What a brief is for
Before the first conversation, tell a filmmaker who the video is for, what it must do, the one thing viewers should remember, where it will play and what viewers should do next. Add who and where you want to film, your constraints, who approves the work and when you need it. One page is enough, and you don't need a script.
A brief turns "we need a video" into something a production team can plan and quote. It also makes your own team agree on the video before anyone films anything, which is when disagreements are easiest to settle.
The brief is the thinking you bring to the first conversation. Start with what your team knows and mark open questions; you do not need a finished brief before asking for a quote.
Keep private details out of it. Use roles, not names, and leave out customer details, patient information, passwords and anything confidential.
Describe one viewer
"Everyone in North Texas" isn't an audience. Describe one person:
- Who they are and what they do.
- What they already know about you.
- Where they'll be when they watch: scrolling a phone, on your website, in a meeting.
- What worries them about choosing a business like yours.
You can list a second audience, but rank them. When two audiences need different things, the first one wins.
Write the objective and one main message
The objective is what changes after someone watches. Pick the main one: they understand what you do, they trust you enough to call, or they act on an offer now. If you can't choose between trust and action, read Brand film vs. video ad; you may need two videos.
The one message is the sentence a viewer should be able to repeat after one viewing. Test it on someone outside the business. If they can't repeat it, it's too long or there are two messages inside it.
Supporting points back up the message. Start with a short list, such as three, and make sure each one is true and checkable today.
List every use, and the action
Write down every place the video will appear: homepage, landing page, Instagram Reels, Facebook, YouTube, Google Business Profile, sales presentations, a trade show screen, email. For each use, ask the publisher or campaign manager to confirm the current shape, length and caption delivery. List the requested versions without assuming a platform name fixes their specification.
Then write the action as a verb: call, book, order, apply, visit. Say where it leads: a page, a phone number, a booking link.
Two more questions belong here:
- Will this run as a paid ad, and who runs the ads? The person running them should share the placements and lengths before the shoot.
- How will people watch without sound or sight? W3C's media accessibility guide recommends early planning, including scripting important visual descriptions before filming.
Name the people and the places
People. List who should appear, by role: the owner, a technician, a customer. Note whether each one has agreed, and who will ask the ones who haven't. Check participation and permission with the people responsible for the project. Lonestarring requires releases for featured people; sensitive settings also need the business's appropriate permission review before filming. For staff who are new to the camera, see preparing staff on camera.
Places. For each location, note the area, when you can film, who grants access, what must stay out of frame, parking and noise. If you want to film on public property or fly a drone, say so early; both depend on rules and permissions outside your control.
Make the plan practical.
Keep your answers and unresolved questions together before the project conversation.
Use the worksheetWrite down your constraints
Constraints are what a filmmaker can't guess:
- Brand rules: logo use, fonts, colors and words you never use.
- Claims: what you can and can't say, and who confirms facts.
- Industry rules: reviews your industry requires, and who does them.
- Must show and must avoid: the product or process that has to appear, and anything that can't, such as another company's logo or a private area.
- Fixed limits: busy seasons, hours you can't close, people only available on certain days.
- Budget status: whether a budget is approved yet, and who approves spending.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your business decides what its industry rules require.
Settle approvals and timing
Approvals. Name one decision maker who collects feedback and makes the final call. List the other reviewers, such as legal, compliance or a partner, and the stage at which each one sees the video. Our guide on how to review a business video covers this in detail.
Timing. Give the date you need the final video and the reason: a launch, an event, a season. List fixed shoot dates and dates that won't work. Allow time for your own team's review between versions.
Video brief template, with a filled-in example
Copy the first two columns into a document and replace the prompts with your answers. The third column shows a hypothetical example.
Example (hypothetical): a boutique fitness studio in Plano adding 6 a.m. classes for people who work in offices nearby.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| Field | What to write | Example (hypothetical) |
|---|---|---|
| Project name | A short working title | Early-morning classes video |
| Audience | One viewer, what they know, where they'll watch, what worries them | Office workers within a short drive who have never taken a class; they'll watch on a phone; they worry about being out of shape in a group |
| Objective | What changes after they watch | They book a first 6 a.m. class |
| One message | One sentence | "Start your day with a class built for real beginners, done before work." |
| Supporting points (up to 3) | True, checkable facts | Classes finish in time for a commute; coaches scale every exercise; showers on site |
| Uses and versions | Every place it runs, and the shape for each | Social campaign and website class page; requested vertical and horizontal versions to confirm with the publisher |
| Action | One verb and where it leads | Book a class on the studio's booking page |
| Paid ads? | Yes or no, and who runs them | Yes; the studio manager runs them |
| People (roles) | Who appears; who has agreed; who asks the rest | Head coach (agreed); two members (studio manager to ask; voluntary) |
| Locations | Area, access, what stays out of frame | The studio before opening; front desk screens out of frame |
| Constraints | Brand rules, claims, must show, must avoid | Brand colors and font file; no before-and-after body claims; show the scaled exercises |
| Accessibility | Captions; anything on screen that needs describing | Captions on every version; class times spoken, not only shown |
| Decision maker | One role | Studio owner |
| Other reviewers | Roles, and when they review | Head coach checks exercise accuracy at rough cut |
| Timing | Needed by, and why; fixed and blocked dates | Before the new class schedule starts; no filming on weekends |
| Budget status | Approved or not, and who approves | Approved by the owner |
| Open questions | Anything you want the filmmaker's view on | One video or three short ones? |
Questions to settle on the first call
Bring these, whoever you talk to. The answers turn your brief into a scope.
- Which edits and versions does the proposal include?
- How many revision rounds are included, and what counts as one?
- Who handles releases, location permission and any drone authorization?
- What does the music license cover?
- What license do we get for the final videos, and are raw files included?
- Is there a travel line, and why?
To see how each answer changes a project, read What changes the scope of a video production project, part of our brand and ad video guides.
How we can help
You don't need a finished brief to talk to us; the 15-minute call covers the same ground. If you've written one, bring it to the call. We send a line-by-line proposal within 24 hours of the call. See video production for what we make.