Hand Held Hollywood officially ceased operations on September 17th, 2024. The site will remain online for archival and research purposes. The App Directory continues to receive updates as needed. If you’d like to contact Taz, the contact form is still functional. We also invite you to join Taz’s mailing list here.

A group of people with pets on their phone, ensuring legal protection.

mRelease keeps you legal…and covers your ass.

Now here’s an app that falls squarely into the “why the hell didn’t I think of that?” category.

What happens when you’re shooting on location, and you suddenly remember that you left all your blank release forms at home.  Don’t fret.  Thanks to mRelease from being MEdia, you’ll always have four of the most common production releases (appearance, property, location, and crew) right on your iPhone.  Here’s how it works:

You begin by setting up a new shoot. You then add releases to that shoot. The app keeps everything organized and tidy.

For example, if you needed to get your actor to sign a release, you’d start by selecting the performance release template. You’d then tap in that actor’s name and contact info.  …Here’s where it gets super awesome…  You then use the iPhone’s built-in camera to grab a snapshot of the actor which will then appear on the finished form!  And to top it all off, you have the actor SIGN the form with their finger on the iPhone screen! Once you’re all done, you can immediately email a copy of the release to the actor. The process works the same for crew members, locations, and property.  Simple and brilliant.

The only down side is that mRelease doesn’t let you to edit the templates. You’re stuck with the language they provide. Not a huge deal, but if you prefer to use your own language, you’ll have to wait and see if the developers add customization in future versions.  If you’d like to see samples of the releases that ship with mRelease, click on over to www.mReleaseApp.com.

During my years in production, I’ve seen quite a few projects get derailed because producers forgot to get signed talent and location releases.  I’ve witnessed it happen in film, television, and even video games.  It’s an especially common mistake among new filmmakers.  Bottom line, you should ALWAYS get SIGNED RELEASES. And that’s why I’m telling every filmmaker I know to get this app.  It might just save your ass.

mRelease is never leaving my iPhone. Simple as that.

This app has been removed from the App Store

Facebook
X/Twitter
LinkedIn

More to explore

On the phone screen, there is a caller ID displayed.

Round Two: Pocket Call Sheet Reviewed

Last week, I reviewed iProdyaCallSheet. Now, due to reader requests, I’m taking a look at a similar app called Pocket Call Sheet

One Response

  1. If you like mRelease, I urge you to look at Easy Release, by ApplicationGap (www.applicationgap.com). We have customizable releases, more flexible workflows, multiple languages, and dozens of other features that other products do not.