And the Oscar Goes to….

When you consider how a Hollywood film gets made, you may immediately think about the most publicized players – the actors, directors, producers and film studios involved.  And while they are all vital to the process (including the crews and technical experts who contribute their talents), did you know that none of it could happen without insurance?

We are proud to be the behind-the-scenes players, experts and consultants who can weigh in on everything from actor and location selection to stunt coordination and special effects.

As the industry gears up for its most anticipated award ceremony, the 90^th Academy Awards, our Entertainment team would like to take a moment to congratulate and detail their involvement with the nominated films that we have been very proud to support this year – “I, Tonya”, “All the Money in the World”, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri” and  “The Shape of Water.”  In addition to being excellent works of art, they were also interesting and exciting accounts to underwrite and risks manage.

“I, Tonya”

“I, Tonya” depicts the life (based on the true story) of competitive ice skater Tonya Harding who rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Her future is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes and events ensue that chronicles the attack of her rival competitor, Nancy Kerrigan.

The film had a gross production cost of more than $13 million and was filmed in Atlanta, GA. While there were no special effects in the movie, Mike Arevalo, Senior Underwriter had to deal with quite a bit of – you guessed it- ice skating.  These scenes included the use of stunt doubles and body wire harnesses.

Although our risk control team was very involved, incidents on movie sets occur, and Margot Robbie happened to suffer an injury while filming, resulting in delays in filming. Any delay of a film costs money, and a lot of it! In this instance, our claims department was very actively engaged with the production team as they mitigated the loss by “shooting around” scenes that Ms. Robbie was needed in until she was recovered sufficiently to complete her filming.

Despite the delays, the film was completed and well received, earning three Oscar nominations for Best Actress, Margot Robbie; Best Supporting Actress, Allison Janney; and Best Film Editing, Tatiana Riegel.

“All the Money in the World”

Ridley Scott’s 2017 film “All the Money in the World” follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail to convince his billionaire grandfather to pay the ransom.

Shot over the course of 45 days in Italy, the United Kingdom and Morocco, this film, budgeted at $50 million not only made the news for its excellent acting and storytelling, but also for the public scandal involving the film’s original star Kevin Spacey, who was eventually fired and replaced by the actor Christopher Plummer.  The production was compelled to spend an additional $8.5 million at their own expense to res-hoot all of Spacey’s scenes.

Erin Kelly, Senior Underwriter, and our team was able to work with the production to provide special terms and conditions for the 10 day re-shoot including cast coverage for the 88 year old Christopher Plummer, who ultimately received the 2018 Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri”

After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police.

With a budget of more than $16 million, Three Billboards was filmed over the course of 34 days in Ashville, North Carolina.  While, on paper, the film was not a complicated one to shoot, behind the scenes Kellee O’Brien, Senior Manager-Film/Television  addressed concerns with a cast member potentially horseback riding in her spare time, and a “stop date” issue with Woody Harrelson, who had scheduled another production too close to the estimated wrap date of Three Billboards.

Additionally, Chuck Redington, OBE Risk Control Director provided guidance for the stunt/action work in the film including (SPOILER)- the burning of the billboards and the police station, the use of a stunt double for a partial body burn and a fight sequence with a stunt double being thrown out of a 2nd story window.

The film is nominated for 7 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actor (Woody and Sam Rockwell), Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay and Film Editing.

“The Shape of Water”

Elisa is a mute, isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady in a hidden, high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab’s classified secret — a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank. As Elisa develops a unique bond with her new friend, she soon learns that its fate and very survival lies in the hands of a hostile government agent and a marine biologist.

With a budget of $23 million and heavy with visual effects, elements of water work and musical numbers, this film was a challenge!  However, the project was well budgeted and scheduled and any concerns were eased by the fact that it would all be executed by a seasoned crew who had worked with the renowned director Guillermo del Toro in the past.

Through our exclusive partnership with Unifi Completion Guarantors, we were able to provide the completion bond for the film.  The bond guarantees the film will be completed on schedule, within budget and delivered to principal distributors.  If the production is not completed and delivered as promised, all the production costs advanced by the financiers and investors are repaid by the completion guarantor.

Nominated for 13 Academy Awards-including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay – The Shape of Water is our most nominated production.