Why a Good Brief Matters
The quality of your video production brief directly determines the quality of the final product. A clear, comprehensive brief saves time, reduces revision rounds, and ensures your production partner delivers content that meets your business objectives from the first cut.
After producing hundreds of videos for clients across Australia — from SA Power Networks to FSL (STEPN) — we’ve seen what separates great briefs from problematic ones. Here’s everything you need to include, plus a template you can adapt for your next project.
The Essential Elements of a Video Brief
1. Project Overview and Background
Start with context. What’s the business situation driving this video? Is it a product launch, rebrand, campaign refresh, or internal initiative? Understanding the ‘why’ helps your production team make creative decisions that serve your broader strategy, not just the immediate deliverable.
2. Objectives and Success Metrics
Define what success looks like in measurable terms. “Increase brand awareness” is too vague. Instead, try: “Drive 500 qualified leads to our landing page within 60 days” or “Achieve 80% completion rate on the training module.” Clear objectives give your production team a target to aim for and a benchmark to evaluate creative decisions against.
3. Target Audience
Describe your audience beyond demographics. What are their pain points? What motivates their decisions? Where do they consume video content? A marketing manager researching production companies on LinkedIn has different expectations and attention spans than a consumer scrolling TikTok during their commute.
4. Key Messages (Maximum Three)
Effective videos communicate a maximum of three key messages. More than three and viewers retain nothing. Prioritise ruthlessly: what’s the single most important takeaway? What supports it? What’s the call to action?
5. Tone and Style
Provide reference videos that capture the tone you’re after — not necessarily from your industry. If you want your corporate safety video to feel as engaging as a documentary, share documentary examples. Include references for both what you like and what you want to avoid.
6. Deliverables and Specifications
Be specific about what you need: duration (30 seconds? 2 minutes? 5 minutes?), format (horizontal, vertical, square), platform requirements (TV broadcast specs, YouTube, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn), and any additional assets (social cutdowns, still images, behind-the-scenes content, subtitled versions).
7. Budget Range
Sharing your budget range — even approximately — helps production companies propose realistic solutions. A $10,000 budget and a $50,000 budget produce very different outcomes, and an experienced producer can maximise impact at any budget level when they know the parameters upfront.
8. Timeline and Key Dates
Include the final delivery date and work backwards. Note any fixed dates: events, product launches, campaign start dates, seasonal windows. Also identify internal review and approval milestones — these often cause more delays than production itself.
9. Approval Process
Who needs to sign off, and at which stages? How many revision rounds are included? Who has final authority? Unclear approval processes are the number one cause of project delays in our experience. Define this upfront and save everyone headaches later.
10. Brand Guidelines and Assets
Provide your brand style guide, logo files (vector format), colour codes, approved fonts, existing brand imagery, and any audio branding (jingles, sound logos). The more brand assets your production team has access to, the more seamlessly the video will integrate with your broader communications.
Video Brief Template
Here’s a template you can copy and fill in for your next video project:
Project Title: [Your project name]
Date: [Submission date]
Contact Person: [Name, email, phone]
Company/Organisation: [Your organisation]
Background: [2-3 sentences on the business context]
Objective: [What this video should achieve, with measurable targets]
Target Audience: [Who is watching, their motivations, where they’ll see it]
Key Messages: [Maximum 3, in priority order]
Tone/Style: [Descriptive words + 2-3 reference video URLs]
Deliverables: [Duration, format, platforms, additional assets]
Budget Range: [Your approximate budget range]
Timeline: [Key dates and final delivery date]
Approval Process: [Who signs off, how many revision rounds]
Brand Assets: [List available assets or link to brand portal]
Common Briefing Mistakes to Avoid
Being Too Vague
“Make us a cool video” gives your production team nothing to work with. Specificity leads to better creative outcomes.
Overloading the Message
Trying to communicate everything in one video dilutes every message. If you have six key points, consider a video series rather than cramming them into a single piece.
Skipping the Audience Definition
A video that tries to speak to everyone speaks to no one. Define your primary audience and tailor everything — script, visuals, tone, pacing — to them.
Providing References That Contradict Each Other
If your references include a high-energy sports ad and a contemplative documentary, your production team won’t know which direction to follow. Ensure your references align and clearly communicate the style you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I write a script before briefing a production company?
Not necessarily. Most professional production companies include scriptwriting in their services. A strong brief with clear objectives and key messages gives scriptwriters what they need. If you have a draft script, share it — but be open to professional refinement.
How detailed should my brief be?
Detailed enough that your production team can prepare an accurate quote and creative proposal. One page is usually sufficient for straightforward projects; complex campaigns may warrant 2-3 pages. Quality matters more than length.
What if I don’t know my budget?
If you genuinely don’t have a budget in mind, ask your production company for tiered proposals showing what’s possible at different investment levels. This helps you make informed decisions and set realistic expectations.
Can I brief multiple production companies simultaneously?
Yes, competitive pitching is common for larger projects. However, be transparent about the process and timeline, and keep the number manageable — three companies is typically sufficient to get diverse perspectives without wasting anyone’s time.
Need help refining your video brief or want to discuss a project? Book a free consultation with our team. We’ll help you clarify your objectives and develop a brief that sets your project up for success.
