How To Write A Video Brief
A video brief is the first step in making your video ideas a reality. Basically, a competent video production agency should be able to manage all aspects of the creative and technical process – shoot, animation, post-production and all the bells and whistles – to ensure that your audience responds positively to your video and you receive the required return on investment – but it all starts from your brief.
So what does the video production agency need to know from your video brief?
For starters, they must understand your company’s products and services, your brand story and culture, your distinguishing offer or USPs, and how your business’s products and services benefit your consumers. Then they need to understand the video’s intended communication style, who is the intended audience, the key messages, and the call to action. Finally, knowing beforehand how you wish to distribute the video — for example, to a live audience, on your website, or via social media can also help the agency to suggest the right format and creative style.
So how can you capture all these in a short 2-3 page document, especially if you are new to video marketing? To help you develop a simple video brief that gets you the right result, we have compiled the following pointers:
First, let’s understand the objective of writing a video brief. What is it that you wish to achieve or get as an outcome from the agency you are sharing it with?
There are three main objectives that the video brief should help you achieve:
It should direct your agency to come up with creative ideas
“We require a great video”, is not a good starting point for any agency. You need to share your vision and articulate your expectations. Sharing your company’s corporate profile in the form of a PowerPoint deck or a printed profile or even directing them to your “About Us’ section of your website is a good starting point. Sharing loads of your company’s information – could feel like waffling at first, but that’s fine; good video production agencies enjoy details. So don’t hesitate to share as much information about your company as you can.
It should help your agency to develop a budget for you
Before you ask an agency the budget, we suggest you have a budget in your mind. It is totally up to you if you would like to share it with them or keep it hidden. If the video production agency has a rough budget or at least a min & maximum range to work with, it cuts down on both your time.
However, if you are new to this and do not have a budget in mind, you can provide the following information which the agency can use to develop a budget:
- A reference video that you like
- How many locations do you operate from and needs to be shot
- If its an animation video, the time and style of animation
- Requirement of models or talents
- Days of shoot
It’s always advisable to add all these factors in your brief so that your agency can include each component in the budget.
It should help your agency to estimate a timeline
If you have a deadline that your video production company must meet, be sure to let them know. For the most part, this will allow your video production company to plan your project and devote the necessary resources to complete it on time. However, if you do not have a deadline in place, you need to understand the step-by-step process of video production.
There are 3 main components that you need to keep in mind when it comes to video production.
Pre-Production
The pre-production stage is quite important. To clarify, this is where you’ll build the groundwork for your video and establish a reference point for project scope and deliverables, so everyone stays on track.
Key steps to keep in mind:
- Developing and approving a creative brief
- Creating and approving a script
- Developing and approving a scene by scene storyboard
Production
Things start to fall into place throughout the production stage. Your agency is creating the raw footage for the video here. Therefore, you’ll want to double-check that everything is in order, otherwise, you’ll have to plan pick-up shoots or spend additional time in post-production re-editing and rewriting because someone overlooked something important. The following items should be included in the production:
- Set up and lighting
- Filming
- Collecting b-roll
- Recording voice-over
Post-Production
Video productions often have just two or three iterations before a final cut, but they take the longest to complete due to post-production editing.
Key steps to keep in mind:
- Editing
- Iterative & collaborative review
- Version comparison
- Final approval
- Delivery
Equally important is to let your video production agency know about your approval process. For example, if you prefer to have a hierarchy who would be approving each step in the pre-production, production, and post-production stage. Do not hesitate to convey this message to your agency as it will help the agency understand the processes, and will help in production and delivery.
Summary: What should be included in the brief?
- Your Company’s Profile
- Vision, Mission, and Values of your company
- How do the products and services of your company help your customers
- Elements of the shoot
- Locations,
- Number of days
- Need for talent, etc.
- Your deadline
- Your approval process
There is no predetermined length for this; but, the more information you supply, the greater understanding your agency will have. However, if you make it too long, you risk missing some important details. So, we would like to recommend keeping it to roughly 2-3 pages to make it easier for you to write and for others to read and comprehend.
So there you have it: you now know how to write a killer video brief. Please contact us if you have a project you’d like to discuss or if you need some further help putting together a document like this.
Tell us about your video
Whether you need a corporate video, marketing video, training video, or explainer video, our team has over 10 years of experience working with various businesses to create engaging and impactful content. Please fill out the form below to let us know the type of video you’re planning to make. We will get back to you with multiple options and price quotes tailored to your requirements.
Our Clients
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to make a corporate video?
Cost of video production is dependent on the following factors:
- No. of days of shoot
- Locations of shoot
- Elements of video (e.g. drone shoot, studio or location)
- If models or talents are required
- Voiceover requirements
- Background music (standard or custom)
- Translation and subtitles
- Adaptations into multiple languages
Depending on the specific requirements of your project we will provide you with a custom quote. Contact us to get your custom quote today.
What is the rate for animation video?
Animation video rates depend on the intricacy of the animation and the duration of the final edit. There are various types of animation we provide:
- 2D vector animation
- 2D custom illustrated animation
- Kinetic typography animation
- Whiteboard animation
- 3D animation with objects
- 3D animation with characters
Depending on the animation style or your ideas we can provide you with a custom quote for your video. Contact us to get your custom quote today.
Who will develop the script for the video?
Yes we will provide you with a script for your video which you can use or suggest to make changes. To develop your script we will understand your business objective and come up with a draft copy. Alternatively, you can provide us with a script which we can help you to polish up to make it into a captivating video.
Contact us today to find out more about our script writing services.
Do you provide a storyboard?
Once the script is finalized we will provide you with a detailed storyboard. We need all our clients to approve the storyboard before they go into production.
The storyboard helps all stakeholders to visualize the final video and allows us to make changes easily if something is not according to your requirements. Contact us today to find out more about storyboarding.
How long does it take to make a corporate video?
Each corporate video is developed in 3 stages: Pre-Production, Production and Post Production. The pre-production stage consists of the script, storyboarding and recce of the locations. Production is the actual shoot and voice recording stage. The post production involves editing, music and special effects.
Considering 1 week for each stage of the process we normally estimate 3 weeks for the production of a corporate video. However, there has been cases where we have done corporate videos in much shorter duration for our clients.
Contact us today if you are planning for a corporate video within a tight timeline.
How many revisions do you provide?
Revisions at every stage is as per follows:
- Script writing – 4 revisions
- Storyboard – 2-3 revisions
- Animated sections – 2 revisions
- Final video edit – 2 revisions
Video production is a co-creation process and at every stage you (the client) will be involved to give feedback and suggest changes.
Our objective at Neon is to make sure 100% customer satisfaction and realization of your vision in a video format. To know more about our process, please contact us today.