You've decided you need a video. The next question is: what exactly should you ask a video production company to make?
That's where a good video brief comes in.
A video production brief doesn't need to be complicated, packed with technical terminology or contain every creative decision before you've even spoken to a production company. In fact, some of the best briefs we receive are relatively simple.
What matters is that the brief explains what you're trying to achieve, who you're trying to reach and what success looks like.
Get those things right, and your video production company can help with the rest.
Remember, you don't have to come up with the creative idea, although any you have are always welcome and can be included in the brief or in a subsequent meeting; that's what you're hiring a professional video production company for. You may have seen other videos you like; great, include links in your brief, but don't stress too much on the overall look. Just put into the brief why you want the video made, and then let the production company guide the process after that. We'll always ask the right questions to help make sure you get the right film so it's effective and engaging. If you're getting a video made with us, it's going to work and meet your aims and objectives, and to help with that, a good brief is a great starting point.
At Wildwood Media, we've been producing films for businesses, schools, NHS organisations, charities and other organisations across the UK since 2014. One thing we've learned is that a clear brief doesn't just make production easier. It can lead to a better creative idea, a more accurate quotation and a film that's much more likely to achieve what you actually commissioned it to do.
So, if you're wondering how to write a video brief, here's where to start.
1. What do you want your video to achieve?
This is the single most important question in your video brief.
Don't start with:
"We need a three-minute video."
Start with:
"We need prospective customers to understand why they should choose us."
Or perhaps:
"We want more parents to consider our school."
"We need to explain a complicated service in a simple way."
"We want employees to understand a new way of working."
"We want people to care about our charity and take action."
These are objectives. And objectives give your video production company something meaningful to work with.
The finished film might ultimately be 60 seconds, three minutes or a whole series of videos. That decision is much easier to make once everybody understands what the content actually needs to achieve.
Add to your video brief:
The main thing we want this video to achieve is…
2. Who Is The Video For?
Now define your audience.
Try to be more specific than "our customers" or "the general public".
Who are these people? What do they already know about you? What matters to them? What problem are they trying to solve? What might make them hesitant about choosing you?
Understanding this influences everything from the script and interview questions to the filming style, music, editing pace and duration.
For example, School Videography aimed at prospective students might need to feel energetic, authentic and exciting. A healthcare film explaining a treatment may need to feel reassuring, clear and trustworthy. A corporate recruitment video may need to show personality and workplace culture rather than simply listing employee benefits.
A good video production agency should be thinking about the audience throughout the production process.
Add to your video brief:
The primary audience for our video is…
3. What is the one thing they should remember?
This is where video briefs often start getting crowded.
Five departments become involved. Everyone has something they want included. Before long, a two-minute promotional video is expected to communicate 17 different messages.
Instead, ask:
If somebody remembers only one thing after watching this film, what should it be?
That's your core message.
You can absolutely have supporting information underneath it, but identifying one central idea gives the film focus.
Professional video production is as much about deciding what not to say as deciding what to include.
Add to your video brief:
After watching our video, the most important thing we want the audience to understand is…
4. What do you want the audience to do afterwards?
This is closely connected to your objective, but it's worth considering separately.
Do you want somebody to contact you? Visit another page? Apply for a job? Make a donation? Attend an event? Book a demonstration? Remember your organisation? Talk about what they've seen?
Not every video needs an aggressive call to action.
A brand film might primarily be about changing how someone feels about an organisation. A recruitment film may be designed to move somebody further towards applying. A training video may simply need the viewer to understand and remember information.
But your video production brief should make the intended outcome clear.
Add to your video brief:
After watching the video, we'd ideally like the audience to…
5. Where will your video be seen?
Tell your production company where you intend to use the finished content.
Will it sit prominently on your website? Appear on LinkedIn? Be used on Instagram or TikTok? Run as a paid advertisement? Play at events and exhibitions? Be shown internally? Live on YouTube?
Often, the answer is several of these.
This is important because a single production can potentially create much more than one video.
If we know at the beginning that a client needs a main website film alongside vertical social content, shorter edits and individual interview clips, we can plan the shoot accordingly.
That might mean changing framing, capturing additional footage or structuring interviews differently.
Planning this at the briefing stage can help you get considerably more value from your video production budget.
Add to your video brief:
The video will primarily be used on…
6. What should your video feel like?
You don't need to know anything about cameras, lenses, lighting or editing techniques.
Instead, tell your production company how you want the finished video to feel.
Should it be cinematic? Natural? Warm? Fast-paced? Emotional? Premium? Fun? Authoritative? Inspirational?
