Fireman’s Fund who has been insuring Hollywood films for over 85 years and continues to insure about 80% of all U.S. films knows what makes a film risky to insure. This year the company announced that “The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo” topped the list as being the riskiest film of the year. Here’s why:
“‘The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo’ featured a wide range of risk elements including motorcycle, skateboarding, fight and torture scenes, and filming in foreign locations, which all contributed appreciably to its overall risk,” said Lauren Bailey, vice president of entertainment at Fireman’s Fund. “When underwriting films, Fireman’s Fund works closely with the movie studios to manage risks and liabilities, and ensure the safety of all participants, while still achieving the director’s artistic vision.”
Fireman’s Fund says filming in international locations like Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom also poses a variety of challenges for the insurer. “Part of my role as a risk services consultant is to collaborate with movie studios to analyze action and stunt scenes, understand all of the safety measures in place, and ensure the safety of the cast and crew,” says Paul Holehouse, an entertainment risk consultant at the company. For example, a key motorcycle scene in “The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo” had to be changed due to insurance concerns.
“Delays can cost a production millions of dollars if a cast member becomes injured and is unable to work, ” adds Wendy Diaz, Fireman’s Fund’s entertainment underwriting director. An incident like that, “…can cost up to $250,000 a day for a big budget film.”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo” and its lead actress are nominated at this year’s Academy Awards. The film is based on the book by Swedish-author Stieg Larson stars Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig as computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist who join forces to solve a mystery. In addition to insuring the Academy-award nominated film, Fireman’s Fund also insured four other movies nominated for best picture, including “The Artist,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” “Hugo,” and “Moneyball.”
