I’d hate to be the asshole who ruined it for everybody.

This post misrepresents the situation quite a bit. The NYU film program is not rescinding all of its insurance coverage, only the coverage that applies to students that have rented third-party equipment. All the equipment rented from NYU is still insured. So, while the situation may be dire, it’s not apocalyptic.

@John:

Read the Deans email again,”2. Risk the complete and total termination of our Insurance Program.” And my piece above it, “Cripple budgeting of advanced Tisch productions.” There is no miss-representation.

Sight and Sound isn’t going to suffer but a significant portion of advanced productions rent 3rd party equipment.

I am only in Color Sync but a friend tells me that the insurance on a 35mm Rig will go for upwards of a $1,000.

That’s serious.

NYU chose the first of the two options. It has modified the current policy, enabling the rest of the NYU equipment and location insurance policies to be left intact. That is what the email, if not clearly, says.

You can’t rack focus with the zoom lens we’re given in the allotment for ColorSync without dealing with very significant optical breathing issues. This is the main reason so many students rent a set of prime lenses from third parties. These are awfully expensive, which is why when they were stolen the whole situation came to a head. If you want to have any movement in your movie, you’re going to need to provide your own insurance for these lenses. And that’s bullshit. Isn’t this built into our tuition in some way? If it is, and we’ve already paid for it, I will be most upset with NYU.

John,
Even if the NYU insurance policy still covers NYU equipment (which I believe the administration will be able to salvage), this is still an immensely crippling blow to the production value of student films. Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that the allotments provided by NYU for production are mediocre at best, and even the lowest of the low budget productions still rent at least some outside equipment.

Whether it be lights, cameras, car mount, lenses, etc. the lack of third-party insurance will raise the price of rental equipment by 25-40% (depending on the equipment). Filmmakers on all levels battle budgets to the bitter, and film students, who rarely come from the ultra-rich echelon of society, fight these battles even harder.

The fallout of this situation won’t ruin the world, or the program, but it WILL bring down the production value of NYU films. And let me make one thing clear, it is not the faculty, the classes we take, the administration or the equipment available that create art. It is the fight, the grit, the genius, the work, the blood, the sweat and the tears of every student in the program, and its a damn shame that NYU puts up another road block in its’ students dreams.

In repsonse to John:

Yes, you are absolutely right. Unfortunately NYU Film does not guarentee film equipment to everyone in their classes.

My name is Zachary Goldberg. And I love telling stories.

Film is my life. It’s all I do. It’s all I think about. It’s the only thing that fills me up and makes me truly happy. I cannot do anything for the rest of my life but tell stories through film. I refuse. This is the life I chose.

Those who know me, know that my drive and passion for film is unique even amongst Tisch students. And this is why I am so incredibly frustrated with Tisch right now.

I am in Narrative Workshop and did not receive an allotment for a film that I had been writing for a year. A film that had a budget, that had a crew ready to shoot and that had locations locked. I was told I did not receive the allotment because my production scope was small and limited. The allotments would be handed out to films with a larger production scope.

This was understandable. I chose to make a smaller, character piece this year (in some respects to save some money). And I respected my professor’s decision to not award me an allotment.

So i accepted and respected my Professor’s decision. She told me that I was still GUARANTEED NYU’s production insurance if I went to outside sources and companies (Handheld and the rest) for equipment. At not point was I given any inkling of a clue that there were problems with the insurance. I was simply told that I would get the insurance, no problems. This gave me no reason to revise my script, drop the class, or go into a smaller production course like Color Sync.

I devised a budget with my producer, DP and Gaffer based on all of this. A budget I could afford even without the allotment. And remember, I needed to rent from the outside, because NYU would not supply me with equipment. I didn’t choose to go to the outside third-party vendors. I was forced to and I was told I would get this insurance.

Now they tell me they are cutting off the insurance as well. They will not cover insurance on equipment I needed to buy, because the school i am paying close to $50,000 a year for would not supply me with film equipment.

Now the cost of my film could go up another couple of thousand dollars. It will be more difficult to make, don”t know if I even can.

So no equipment, no money, no insurance. No nothing. What am I going to school here for? I could save all that money I’m paying for the semester and make the film on my own. Lord knows I’d save money.

And the worse part is that this was a part of a detailed plan. I am committed to this line of work. And treat all of my projects with incredible care. This was a film planned a year in advanced. And throughout the road bumps and pit falls I have made it. Now NYU is taking away the last life line they could possibly throw me?

I have worked too hard not to make this film. And I will make it. Film is my life. Like I said, it’s all I want to do and my drive and passion is relentless. I can only hope Tisch hears my voice.

- Zachary Goldberg

I will say though the faculty is being extremely receptive to our complaints, at least on the Professors side. My Professor, Gay-Abel Bey has promised to sit down with every single one of her students tomorrow and help us with out budgets and new production insurances in case this does not get fixed. She will not have an hour of rest tomorrow. I am extremely thankful for her commitment to her students.

