The brief is the document you give to the video production company telling them what you want in your video. Think of it as a cross between a manifesto and a shopping list. Most importantly, writing the brief will help you to qualify your reasons for wanting a video and also allow you to ask yourself some crucial questions that could save you time and money.
The brief is not a stand-alone document, but it should be a very useful reference to allow the video production companies to give you some ideas, styles and an accurate quote. Below are what you should think about when putting a brief together.
If you need help in writing a brief or would like our free template on what should be included in a video production brief, please email sbanks@tallboy.co.uk and I will email it to you.
Tallboy’s top tips:
1. What’s the purpose of the video?
Introduce the name of your company and quickly establish the purpose of your video. Doing so will set the tone for video, and consequently, the rest of the brief. Write the brief in a clear and concise style. Your objectives will determine the style, duration and content of your video. Whether your video will be used during events, training, exhibitions, for web streaming or as a promotional video will dictate its overall style.
2. Who is the audience?
Establish your target audience. Who is your video aimed at? What is their level of understanding of the topic? How will the video be distributed? What are the key messages you want to get across? Either way, your video should engage the audience. Put yourself in the viewers shoes, what should they “think”, “feel” or “do” after watching the video.
3. What is the content and messages?
Key considerations: Is there any content that must be included e.g. particular messages? An interview with your CEO? Is there any existing video footage that could be used? Where is filming likely to take place? Are there any specific constraints?
4. Think about the style you want
Have you seen any particular videos that you like? Exploring YouTube is great for this. Look at what your competitors have produced. Choosing a style is not something you need to do at this stage, but it’s always useful to find some examples of videos you like that will help to develop the brief at a later stage.
5. Set a budget
Wrap up your brief by setting a production budget. As with the rest of the brief this will not be set in stone, but you should at least have a ballpark figure for the production company. You should also work out a project deadline that will, ideally, be about one to three months away.