choreography, or energetic performance scenes, understand what the production’s policy covers. Ask for the certificate and read it. Assumptions about coverage have bankrupted artists who got hurt on friendly indie sets.
Carry your own coverage when you are producing. Annual performer policies or short-term production packages protect your equipment, your liability, and your ability to work if injured. The cost is a fraction of one emergency room visit. Talk to an entertainment insurance broker who understands hybrid music and film work. General agents miss industry-specific gaps.
Stunt-adjacent work needs specific attention. Wire work, fight scenes, water work, and pyrotechnics each carry exclusions in standard policies. If a role asks for any of this, confirm in writing who covers what. Never let enthusiasm override safety paperwork. Professional stunt coordinators insist on proper coverage. If yours does not, that is your warning sign.
Document everything before and after. Photograph your gear, save all contracts and certificates, and report incidents immediately in writing. Insurance only works when the paper trail is clean. Keep a dedicated folder for every production’s documents. Boring administrative discipline turns a disaster into a handled claim instead of a career-ending bill. The artists who win in this lane treat every opportunity like an audition for the next one. Keep your paperwork tight, your masters clean, and your reputation cleaner.
About the Author – Ruben Burgos: Ruben Burgos brings over 25 years of music expertise and more than 15 years of model guidance to the table. He is the indie major pinnacle to retaining credits for musicians and helping them navigate this wicked industry without the fuckery.