ID-Shot
A short recording in which the performer holds their ID document to the camera, so that person, document and shoot can be matched.
The ID-Shot is a short photo or video recording in which the performer holds their ID document visibly to the camera. It ties three things together: the person, their document and the specific shoot day.
Why the copy alone is not enough
An ID copy in the file shows that a document was present at some point, somewhere. It does not show that the person on the copy is the same person who stood in front of the camera that day. The ID-Shot closes that gap, because face and document coincide in one recording made on set.
That is why distributors and platforms demand it in addition to age verification. For the production it is the proof that the cast of a shoot is fully documented. For you it is the proof that your participation that day was recorded and assigned to a contract.
How it runs
It is recorded before shooting starts, in street clothes, often right after the contracts are signed. You hold the document next to your face; what has to be readable is mainly the photo, the name and the date of birth. Some productions also have the date and the production title spoken. The recording lasts seconds and is not part of the scene.
An ID-Shot in character, in costume or undressed is unusual and unnecessary on the facts. If a crew insists on that, it is a reason to ask what exactly that recording is needed for.
Two practical points otherwise surface on the shoot day. First, the document has to be valid: an expired identity card is regularly not accepted as proof, and then the day is in question. Second, it depends on the production whether one recording is required per shoot day or per production. On longer projects with breaks the ID-Shot can be renewed more than once.
Where the recording stays
The ID-Shot is filed with the contract and the proofs in the production file, separate from the raw footage of the scene. It is not part of the publication: it does not go into the finished film, the trailer, the preview image or the Behind the Scenes. Anyone who treats it differently is breaking their own purpose of use.
Access sits with the circle that keeps the proofs, not the whole crew. The recording is kept as long as the duty to prove towards distributors lasts. After that the same applies to it as to the ID copy: delete it.
What you should have confirmed in writing
Put three points in writing, preferably in the contract itself. First: the ID-Shot serves exclusively as proof. Second: it is not published and not passed to third parties who do not have to keep proof. Third: it is deleted when the purpose ends.
If you work under a stage name, the ID-Shot does not change that, because it does not leave the file. What other options there are for keeping the legal name out of public view is described in the article working anonymously.
This text explains industry practice and is not a substitute for legal advice.
An open question about this?
Begriffe erklären das Was, nicht immer das Wie im eigenen Fall. Wenn du wissen willst, was das konkret für dich bedeutet, frag uns — daraus muss keine Bewerbung werden. Viele Antworten stehen schon bei den häufigen Fragen.