A video production brief should tell a production company what the video needs to accomplish, who it’s for, what the audience should take away, where the video will be used, what needs to be delivered, and the practical limits of the project.
It doesn’t need to be technical. You don’t need to choose cameras, write a shot list, or know production terminology. A useful brief gives the production team enough direction to build the right creative approach without forcing you to make filmmaking decisions you hired them to handle.
Key Takeaways
- Start with the business goal, target audience, and one main message.
- State where the video will be used and what versions or deliverables you need.
- Describe the desired style in plain language and include useful reference videos.
- List the people, products, locations, and brand assets involved.
- Share a realistic budget range, timeline, and any hard deadline.
- Name one main contact and the person who has final approval.
- Leave technical production decisions to the production company.
What Is a Video Production Brief?
A video production brief is a short document that gives a production company the information it needs to understand and scope your project. It connects the business reason for making the video with the practical details required to plan it.
Think of it as the starting point for the project, not the finished creative plan. The brief explains what needs to be achieved, and the production team can then develop the concept, script, storyboard, filming plan, and technical approach during pre-production. For most small and mid-sized businesses, the brief doesn’t need to be a long corporate document. A concise, structured brief of roughly two to three pages can usually cover the information that matters most.
What Should You Include in a Video Production Brief?
The exact brief will vary by project, but the following information gives a production team a strong starting point.
The Goal
Start with the business result you want the video to support. “We need a video” isn’t a goal, and “make it engaging” doesn’t give the production team much direction. A clearer objective might be to generate qualified leads, explain a service that customers often misunderstand, help the sales team answer a common objection, promote a new product or service, build trust with prospective customers, or recruit employees or support internal training. A useful question to ask yourself: what should be different after someone watches this video?
The Target Audience
The production company needs to know who the video is speaking to. You don’t need a full customer persona, but “everyone” is usually too broad. Include the type of viewer, the problem they’re trying to solve, what they already know about your business or solution, and the main question or objection the video should address. A video made for a first-time buyer may need more context than one made for an existing customer, and a video for executives may also need a different tone and level of detail than one aimed at end users.
The Main Message
Decide what you want the viewer to remember if they take only one idea away from the video. That should become the core message. You can include a few supporting points, but avoid trying to fit every service, feature, differentiator, and company story into one video. Too many competing messages make it harder for the production team to create a focused script. A simple test: finish this sentence: “After watching this video, the viewer should understand that.”
Call To Action
If the video is meant to move the viewer toward a next step, state that step in the brief. The call to action should match the purpose of the video. For example, the viewer might be asked to book a consultation or demonstration, request a quote, visit a specific landing page, contact the sales team, register for an event, or learn more about a service or product. A clear call to action helps the production team shape the ending of the video around the result you actually want.
Where the Video Will Be Used
Tell the production company where the finished video will appear. This matters because a website video, a paid social ad, a sales presentation, and an event video may need different lengths, framing, captions, or edits. Common uses include a company website or landing page, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or other social platforms, paid advertising, sales presentations, trade shows or events, and internal training or onboarding. You don’t need to specify every technical format yourself, just explain the intended channels so the production team can recommend the right versions.
Exact Deliverables
Be clear about what you expect to receive at the end of the project. A “video” may actually mean several finished assets. For example, your brief might request one 90-second main video, two 30-second cut downs for social media, several 15-second clips for paid ads, horizontal and vertical versions, and captioned versions where needed. Listing deliverables early helps the team plan the shoot so the footage works across all of the required versions instead of treating extra edits as an afterthought.
Style and Tone
You don’t need to describe camera lenses or lighting setups. Plain-language direction is more useful. Examples include professional but approachable, polished but natural, energetic without feeling overly promotional, conversational and authentic, or modern, clean, and straightforward. Reference videos can also help. If you include them, add a short note explaining what you like about each example, whether it’s the interview style, pacing, use of graphics, natural feel, music, or overall tone. A link by itself leaves the production team guessing.
Who and What Will Be Filmed
Give the production team a quick picture of what the shoot may involve. You don’t need to plan the entire production, but the obvious requirements should be in the brief. Mention employees or executives who’ll appear on camera, customers who may be interviewed, products, equipment, or locations that need to be shown, the office, facility, customer site, or other filming location, and any important access, availability, or operating restrictions. These details can affect scheduling and scope, so it’s better to flag them before the project is priced and planned.
Available Assets
Let the production company know what existing materials are available. This may include your logo, brand guidelines, product photography, previous footage, graphics, or other marketing assets. You don’t need to list file specifications in the initial brief. The production team can tell you which versions or file types it needs once the project moves forward.
Budget (Or Budget Range)
Video production can be scoped in very different ways, so a realistic budget range is useful. It gives the production company a financial boundary and helps it recommend an approach that matches your resources. Without a budget range, a team may develop an idea that’s far more complex than you expected, or make conservative assumptions that don’t match your ambitions. If you don’t have an exact figure, a workable range is still helpful.
