Talent releases, crew agreements, location releases, music clearance, four agreements almost every production runs into, and exactly how to set each one up in Connie.
Every production runs on paperwork, and the exact mix of agreements depends on the project. But a handful come up on almost every shoot, so that's where we'll start. What changes from project to project is how many people need to sign, how fast you need it done, and whether you're sitting in an office or standing on a set with a QR code and thirty extras waiting.
Connie gives you four ways to collect signatures, so you can match the method to the situation:
Document: for one agreement that goes to one or more specific people you already know, a lead actor, a location owner, a crew member.
SignPage: for collecting a lot of individual signatures on the same agreement, extras, consent forms, casting intake, shared as a link or a QR code (a SignTag) that people can sign from their own phone.
Upload & Sign: for collecting one or several signatures on a finalized PDF file.
Upload & Store: for agreements signed outside Connie, on paper, or through another platform, that you want stored and tracked alongside everything else.
Here's how that plays out across four of the agreements you'll use most often.
Talent releases
Covers anyone appearing on camera or in the recording, on-screen talent, interview subjects, extras, documentary participants. It grants permission to film or record them and to use the material, and should spell out exactly where that material might end up, internal use, social, a festival, broadcast.
How to set it up in Connie
For a single actor or subject, create an individual Document. For a shoot with several extras signing on the same day, publish it as a SignPage instead, everyone signs on their own phone between takes, no printed forms, no chasing signatures over email. Connie's Shared by Connie template library includes a Model Release Form, a general Consent Form, and some others you can duplicate and adjust rather than building from scratch. If anyone involved is under 18, set the template's Child Usage setting to allow parental signing before you publish it.
Crew agreements
Covers anyone working behind the camera, freelance or in-house, camera, sound, editing, colour. It should state the scope of work, payment, credit, and who owns the final material, since in most of Europe rights don't transfer automatically the way "work for hire" does in the US.
How to set it up in Connie
Duplicate the General Freelancer Agreement template Connie shares with you, adjust the name, dates, and rate, and publish it as a Document to that one crew member. Or set up your own template of a crew agreements. Setting up a standard template once means every future crew agreement is a few edits instead of a new draft. If a crew member already has signed an agreement outside of Connie, you can upload an store the document as a PDF, Word, or image.
Location releases
Covers permission to film somewhere that isn't yours, an apartment, a shop, a public space. It should name who actually has authority over the space and the time window you'll be there.
How to set it up in Connie
Send it as an individual Document directly to whoever manages the location, signed before anyone shows up with gear. There's no need for a SignPage here, since it's usually one signer, but Connie will track when it's signed and remind you if it's still outstanding closer to your shoot date. Check out our template section for our suggestion for a Location Agreement.
Music clearance
Covers using a track you didn't create yourself, even a few seconds of it. In most cases this means clearing two things separately, the composition and the specific recording, unless you're using pre-cleared stock or library music.
How to set it up in Connie
If the rights holder sends you a signed license as a PDF, you don't need to rebuild it as a template, upload it directly and it's stored and tracked with the rest of your production's paperwork.
Why it's worth setting these up before the shoot
Agreements that get sorted in advance save you time and headspace later, when you're deep in production and the last thing you want is to chase down a signature. Sort them before the shoot and you avoid that entirely: everyone signs while they're already available, nobody's tracked down after the production, and you're not scrambling for documentation right when a client, platform, or festival asks for it. Setting up your core templates for standard agreements also means you're not starting from scratch or copy-pasting old documents every time you need a new one, use Connie's templates, or set up your own individualized ones, and getting an agreement out the door takes minutes instead of a task you keep pushing off.
Working with Connie
Creating agreements, collecting signatures, and keeping your paperwork organized with Connie gives structure to how you and everyone you work with handle production documentation. You'll find detailed how-tos and guides in our Help Center: help.getconnie.com
This article is for general guidance and isn't legal advice. Requirements vary by country and by project, so if you're unsure, it's worth checking with someone qualified.
Connie is built around exactly this principle. Every team member gets access to the projects and features relevant to their role, nothing more, nothing less. Find out more about Connie or book a demo.
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