Why the policy change now? Why not at the beginning of the semester or at the end? Why just the undergrads? Why not the Grads? Will we ever get outside rentals covered again? How come we didn’t get an early warning to file our insurance before they dropped us? Is $140,000 in damages a year that much on the scale of a department-wide insurance policy? (that’s the same amount as the tuition for one semester of 7 UGFTV students)

[...] following is a response to Tisch Film’s sudden change in insurance [...]

Greetings to everyone who has replied so far. As a Tisch graduate and experienced Producer, I am deeply saddened by the recent events. Today, the future of the film program faces an definite uncertainty as it has been stripped of the value that separates this curriculum from those of other Universities.

However, this does not come as a surprise to me. Over the past four years an average claim of $150,000 has been made each semester and this has taken a toll on NYU’s credibility with creditors and insurers. This is not a sudden event, but simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The real argument it seems, is whether or not students will be able to continue to produce high quality work without the ability to rent outside equipment. I have always been a fan of renting outside gear because I feel as though it is far superior to what the school offers. This is not for everyone but I feel that the ability to go to a professional rental house and work with better gear helps everyone involved. I am a big proponent of what I call NYU Film Trickle Down Economics. (i.e. that skilled camera, sound and lighting technicians truly learn their craft not from classes, but instead from big budgeted student films. This is certainly true for all of the professionals I currently work with in New York and soon Los Angeles.)

I feel as though this is a shame because the quality of work in 2008 had reach a new, extraordinary festival. I have spoken with many sources in the faculty who are extremely happy with the work in this year’s First Run Film Festival and much of that is due to the ability students had to rent high quality HD cameras and lighting systems.

It is possible to purchase a single policy insurance plan. As the owner of a production company which has this sort of plan, it can be convenient and doesn’t have the time limits or constraints of the NYU plan. If anyone would like more information about obtaining a production insurance plan for their shoot, feel free to contact me at clifton@toprightcorner.com

Best,

Dan

[...] response to the announcement from the Tisch Undergraduate Film and Television administration that NYU Insurance will no longer be covering the costs of equipment rental, students have begun an open letter voicing their objections. Among other reasons, the letter cites [...]

March 10, 2009
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NYU TSOA UGFTV ADMINISTRATION:
With regards to Dean Antonio’s 3/9/09 announcement that “NYU Insurance will no longer cover any equipment rental”:

New York University’s Film & Television program, which grants students a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree, is the best in the world. With esteemed alumni like Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, and Spike Lee (the list goes on), NYU’s reputation is undisputed.
For many of us who have long dreamed of participating in the magic of the movies, attending the film school at NYU has been an achievement in and of itself. Yet the prestige, accomplished faculty, in-house facilities, and allotment equipment come at an astounding price: at roughly $1,000 per credit, NYU falls in lock-step with trends over the last 25 years that show undergraduate tuition at private institutions rising at a rate that exceeds inflation (while average faculty salaries remain stagnant).
Yesterday Dean Antonio and Chair Sanders announced, via email, that third-party equipment insurance as outlined in the 2008 FTV Production Handbook had been revoked effective immediately. This sudden change in policy seriously threatens the ability of many students, whose allotments begin as early as this week, to successfully carry out their long-term academic and artistic work.
The 2008 Production Handbook makes the following claim: “In the professional film and television industry, insurance coverage is not a benefit, it is a requirement.” While we understand that the decision to terminate third-party insurance was dictated by NYU’s insurance carrier, we do not understand the exclusion of the following options from those laid out in the administration’s March, 9th email–
◊ Temporary NYU absorption of student production insurance for productions already at a critical state in pre-production and planning
◊ NYU Subsidy of private insurance policies
◊ Attempt to pay out a settlement with the insurance carrier, or at the very least,
◊ Refund the “nonreturnable” $128 per semester UGFTV students pay for Equipment and Liability Insurance (this cost is noted on the Tisch website) so that we may put this money towards a private policy.
We have been taught well—we understand that adaptability and resourcefulness are of the utmost importance in the practice of filmmaking. Yet students set out, with the guidance of the Film & TV program, to realize their imaginations in production classes that fostered these ambitious goals. For the entirety of this academic year, students planned and fundraised for their course projects based on a firm understanding of the NYU Insurance Policy and the corresponding pre-production requirements.
Moreover, Dean Antonio cites mounting liability costs that could perhaps be prevented by investing in better protocol on student film sets, like improving students’ physical ability to carry out safe set procedure–
Example: while our Safety & Rigging techs (and experience) stress the importance of safely rigging lighting and grip equipment, NYU’s Production Center allots only 4-6 sandbags for 8-13 lighting units for Intermediate and Advanced classes respectively, not including grip equipment like C-stands and Dollies. Sandbags are inexpensive and important safety tools on film sets.
The extent to which unsafe set practices contribute to equipment damage, theft, and/or loss is unknown; however, we do know that in order to keep our sets safe while maximizing the use of our NYU-allotted equipment, we must rent supplementary equipment from rental houses (the replacement cost of 1 sandbag is $40, and most reputable rental houses that are student-friendly will not rent at all to uninsured productions).
As student directors and producers, we have done our best to learn on the job by filing insurance for location owners, equipment, and prop houses, raising money to pay for transportation, food, expendables, not to mention costs like production design and wardrobe that are integral to achieving our artistic visions. With this new policy, renting anything from lenses to special lighting to follow focuses to prop weapons to monitors is virtually impossible. The $25,000 replacement cost covered by the alternative CSI policy does not meet the exorbitant costs of professional-standard film equipment.
Many in the faculty and administration question the need for students to rent equipment from third-party houses. The decisions of students to rent supplementary equipment is often economic—the raw costs of filmmaking/transport/food in New York City mean we already spend enormous amounts of money regardless of how much equipment, or what kind, we have. Many rental houses give great deals on equipment to NYU students. For the most part we take care of the equipment we have the privilege to use—$140,000 in damages is not that astounding if you consider the replacement cost of typical film equipment , the size of the UGFTV student body, and the fact that each student can independently claim up to $1,000,000 in liability.
Lastly, pairing the valuable NYU allotment with accessories from rental houses has been a way for NYU students to maximize the NYU equipment we receive. The Equipment Insurance was a cornerstone of NYU’s many resources for student filmmakers.
Many of us affected by this change are graduating this year. Unfortunately, however, by downgrading its comprehensive film insurance policy and encouraging students to independently purchase private insurance, NYU may be sending an unintended message to future students: that their funds might be better spent at other institutions.