Those words are surprisingly useful.
You can also share videos you've seen elsewhere. You might love the interview style in one film, the camera movement in another or the pace of a particular advert.
References aren't there for your videographer to copy. They help communicate your tastes.
And don't worry if you don't have a style in mind at all. Developing the creative approach is part of the job you're commissioning a professional video production agency to do.
Add to your video brief:
We'd like the film to feel…
7. What might need to be filmed?
Give your production company any practical information you already know.
Perhaps you'll need interviews with members of staff. Maybe you want to show a manufacturing process, students going about their school day, an event taking place, customers using a service or employees working across several locations.
You might need actors, presenters, aerial filming, animation or motion graphics.
Or you might genuinely have no idea yet.
That's absolutely fine.
A professional production company should be able to take the objective and work backwards to recommend what actually needs to be filmed.
Location is useful too. At Wildwood Media, for example, our crews provide video production in Kent, video production in London and video production UK-wide, with our Kent team conveniently placed for organisations looking for a Videographer in Maidstone or Videographer in Kent.
Add to your video brief:
We think filming may need to include…
8. What is your budget?
First of all, you don't have to have a budget set, and you don't have to discuss it with the video production company right away. Especially if this is your first time using them, as trust grows over future videos that may change.
However, talking about budget doesn't mean handing a video production company permission to spend every penny available.
It helps establish what's realistic.
There can be several completely different ways of achieving the same communication objective.
One approach might involve a straightforward one-day shoot with interviews and observational footage. Another might involve multiple filming days, actors, specialist locations, elaborate lighting, animation and an original creative concept.
Both could produce excellent films.
They're simply different productions.
Knowing whether the available budget is £900, £2,000, £5,000 or £20,000 allows a production company to design an approach that gets the maximum possible value from that investment.
If you genuinely don't know what video production should cost, say so. A reputable company should be able to talk through the options.
Add to your video brief:
Our approximate available budget is X or We'd like advice on what budget may be appropriate.
9. When does the video need to be finished?
If you have a deadline, put it in the brief.
Perhaps there's an upcoming product launch, open day, recruitment campaign, conference or advertising campaign.
Remember that the filming day is only one part of video production.
Before filming there may be creative development, scripting, planning, scheduling and location preparation. Afterwards there is editing, sound, music, graphics, colour work, feedback and final delivery.
Giving your production company a deadline from the outset means the whole process can be planned backwards from it.
Add to your video brief:
We would ideally like the finished video delivered by…
10. Who needs to approve the video?
This is an easy one to overlook.
Who is ultimately responsible for signing off the finished film?
If several people need to provide feedback, it's helpful to establish that early.
Video projects can quickly become complicated when different stakeholders provide contradictory feedback at different stages of an edit.
Having one lead contact who can gather and consolidate comments usually makes the process much smoother.
Add to your video brief:
The people responsible for feedback and final approval will be…
You Don't Need to Have All the Answers
If you've worked through the questions above, you've already got the foundations of a strong creative brief for video production.
But don't feel that every blank has to be filled in.
You are commissioning a video production company because they know how to make videos.
You shouldn't need to decide what camera will be used, how something should be lit, what lens is appropriate, exactly how an interview should be conducted or where every edit should fall.
And you don't need to arrive with a completed script or creative idea.
Your expertise is your organisation.
Our expertise is turning what you need to communicate into video.
A strong brief gives those two things somewhere to meet.
You've Created Your Video Brief. What Happens Next?
If you've followed this guide, you should now be able to answer the questions that matter most:
What are we trying to achieve? Who are we speaking to? What do we need them to understand or do? Where will the film be seen? What resources, budget and timescale do we have?
That's enough to start a meaningful conversation with a production company.
And if you'd like Wildwood Media to take that conversation further, simply send your brief to us.
We'll look at what you're trying to achieve, talk through any areas that still need developing and recommend the production approach we think will deliver the best results for your objectives and budget.
From there, we can turn your brief into a professional video production proposal and quotation.
Our advice, proposals and quotations are free, and there's no obligation.
You don't need to have every detail worked out before you contact us either. Helping you develop the creative and practical side of the project is part of what we're here for.
You bring the brief. We'll help turn it into a film.
Not Sure Which Service You Need?
You don't need to know whether you require a brand film, promotional video, content library, commercial photography shoot or something completely different before speaking to us.
Tell Wildwood Media what you're trying to achieve.
We'll help work out the most effective way to do it.
Our initial advice and quotations are free, and you'll speak to a friendly team that cares about making the process enjoyable while creating content you're proud to use.
