Guides

Image rights & clearances

The rights and permissions layer beneath film & TV stills — likeness clearance, talent approval clauses and the other consents that decide which images a production may actually publish.

An isometric diagram of a film stills library with two layers above it: actor approvals, where each cast member signs off their own images to a 50% minimum on solo shots and 75% on group shots, and producer and publicist gold-star selects

Before a unit still can be used for publicity, someone has to have the right to publish it. Cast hold a say over their own likeness; people, places, brands and artwork caught in frame can each carry their own permissions; and most of this is governed by clauses written into contracts long before the camera rolls.

These guides explain that rights layer in plain, hedged English — what likeness rights and image clearance mean in film and TV, and what a talent approval clause typically contains. They sit beneath the practical talent image approvals workflow, which is how those rights are exercised over real photographs. This is educational background, not legal advice.

Back to all guides · Browse the glossary.

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