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Theatre,
television and
film companies |
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The most
important thing for production companies to note is that additional
insurance cover is not generally required just because the piece
you are producing contains a fight action. The fight element is
simply a part of the dramatic action and should be covered under
your productions general cover. That said, your cover probably asks
that a suitably experienced fight director should be engaged to
direct such action, and thatS where we come in.
Some unprofessional and unscrupulous
fight directors would have you believe that you can only hire them
because they have a special insurance which sets them apart from
other FD's, but this is generally untrue. Any fight director that
is also a member of Equity the British Actor's union has public
and personal liability insurance, whether recognised by the fight
directors register or not. Again rumour would have it that FD's
need to be on the Equity register but this is false, and many fight
directors in the UK do not believe in or approve of the register
that Equity holds. The register is merely a list of recommendation
to theatre companies, and has no relevance to insurance or film/
TV work.
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| Please be aware that the notes in this
section are fairly specific
to UK insurance, and although other countries may have
similar rules and regulations you should make concerted efforts
to find out your own situation in detail before taking on contracts.
It's also worth noting that this is easier said that done if
the UK situation is anything to go by. Expect cloak and dagger
and a lot of rumour. What I write here is my view of the situation. |
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| Fight
Directors |
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| Beware of SCARE-MONGERS
and don't be afraid to turn a job down or just walk
away if something sounds amiss. You will never regret
this action, I assure you. |
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Insure
that you have personal and public liability cover
at least before engaging in contracts. If you are
a member of the British Actor's Equity Union you
are covered for personal and public liability in
their standard cover whilst directing fights. Please
note that this is whether you are on Equity's fight
register or not. Our problems arise when the fight
is completed and the production is running.
Whilst you're there you are covered but the when
you have completed the fight action it becomes part
of the play and is covered by the theatre companies
production insurance. You have no way of guaranteeing
that the fight will remain unchanged and lets face
it, it rarely will remain exactly as you left it.
The problem
issue I mention above is this situation;
There is an accident in the fight, the theatre company
claim on their insurance, the insurance company
in turn blame you and whether your fault or not
you are left with a legal battle.
Only if you had professional indemnity insurance
could you cover this expense and the cost always
has been prohibitive. No fight director has this
cover, no stunt person either, and the situation
has not arisen, as far as I can tell. But
be aware of this possibility and don't get yourself
in a position where you sign away responsibility.
Never sign anything that says you will remain responsible
for the actions of those doing the fight when on
tour or in a run. As fight directors you should
know that the minute you leave the fight will be
altered and seeing a fight you've directed even
a week down the line can be a frightening experience.
Cover yourself by stating that the fight must remain
unaltered while in production, and insuring that
you have sufficient time in rehearsal to allow the
actors to truly own and understand the fight and
it's dangers. If changes are required they should
be done under your direction, at the cost of the
company. One possibility I'm also looking into as
an alternative is product liability insurance, which
will cover the product - in this case the fight
you have created would be the product.
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