A video production brief sets out what you want to make, who it is for and what the production team needs to plan. It gives the client, agency and producer a shared starting point before scripts, schedules and estimates are approved.
Use the brief to record the project’s objectives and the decisions already made. Name the person who can approve changes, and mark anything that still needs an answer.
Cover the seven essentials below in your video production brief. Keep it clear enough for someone joining the project to understand the audience, message, deliverables and constraints without having to reconstruct earlier conversations.
1. Provide Some Background Information about Your Business
Give the production team some insight into who you are and what you do. They will have a better understanding of the project if they get some information about your business.
Mention a few basics that make your company what it is, such as your mission, goals, positioning and what makes you different from competitors. Share the brand guidelines and any approved wording the team should use.
2. Specify the Purpose of the Video
Explain why you want to make this video. State the problem it needs to address or the information the viewer needs, so the production team can judge creative ideas against that purpose.
The purpose of the video can be to promote a new product, to provide an explanation to employees on how to use new software, and so on.
Keep the purpose specific enough to guide the work. A product launch and a software-training video call for different material, even if both will be filmed in the same office.
3. Be Clear about the CTA and the Goal
Once you have the purpose of the video, explain the action you want the viewer to take. A call to action, or CTA, should fit what the video has asked them to learn or consider.
For a software-training video, the next step might be to complete a practice task. For a product video, it might be to visit the product page or request a demonstration. Write down the intended action and how your team will check whether viewers take it.
Give the production team the CTA wording and destination, if there is a link. Confirm who will supply and check that destination before the video is released.
4. Do Detailed Research about the Target Audience
The target audience shapes the form of your project. Everyone reviewing the brief needs to know who the video is for before judging its language, examples and level of detail.
Provide relevant details about the audience, including their role, familiarity with the subject, interests and questions. Add demographic information when it changes a production decision; mark assumptions that still need research.
Use that research to guide the script, participants and release plan. If the audience needs captions, another language or a version for a particular viewing context, put it in the brief.
5. Narrow It Down to One Core Message
Choose the main message you want the viewer to remember. Supporting details can explain or demonstrate it without turning the video into a list of everything your business does.
Write that message in one sentence, then check each proposed talking point against it. If the brief contains several unrelated messages, discuss whether they need separate videos or versions before estimating the work.
Defining the core message helps the video production team choose relevant material. Keep the evidence needed to support a claim, even when you are trimming the script.
6. Explain How You Plan to Reach the Audience
State where the video will be watched. Match the video with the right distribution platform, then list the required versions, aspect ratios, durations and languages. Ask the channel owner to confirm the current delivery specifications.
Based on your target audience and goals, choose the channels you plan to use. Make clear who will upload the videos, manage distribution and report on the response; those responsibilities should be agreed alongside production.
7. Give Guidance on Budget and Deadline
The production team will have a better idea of what to create if you state an estimated budget in the brief. Also, having a timeframe in mind will give the team some guidance on how to plan their work.
Separate a fixed launch date from a preferred completion date. Allow for client feedback and approvals, and identify any interviews, locations or assets that are not yet confirmed. Ask the producer to explain what is included in the estimate and what would change it.
Review the Brief with Your Production Team
Before work begins, review the brief together and resolve missing information. Confirm the deliverables, budget, approval owner and schedule in writing, then update the brief when an agreed decision changes.
Original article by: Nicole Garrison
Nicole Garrison is a content strategist, writer, and contributor at a number of platforms for marketing specialists. In her free time, Nicole is a passionate runner and a curious beekeeper. She runs her own blog LiveInspiredMagazine.
