Case Study: Humane
By The ImageApprovals Team ·
“Working with Image Approvals was an absolute pleasure. From our initial call to final delivery, there was never a moment where we didn’t feel like we were in extremely capable hands. Their app for approving or killing photos is incredibly straightforward. Not one of our six actors ever reached out to ask for clarity on how to use it. As an ex-stills photographer herself (and a darn good one!), Aimee knows what it takes to deliver top quality stills to your distribution partners. This was our first time working with Image Approvals, but it won’t be the last!”
— Michael Sparaga, Producer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Production
Humane is a 2023 Canadian horror film directed by Caitlin Cronenberg, presented by XYZ Films and Elevation Pictures. The production generated 4,253 stills across a key art shoot and six days of filming, with six cast members each holding approval rights. The producing team engaged ImageApprovals to manage the full workflow — from initial file handling through to cast approvals, image editing, and final delivery.
Key Project Wins
- Organised 4,253 stills into easy-to-navigate folders with filenames that facilitate easy search and identification.
- Curated the full image set into a manageable selection of the best shots, resulting in an overall cast approval rate of 67% — a total of 1,075 images approved for use.
- All 6 cast members completed their approvals without requiring any support time.
- 281 producer selects retouched to actor requirements and colour graded to match the film — delivered within 2 working days of cast approvals being locked in.
- Project completed within 14 working days of us receiving the original image files.
- Delivered an all-in-one service covering: image organisation and JPG creation, actor approvals management, producer selects, image editing and colour grading, caption sheet creation, and full kill/select reports.
Their Pain
The producing team needed an affordable, end-to-end solution for a complex stills workflow:
- Volume and format — 4,253 stills submitted as RAW files, which were too large for the team to open and review efficiently without conversion.
- Approvals management — six cast members each had approval rights across images from both a key art shoot and six days of filming, requiring a system that could keep everyone on track without manual chasing.
- Producer selects — beyond talent approvals, the producing team needed a way to mark their favourite key images for delivery as the primary press and marketing set.
- Colour grading — the approved stills required colour grading to match the look and feel of the finished film.
- Retouching — individual cast members had specific retouching requests that needed to be applied before images could be cleared for use.
- Caption sheet — the production’s distributor required a caption sheet covering all images submitted, including each image’s name, thumbnail, usage notes and photographer credit.
Our Solution
File Preparation
We created high-resolution JPGs from all RAW source files so the production team could access and review the full image set without specialist software or storage constraints.
Expert Curation
Before images went out for talent approval, we performed a thorough first-pass curation — removing duplicates, out-of-focus shots, unnecessary frames, unflattering images, and anything otherwise unusable. This reduced the full set to 783 unit images from across production (including full scene coverage from multiple angles, all key cast, and captivating behind-the-scenes material) plus 830 gallery images suitable for use as key art.
Presenting only the strongest material meant cast could move through approvals quickly, without being overwhelmed — and it directly contributed to the 67% approval rate.
Approvals Platform
Each cast member received a private login to the ImageApprovals platform, with a curated set of images ready to review. No email chains, no spreadsheets — just a clean, intuitive interface that cast could navigate without guidance. Not one of the six actors needed support during the process.
Producer Selects
Once the cast completed their approvals, producers logged in to the platform to view the approved set and mark their selects — the images earmarked as the primary delivery set for press and marketing use.
Image Editing and Delivery
We provided colour grading and retouching services for the 281 selected images, applying all edits at the RAW file level in a non-destructive workflow. This means every exported JPG contains the approved edits while external graphic teams retain the ability to revert to the original out-of-camera file if required.
Final delivery included everything organised into Killed, Approved, and Approved Selects folders, a full set of kill and select reports, and the distributor’s caption sheet — covering each image’s name, thumbnail, caption, usage notes, and photographer name.
Project Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 25 August 2023 | Original images received |
| 31 August 2023 | All images organised and online, ready for cast to approve |
| 13 September 2023 | Approvals complete and locked in; 281 selects edited and colour graded |
| 14 September 2023 | Project complete; all images returned to client |
Fourteen working days from receipt to final delivery — covering organisation, curation, approvals management, retouching, colour grading, and reporting in a single workflow.
What the Producer Said
Michael Sparaga’s five-star review highlighted not only the ease of the platform for cast but also the team’s domain expertise: “As an ex-stills photographer herself (and a darn good one!), Aimee knows what it takes to deliver top quality stills to your distribution partners.”
The production confirmed they would work with ImageApprovals again — a direct signal that the workflow, the platform, and the results met the standard a feature film distribution requires.
Does your production have cast with stills approval rights? The ImageApprovals platform is designed precisely for this: high-volume stills, talent with approval rights, tight timelines, and distributor-grade delivery. Contact us for a no-obligation quote or learn how the platform works.