Terminology Tuesday: Photo Approval

Once you get into some bigger, fancier deals as an actor (and you will!), among some of the fun things your agent will get to negotiate for you is photo approval. ⁠

Photo approval, or sometimes called “likeness approval,” is the amount of input an actor is able to give for a still photograph or drawing taken of them for a project.⁠

On the high end, some agents are able to negotiate 100% photo approvals when the actor is photographed. ⁠

More commonly, they may ask for the customary “50/75 approval” for stills—meaning the actor has the ability to approve a minimum 50% of solo photos and 75% of group photos. ⁠

Some studios prefer complete creative control over an actor’s photo/likeness and will make it a precedent that zero photo approvals are given for a certain project. ⁠

Either way, it’s something your agent will likely ask for to sweeten the deal and give you as much creative input as possible on a project.⁠

#themoreyouknow #terminologytuesday #thecastingdirectorscut #actorlife

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