In video production, success often hinges on the strength of your creative brief. A well-crafted document serves as the guiding star for your team, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working towards a shared vision. Let's dive into the essentials of how to write a creative brief for video production for your next video project.
What is a video project brief?
A video project brief is a comprehensive document that outlines the objectives, key messages, and creative direction of a video production. It serves as a roadmap for the entire team, aligning efforts and ensuring a cohesive outcome. The purpose of a creative brief is to provide clarity, inspire creativity, and guide the production process toward achieving specific goals.
What's in a creative brief for video production?
1. Project Overview:
Briefly describe the project, its goals, and the desired outcome you hope to achieve.
This could be to convert prospects into customers, gain more interest in your product or service, inform your audience of something they may not know, or even train them on a process or behavior you want them to understand. Ultimately, it’s about the desired outcome or behavior you want from your audience - this usually comes down to 1 of 4 things:
- Buy Something
- Do Something
- Learn/Know Something
- Believe Something
Help your team, your video production partners, and all involved to understand the outcome you are trying to achieve with your audience through the end product.
2. Target Audience
Clearly define the demographic you want to reach, including their interests and preferences.
This may also include psychographic information, such as the things they may be thinking and feeling as they go through their buyer’s journey.
If you try to target multiple audiences with the same video, you may miss the opportunity to connect deeply with any of them.
Also, remember the old Chinese proverb, “He who chases two rabbits loses both.” You want to focus your messaging on a particular audience for the best impact. If you try to target multiple audiences with the same video, you may miss the opportunity to connect deeply with any of them. Ideally, you will create individual videos with particular messaging and consideration to achieve the best result.
3. Messaging: Uncover the Heart of Your Narrative
The lifeblood of every impactful video lies in the underlying narrative and core messaging. When thinking about creating the desired narrative for your video, consider the following:
- Is the critical information that needs to be communicated in your video?
- What emotions do you want to evoke in the watcher?
- Is there a specific story that needs to be told in the video?
- Any specific calls to action that need to be made?
Uncovering and communicating the nuances of your narrative will ensure that every frame contributes to the overarching message you wish to convey. The more detailed and explicit you are in this aspect, the more cohesive and impactful your video will be.
4. Tone and Style
It’s important to clearly articulate not just the desired mood but also the specific visual elements that will bring your brand and message to life.
Dive into the color palette, cinematographic techniques, and overall aesthetics that resonate with your target audience. By painting a vivid visual palette, you ensure that every frame contributes to your brand's identity.
5. Technical Specifications
Create a clear vision of your project by providing an in-depth breakdown of the technical requirements.
Specify the aspect ratio, frame rate, and special effects or visual elements crucial for your project. For example, today, it’s common for businesses to want both vertical and horizontal deliverables to serve the many marketing and distribution purposes for the content platforms. By offering a comprehensive technical blueprint, you equip your production team with the details needed to transform your creative vision into a visually stunning reality.
6. Budget and Timeline
Transparency is paramount when determining the budget and timeline of your video project. While considering the specifics of your budget constraints, outline not only the total allocated budget for your video production but also how it should be distributed across various aspects of production.
At the same time, try to establish realistic project deadlines and milestones. Providing a detailed budget and timeline empowers your video production partner or team to make informed decisions, ensuring a seamless and efficient production process.
7. Approval Process: Creating a Roadmap for Collaboration
In this crucial phase, it’s essential to clearly define the roles of each stakeholder, outlining their specific responsibilities and decision-making authority.
It’s critical to the project’s success to establish concrete milestones for feedback and ensure that the approval process becomes a roadmap for collaboration rather than a potential bottleneck. Ironing out these details will pave the way for effective communication and streamlined decision-making throughout the production journey.
What should not be in a creative brief?
Avoid unnecessary jargon, excessive details, or ambiguity. Keep the brief focused on essential information to ensure clarity and effectiveness.
What does a video brief look like?
A video brief is a structured document with distinct sections addressing the various aspects mentioned above. It's a clear, concise, comprehensive guide for the video production team.
How to Write an Effective Creative Brief for a Video Project (6 Steps)
1. Start with a Clear Objective: Carving the Path to Success
Begin the process by not only defining but intricately carving out the purpose and goals of your video project.
Provide a detailed breakdown of the overarching objective and specific goals.
- What outcomes are you expecting?
- What measurable impact do you want the video to have?
By delving deep into the specifics, you provide a roadmap that guides your entire team - and the video production company you partner with.
2. Know Your Audience: Create a Detailed Demographic Profile
Moving beyond a generic understanding, consider the intricate details of your target demographic.
Provide a detailed demographic profile, including:
- Age Ranges
- Interests
- Lifestyle Preferences
What makes your audience tick? Understanding these nuances allows you to tailor content precisely, ensuring it resonates and deeply connects with your intended viewership.
3. Craft Key Messages: Sculpting the Core of Your Narrative
The art of storytelling goes beyond the articulation of key messages; it’s a dive into the narrative structure, bringing out the essence of each message you want to convey.
Consider:
- Emotional tone
- Sequence of messages
- How they seamlessly weave into a cohesive story
This step is about sculpting the core of your narrative, ensuring that each key message resonates and contributes to the overarching theme of your video.
4. Define Tone and Style: Paint a Vivid Visual Identity
The visual identity you want to create will be more than a basic specification of mood and style.
The color palette, filming techniques, and specific visual elements that will embody your brand should be used in creating this. Provide reference materials or examples to ensure your creative vision is translated accurately. By painting a vivid visual identity, you set the stage for a video that communicates and captivates your audience.
5. Specify Technical Details: Craft a Comprehensive Blueprint
This step is not just about outlining video specifications but crafting a comprehensive blueprint for your video project.
Dive into the technical intricacies, specifying the aspect ratio, frame rate, resolution, and special effects or visual elements crucial to your vision. By providing a detailed technical blueprint, you equip your production team with the precise information needed to translate your creative vision into a reality - and visually appealing one at that!
6. Establish Budget and Timeline: Navigating the Financial Landscape
Beyond providing a total budget, break it down into specific pre-production, production, and post-production allocations. Establish realistic project deadlines and milestones. You enable your team to make informed decisions by giving detailed constraints and expectations, ensuring a seamless and efficient production process.
Why is a Creative Brief for a Video Important? Is a creative brief necessary?
A creative brief is vital because it sets the foundation for a successful video production journey. It aligns the team, guides creativity, and ensures the result meets objectives. A creative brief is necessary for a focused and successful video project that achieves your business goals.
A creative brief is also critical when comparing and contrasting multiple production companies to partner on the job with you. If you don’t have a video brief for your project for companies quoting on the job, you will have difficulty genuinely comparing companies on an apples-to-apples comparison. This is how you can ensure you get a fair assessment from all potential partners.
Elevate Your Video Projects with DVI
The first step toward a successful video project is crafting a winning creative brief. Contact a member of The DVI Group's Sales Team to discuss your upcoming project. We can help you build a creative brief. Of course, we would be happy to review a brief you have already developed. Let's bring your vision to life on the screen! Call 404.873.6283 or fill out our form. to schedule time with The DVI Group today!