Timeline and Deadlines
Include the date you’d like the finished video and clearly identify any deadline that cannot move, such as a product launch, conference, campaign start date, or scheduled event. It’s also helpful to include a preferred filming window if certain people, products, or locations are only available at specific times. This allows the production team to work backward from the final delivery date and build a realistic schedule.
Who Gives Feedback and Final Approval
Name one main project contact and identify the person who has final approval authority. This is especially important when several departments or stakeholders will review the video. Whenever possible, collect internal feedback first and send the production team one consolidated set of comments. Conflicting notes from multiple people can slow down editing and create unnecessary revision rounds.
What You Do Not Need to Put in the Brief
A business owner doesn’t need to turn the brief into a filmmaking manual. Unless there’s a specific business reason to do so, you can usually leave the following decisions to the production company: camera equipment and lenses, lighting setups, detailed shot lists, camera movements, editing techniques, technical production workflows, full storyboards, and a finished script before the production team is involved.
Your job is to define the goal, audience, message, constraints, and expected outcome. The production company’s job is to determine the best way to execute that direction on screen.
Simple Video Production Brief Template
You can use the following template as a starting point. Keep the answers short and specific. If something is genuinely unknown, say so and let the production team help resolve it during discovery.
| Brief Field | What to Write |
| Project / Video Name | Working title |
| Business / Company Name | Company name |
| Main Objective | What should this video accomplish? |
| Target Audience | Who is this video for, and what problem or question do they have? |
| Main Message | What’s the one thing viewers should remember? |
| Call to Action | What should viewers do next? |
| Video Type | Company overview, testimonial, product video, explainer, event video, training video, etc. |
| Where It Will Be Used | Website, YouTube, LinkedIn, paid ads, events, sales presentations, internal use, etc. |
| Deliverables Needed | Main video, shorter edits, vertical clips, captioned versions, etc. |
| Approximate Length | Preferred runtime, if known |
| Style and Tone | Professional, conversational, natural, energetic, polished, modern, etc. |
| Reference Videos | Links plus one sentence explaining what you like about each |
| People Appearing On Camera | Employees, executives, customers, actors, etc. |
| Filming Location | Office, customer location, studio, other |
| Available Brand Assets | Logo, brand guide, photos, existing footage, graphics, etc. |
| Important Talking Points | Two or three supporting points |
| Budget / Budget Range | Amount or range |
| Deadline / Launch Date | Date and whether it’s flexible or fixed |
| Main Project Contact | Name and role |
| Final Approver | Name and role |
| Other Requirements | Legal, access, scheduling, brand, or operational restrictions |
Common Video Brief Mistakes to Avoid
Trying to Say Too Much
Choose one main message and a small number of supporting points instead of turning one video into an explanation of everything your company does.
Being Too Vague
A production team can make stronger creative decisions when it knows exactly who the video is supposed to reach.
Lack of Explanation
Sending reference videos with no explanation forces the team to guess, so tell them what you like about each example instead.
Forgetting Distribution and Deliverables
State where the video will be used and what versions you expect before filming begins.
Unclear Budget
Keeping the budget completely hidden doesn’t help either, since a workable range helps the team propose an idea that fits your actual resources.
Last-Minute Approvals
Bringing the final approver in too late can also cause problems, so make sure the person with final authority is aligned before major creative decisions are locked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a video production brief be?
For most small and mid-sized businesses, two to three pages is usually enough to cover the goal, audience, message, deliverables, style, logistics, budget, and timeline that a production team actually needs.
Do I need to write a script before contacting a production company?
No. A finished script before the production team is involved is one of the things you can leave to them. Your job is to define the goal, audience, and message, and they’ll build the concept and script from that direction. But having ideas for Call to actions, specific phrases or terms, even punch lines or jokes that pertain to the product/issue/service at hand are always helpful to have ready, not every pitch needs to have them in it, but these are must haves to help the creative team dial in on exactly what your looking for.
What if I don’t have an exact budget figure?
A workable range is still useful. Without any budget guidance, a team may propose something far more complex than you expected or make conservative assumptions that don’t match your ambitions. Having a budget, or budget range is crucial to production and creatives so we know how far we can take something before we run out of support ability and to allow them to have creative freedom without the fear of scaring you off, or missing the mark entirely.
Who should be named as the final approver in a brief?
One specific person with final authority, ideally someone aligned on the direction before major creative decisions are locked, since conflicting feedback from multiple stakeholders later in the process can slow down editing significantly.
Should I include reference videos in my brief?
Yes, but with a short note explaining what you like about each one, whether it’s the pacing, interview style, graphics, or overall tone. A link by itself leaves the production team guessing at what actually appealed to you.
Bring Us a Clear Brief and We’ll Build the Right Video at Big Boy Productions
The best video production brief is clear about what the business needs without trying to solve every production decision in advance. If the goal, audience, message, deliverables, style, logistics, budget, timeline, and approval process are clear, the production team has what it needs to start building the project. From there, it can turn your business requirements into the concept, script, filming plan, and finished video.
Once your brief is ready, share it with your video production partner and use it as the starting point for the discovery and pre-production process. Send us your brief and we’ll walk you through what happens next.