Sincerely,
Concerned Students (Signatures attached)
NYU Undergraduate Film & TV
ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES
(FTV STUDENTS / ALUMNI):
1. NINA REYES ROSENBERG, Author
2. JESSIE LEVANDOV
3. TAHIR JETTER
4. VICTORIA MELE
5. JAMES HERRON
6. MATT MITCHELL
7. MARCUS EMANUEL
8. ADAM NEWPORT-BERRA
9. ALESSANDRA BELLIZIA
10. MANJA LYSSY
11. SETH HAGENSTEIN
12. DAVID KETTERER
13. CHADD HARBOLD
14. DAN PLECK
15. FELIX THOMPSON
16. KELLY GOELLER
17. KATELYN HOWES
18. HELEN M. CHO
19. BRENNA HEMPHILL
20. MADELINE YOUNGBERG
21. ELAN GOLOD
22. TYLER SAVAGE
23. ROBERT ARNOTT
24. ADRIANA ALEXANDROVA
25. GREG GOLKO
26. ADAM GRANNICK
27. MATTHEW LINCOLN
28. DAN BERK
29. BRYAN GAYNOR
30. KATIE ROTONDI
31. VALERIE SACHS
32. REED ADLER
33. DAVID FERINO
34. JOE CISZEWSKI
35. DANIEL BELKIN
36. JACLYN GRAMIGNA
37. OBATALA MAWUSI
38. ANDREW ROEHM
39. SAM THONIS
40. JOANNA NEWMAN
41. CASSANDRA EVANISKO
42. BEN ALTARESCU
43. IVAYLO GETOV
44. BORNILA CHATTERJEE
45. ANNAMARIA SOFILLAS
46. MICHAEL WOODS
47. PAMELA SENIZA
48. ERIN THOMPSON
49. SARAH SCHELD
50. KELLY TRACY
51. CHASEN SKYLER GROSS
52. RAEBEKAH BUREAN
53. SEAN LANIGAN
54. MARIA CELESTE GARRAHAN
55. DAVID BETESH
56. JENNA YOST
57. DEREK SIMON
58. MILOS SILBER
59. COREY ULRICH
60. GUENEVER GOLK
61. REKHA SHANKAR
62. GABRIEL DE URIOSTE
63. SAM SPARKS
64. MICHAEL RAYNES
65. STEPHEN MICHAEL SIMON
66. ANTHONY MORRISON
67. CHRISTOPHER CASEY
68. SARA BLECHMAN
69. RYAN P. NETHERY
70. ERIK K. KUE
71. LISA STEEN
72. MOLLY NUSSBAUM
73. ASHLEY J. PARK
74. ALEX MARKMAN (ALUMNUS)
75. ANTONIO CISNEROS (ALUMNUS)
76. ANDREW WHITE (ALUMNUS)
77. DONALD CONLEY (C/O 2008)
78. ELENA STATIGOS (C/O 2008)
79. KRISTINA WOO (ALUMNUS)
80. ELIZABETH GLUCKIN (ALUMNUS)
81. SOPHIA LUCCHESI (C/O 2008)
82. T.J. MISNY (C/O 2008)
83. BROOKS JONES (C/O 2008)
84. NOBU MASSIAH (C/O 2008)
85. KEVIN HOOPER (C/O 2008)
86. DANIEL SPENCE (C/O 2008)
AND COUNTING.

[...] we published a rather shocking email sent around to all Tisch students about the loss of insurance coverage on [...]

[...] $140,000 of cam equipment stolen when he leaves his truck to buy a sandwich + school gets equipment insurance policy dropped + me not having been able to raise enough money for my project = me requesting to postpone my shoot [...]