If you have been asked to sign a model release form by a studio or photographer, and are worried about the formality of the legal document, you’ve come to the right place.
How common is this?
Model releases are very common in all kinds of industries – far more than just the adult industry.
It is perfectly understandable that you would be hesitant to give your signature, and this page attempts to answer some common questions about signing a model release.
What do I need to sign a model release?
In order to use a video or photograph publicly, studios and/or photographers need proof that the individuals in the production have given their consent for whatever that individual appears in.
This is especially true for industry, commercial, and corporate use, but even a picture used for an editorial story in a magazine may be supplied through an agency that requires a release for all pictures as a matter of routine, simply because they are in both commercial and editorial pictures.
Historically, it was almost exclusively professionals who asked for releases, but with the advent of easily-accessible web-based services, many amateurs find they can get their pictures into websites or other publications, and may ask you for a release to help them with this.
In the adult industry in particular, model releases are important because it is also legal proof that the individual gave their consent and was not forced into doing something against their will.
Is the studio or photographer going to get rich off me?
Probably not!
Unless your video or pictures gets used to advertise something on a massive billboard in the middle of Times Square in New York City! And as much as you may enjoy that, it is unlikely.
More likely it will be used in a gallery or alongside of other similar productions, or as a graphic on a related web page. But it’s also possible that it won’t be used at all, and will simply be kept on file in the hope that one day it will be just the video or picture that is needed for a particular purpose.
What’s in it for me?
Signing the model release comes with some benefits for you…
- Payment. For adult industry productions and castings, you should expect payment after signing the release for any erotic content that is produced. (For non-adult industry productions, it may or may not come with payment.)
- Attention. The possibility of appearing on a website or possibly an advertisement for similar work.
- Future work. The chance of more work or castings in the future.
What are the downsides for me?
There are also some things to keep in mind, such as:
- You no longer ‘own’ the content. If you have copies of the work you’ve signed a release for, you will not be able to do anything else with it except keep it for yourself. In other words, you will not be permitted to sell it, post it, or share with others because the individual who holds the release becomes the owner of that work (which is why, in most cases, you will be paid for the work).
- Time to fill it out. It will take a few minutes of work to review the model release and fill it out. This usually entails signing a one or two-page document. Sometimes online (digitally)… but it can be paperwork that you sign in person as well.
Why is the document so complicated?
Because lawyers are lawyers, and they want all possibilities covered.
