I got a call from someone that wanted to rent a piece of my gear. I asked if they could supply a certificate of insurance (COI) for the rental. They said they do not have insurance because they don’t shoot enough to warrant it. Let me clarify, they appear to not be professional business. BUT – They are providing a professional service from a business to business. Odd, I know.
This is common in media. Now consider this. You hire someone. They light, shoot and nothing goes wrong. And they were cheap, Awesome! They are cheap because they have low overhead.
Now. What about when the drone crashes into something, hopefully not someone. The light falls over and damages something, hopefully not someone. Who pays? You? You’ll have to sue to get more than they can afford out of pocket. The risk is yours.
Someone that regularly gets permits, insurance, etc. I know what it costs and often see underbid jobs happen, clearly at the risk of taking everyone down. Things don’t often go wrong, but I’d rather not be at risk when they do.
When we crew a large job. It is our responsibility to cover everyone. For example, on a bid from a sound recordist, they may require a certificate of insurance (COI) from us to cover them.
Ask yourself, when someone can’t afford to do it right, how much is it going to cost you?