1. Decide what the video should help people do
A brief is a short explanation of the assignment. It helps your team and the producer agree what the film needs to achieve before anyone books a shoot.
Choose one main audience. A procurement team may want evidence of delivery capability. A potential employee may want to understand the working culture. Trying to answer both equally can make the film lose focus.
2. Match the message with something you can show
Write one sentence describing what viewers should understand. Next to it, list the images, people or records that could support it. “We are reliable” needs more than a confident voice-over. You might show an inspection process or explain how a team solved a specific delivery problem.
Turn the brief into a clear viewing experience
- 01Audience
Who will watch?
- 02Question
What do they need to know?
- 03Evidence
What can you show?
- 04Next action
What should happen after watching?
Use this as a planning aid. Agree the actual approach with your project team.
Keep your evidence list practical. Separate footage you already have from scenes that need filming. Identify anything that needs customer permission, such as a name, drawing or site.
PurplePerfect’s UTP Research & Innovation case shows how a storyboard can connect technical subjects with their relevance to an industry audience. That is a useful question for your own brief: what makes this subject matter to the viewer?
3. Choose the versions you will actually use
A deliverable is a file or other item included in the agreed scope. List each version and where it will appear. A presentation film with sound and a silent exhibition loop need different planning.
| Use | Plan for |
|---|---|
| Presentation | A clear opening, narration and evidence for the room. |
| Website | A quick introduction and a useful next link. |
| Exhibition | Legible screen text and a version that works without sound. |
| Social channels | Platform-appropriate framing, duration and captions. |
Decide which use comes first. If a website edit or vertical social version is needed later, tell the producer before filming. They can plan suitable framing and coverage. Ask which adaptations are included in the quotation.
4. Name the people who can approve the work
Choose one person to collect comments. Identify who checks facts, who reviews the brand and who gives final approval. These can be different people. Agree dates when each can review the work.
Ask reviewers for one consolidated response. If two people disagree about the message, resolve that internally before the editor makes another version. A clear decision is more useful than two conflicting lists of changes.
5. Send a brief a producer can scope
Use this checklist for your first conversation. Write “to confirm” beside anything you do not yet know.
Ready to brief your producer?
- The occasion and the main audience.
- The question the film should answer.
- One main message and the evidence behind it.
- Available people, locations, photographs and footage.
- Languages, captions, formats and intended channels.
- Budget range, target date and any fixed event deadline.
- Factual reviewers, final approver and time available for review.
- Restrictions on filming, confidential information and public use.
6. Compare proposals against the same brief
Compare story development, shoot days, locations, animation, voice-over, versions and revision rounds. Two prices may cover different assignments. Ask what depends on your team supplying material and what would count as extra work.
For a technically demanding film, request a relevant example and ask what the producer actually contributed. The T7 ELISE MOPU case explains production coordination, technical review and film versions, giving you more to assess than a client logo.
Your next step: send the brief, even if a few answers remain open. Clear unknowns give the producer something useful to work through with you.