Producer’s Guide: DICE Insurance Policy

If you drive, you need car insurance. If you see the doctor, you need health insurance. And if you’re producing a film project, you’ll need insurance coverage for that too—specifically, a DICE production insurance policy.

Also known as annual production insurance, a DICE policy covers your production company for multiple shoots within a 12-month period. For companies producing more than one project per year, it’s often more cost-effective than purchasing a separate policy for each production.

If you’re managing a production for the first time, navigating insurance can feel complicated. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about DICE insurance—what it covers, how it works, and when it’s the right choice for your production company.

What is a DICE insurance policy?

At its core, a DICE insurance policy is annual production company insurance—coverage designed for producers who manage multiple projects throughout the year rather than a single short-term shoot.

DICE stands for Documentary, Industrial, Commercial, and Educational—the types of productions this policy typically covers. In other words, if your work doesn’t fall under feature films or television series, it likely qualifies under a DICE policy.

Unlike productions formed solely to make one film or show, DICE policies are meant for established production companies that handle several projects annually. Instead of negotiating separate short-term insurance packages for each shoot, a DICE policy allows you to cover your entire yearly slate under one plan.

If a specific project involves unique risks—such as stunts, pyrotechnics, or underwater work—you can usually add specialty endorsements to your base DICE policy to ensure full protection.

This structure offers both efficiency and cost savings. Managing multiple short-term policies can quickly become a logistical burden and, in many cases, more expensive than maintaining a single annual policy. Much like bundling personal insurance (e.g., home and auto), consolidating your production coverage under one DICE policy can reduce your overall premium.

In short, if your production company consistently produces content—corporate videos, branded spots, educational programs, or documentaries—a DICE insurance policy offers comprehensive, ongoing coverage. For filmmakers who work on only one project every few years, however, a short-term policy may still make more sense.

Before diving deeper into how DICE coverage works, let’s take a step back and review what production insurance actually is.

What is production company insurance and why do you need it?

At its simplest, production insurance functions much like any other form of insurance. You pay a premium, and in return, the policy covers unexpected losses or liabilities that might occur during production.

Film and television shoots—no matter how short or straightforward—are complex operations involving many people, moving parts, and potential risks. From on-set injuries and damaged equipment to last-minute cancellations or lost locations, unforeseen problems can halt production and lead to significant financial loss.

That’s where production company insurance, including a DICE policy, comes in. It helps safeguard both the production and its investors by providing financial protection if something goes wrong.

However, it’s important to understand that production insurance isn’t a blank check. Insurers have a vested interest in minimizing losses, and most policies include clauses that allow them to intervene if a production is in jeopardy. In extreme cases, an insurer can step in to ensure a project is completed and mitigate further costs.

In other words, production insurance is a safety net, not a substitute for risk management. It’s designed for true emergencies—and when you have it in place, both your production and your backers can move forward with greater confidence.

What does a DICE insurance policy cover?

A DICE insurance policy is designed to protect your production company from the wide range of risks that come with filmmaking. Coverage typically extends to property damage, injuries, and liability claims—but the specific protections depend on your individual policy.

At a high level, a standard DICE policy may include:

• General liability insurance – covers bodily injury or property damage to third parties
• Workers’ compensation – covers medical costs and lost wages for crew members injured on the job
• Errors and omissions (E&O) – protects against claims related to intellectual property, defamation, or rights clearance
• Rented equipment insurance – covers loss or damage to leased gear
• Excess liability insurance – provides additional coverage above policy limits
• Volunteer accident insurance – covers unpaid contributors during production
• Third-party property damage – protects against accidental damage to property not owned by the production

Depending on your production’s needs, DICE policies can also be customized with specialty coverage, such as:

• Cast insurance for injury, illness, or death of essential talent
• Location damage protection, such as coverage for water or fire damage caused during filming
• Auto or vehicle coverage for rented or production-owned vehicles

For example, imagine a documentary shoot in a historic building. If a lighting rig accidentally triggers the sprinkler system, the right DICE policy would cover the resulting property damage—potentially saving your production from thousands of dollars in repairs.

When building your policy, you’ll work with your insurer—and often your line producer or financiers—to balance coverage needs against cost.

Remember: every insured risk comes at a price. If you can’t afford to insure it, you may need to reconsider whether it belongs in your production plan.

How much does production insurance cost?

The cost of production insurance, including DICE policies, varies widely depending on several factors:

• The number of projects you expect to produce in a year
• The types of productions and their associated risks
• The value of your equipment and locations
• The coverage limits and endorsements you select

Because DICE policies are designed for ongoing, multi-project operations, their premiums reflect both the volume and complexity of your productions. More shoots mean more exposure to risk—more equipment rentals, more crew members, and more locations where things can go wrong. Likewise, higher-budget or technically ambitious projects often involve greater risk: drones, stunts, high-end cameras, and celebrity talent all increase potential liabilities and, therefore, premiums.

A smart approach is to budget insurance as a percentage of your total production budget, rather than a flat cost. Larger projects generally require proportionally higher coverage, while smaller shoots will need less.

Like other forms of insurance, your provider may audit your policy periodically to ensure your premiums align with your actual production activity. This is especially common with annual DICE policies, which are based on a long-term relationship between your production company and the insurer.

In general, annual DICE insurance policies can range anywhere from a few thousand dollars to several tens of thousands per year, depending on your coverage needs and production volume.

For production companies that film multiple projects annually, a single DICE policy is often more efficient and cost-effective than purchasing separate short-term policies for each shoot. When you factor in both time savings and potential premium reductions, DICE coverage can be one of the smartest financial moves a production company makes.

Wrapping up

A DICE insurance policy gives production companies year-round protection across multiple shoots, simplifying coverage and reducing administrative hassle. While insurance may not be the most exciting part of filmmaking, it’s one of the most important—safeguarding your crew, your equipment, and your bottom line when things don’t go as planned.

The key is tailoring your policy to fit your company’s specific needs, ensuring you’re fully protected without paying for unnecessary extras.

Every production carries risk. Insurance doesn’t prevent setbacks—but it ensures you can recover quickly when they happen.

Reach out to Wrapbook’s insurance specialists to build or review a DICE policy that keeps your productions covered from the first shoot to the last.