What a first look is
A first look is the moment a production officially shows its first images to the press, giving the public their first glimpse of a film or TV title. It is usually a small, deliberate set of approved stills released to coincide with a publicity beat — an announcement, a festival, or the start of a campaign — and it sets the visual tone for everything that follows.
Because a first look is the debut impression, the images in it must be cleared and polished. They come from the approved key selects, captioned and credited, and are typically held under an embargo until the agreed release time so coverage lands together.
A first look often coincides with, or follows, the start of production announcement, and depends on the stills approval and delivery workflow being far enough along to have a clean, signed-off set ready. For how an approved set is packaged and handed over, see delivering approved stills.