Participant and Appearance Releases

Most filmmakers know that they need to get a signed "release" from participants in their films. A release is a signed document by a person appearing in the film, which gives the filmmaker permission to use that person's likeness in the film. Without a properly executed release, the filmmaker bears the risk that a participant may later claim that he or she did not consent to the broadcast of their image on film, and demand compensation that you had not budgeted for, or credits that you are unable to grant.

Different situations call for different types of releases, in varying degrees of detail. Examples of releases commonly used in filmmaking include:

• Appearance Release
• Participant Release
• Depiction Release
• Still Photo Release
• Film Clip License
• Still Photo/Artwork Release
• Submission Release
• Extra/Minor Release
• Quitclaim Release
• Location Release

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