Is it okay to include film concept design in your portfolio?

Nb1299

New Member
I've been working on a poster and DVD concept for an existing film that's currently in post-production. Would it be okay to include this work in my portfolio even if I wasn't a part of the actual film (and of course credit the production team/companies)? I'd assume it's okay since it's my own work, but I'm just very cautious about copyright.

Thanks :)
 
My general rule of thumb is not to use anything if you don't have permission. There are 'fair use' laws around copyrights, and many rights holders will turn a blind eye to people using their works for derivative, non-commerical purposes (fan art for example), but they are well within their right to ask you to remove the work if it infringes their copyright.

Without seeing the poster, it's hard to say, but generally if you want to showcase the work you probably can, but you should be prepared to remove it if the rights holder asks. If it's a big budget Hollywood film, chances are nobody will even know or care though.
 
Last edited:
Wait, I think I misunderstood. You had nothing to do with the film whatsoever and they didn't ask you to create the poster and DVD art? You just did that out of your own volition? If that's the case, that changes things of course.
 
Wait, I think I misunderstood. You had nothing to do with the film whatsoever and they didn't ask you to create the poster and DVD art? You just did that out of your own volition? If that's the case, that changes things of course.

The actual story is that I initially posted the design on social media as “fan art” and the director of the film contacted me expressing interest in using it as the poster. So now I’m trying to put together a portfolio page showing the process and iterations to kind of pitch the design in a more professional way. I’m trying to decide whether that’s acceptable or not.
 
If the film hasn't even been released yet, I would have thought the answer would be no, but you're asking the wrong people really - you should
be asking the director or producers, they are your 'client' after all. And make sure you get paid properly too. ;)
 
Fan art tends to fall into a bit of a grey area.

Are you pitching the design to the film maker?

Thanks for the link! Yes, I’ll just be sharing the portfolio with the director so he can view the work in his own time.

If the film hasn't even been released yet, I would have thought the answer would be no, but you're asking the wrong people really - you should
be asking the director or producers, they are your 'client' after all. And make sure you get paid properly too. ;)

Haha thanks for the reply. It’s uncertain whether they’ll actually go for my poster, so I’m trying to win them over! Pay is another thing I have to think about, actually. If they do use my work, I’m worried if I ask for too much I’ll lose such a great opportunity. I’ve been researching about pricing to have an idea but really just care about the experience.
 
Back
Top