AB 2602 vs. Crew Misclassification: Which is the Bigger Financial Landmine for 2026?

Hey everyone,

I'm prepping for a new indie feature next year (we're looking at shooting on a V-RAPTOR XL with a full lighting package including a couple of Forza 720Bs) and I'm trying to wrap my head around potential legal/financial pitfalls. A lot of the chatter I'm hearing is about AB 2602 and AI consent, which scares me, but then there's the perennial issue of misclassifying crew, which seems to sink productions without a trace sometimes.

I've been trying to research which of these would hit harder financially if we mess up. Is it the fines and potential lawsuits from misclassified independent contractors, or the fines/IP issues that could arise from not getting proper AI consent under AB 2602 for background actors, voice actors, etc.? We're on a tight budget already, and I'm trying to flag the biggest risks for the producers.

From a camera operator's perspective, I'm just trying to understand the landscape. What's the bigger immediate financial threat to a production like ours in 2026 if we stumble on either of those?