Emberhouse / A practical planning template
Video Project Brief Template
A clear brief gives everyone the same starting point: who the video is for, what it needs to accomplish, and what must be delivered.
You do not need every answer before contacting a production company. Use the template below to record what you know, identify open questions, and make the first conversation more useful. Copy the prompts into a document and complete them with your team.
Start with the decision the video needs to support
“We need a video” describes a format. A useful brief explains the situation: prospective clients do not understand a service, candidates need a clearer picture of the workplace, or a campaign needs a film for a specific offer.
Keep the primary objective focused. Secondary uses can be valuable, but they should not make the main message impossible to prioritize.
Your project brief
1. Project and point of contact
Organization: [Your business or team]
Project name: [A working title]
Primary contact: [Name and contact details]
Decision-makers: [Who reviews and who gives final approval]
2. The business objective
What prompted this project? [The problem, opportunity, or event]
Primary objective: [What the film should help accomplish]
Desired next step: [What the viewer should do or understand]
3. The audience
Who will watch? [Be specific]
What do they already know? [Existing context]
What do they need to understand? [The main information gap]
Where will they encounter the film? [Viewing context]
4. The message and evidence
Main takeaway: [One sentence]
Supporting points: [Two or three essentials]
Evidence available: [People, examples, demonstrations, or verified results]
Claims that need approval: [Anything requiring internal review]
5. Creative direction
Desired tone: [For example: warm, direct, thoughtful, energetic]
References: [Links and what you like about each]
Brand requirements: [Guidelines, logos, typography, or language]
Anything to avoid: [Visual or messaging boundaries]
6. Deliverables and distribution
Primary film: [Intended use and approximate running time, if known]
Additional edits: [Separate stories, cutdowns, or alternate openings]
Formats: [Horizontal, vertical, square, or supplied specifications]
Accessibility needs: [Captions, transcripts, or other requirements]
Distribution: [Website, internal use, social, paid advertising, events, or other uses]
7. Production requirements
Participants: [People who may appear]
Locations: [Known or proposed sites]
Existing assets: [Footage, photography, designs, scripts, or data]
Access and permissions: [Who can authorize filming]
Restrictions: [Confidentiality, safety, scheduling, or operational constraints]
8. Schedule and budget
Required release date: [Date and why it matters]
Possible filming dates: [Availability or fixed events]
Review availability: [Who needs time to respond]
Working budget: [A range, if available]
Must-haves versus optional items: [Priorities if scope needs adjusting]
9. Approvals and measurement
Approval process: [Who consolidates feedback]
Success measures: [Relevant outcomes you can actually track]
Usage or licensing questions: [Anything to clarify in the proposal]
Open questions: [What you need the production partner to help define]
Check whether the deliverables match the objective
A website introduction, an internal training film, and a short ad solve different problems. If the brief asks one film to do all three, identify the primary use and discuss whether separate edits or productions would work better.
For several assets from one production, read how to plan multiple videos from one shoot.
Be specific about references
Instead of only sending a video you like, explain which part is relevant: the interview style, visual atmosphere, pace, humor, or clarity of the explanation. A reference can guide a discussion without requiring the same budget or production approach.
Use meaningful measures of success
Choose measures that fit the project and your available reporting. A recruiting film might be assessed alongside candidate feedback or applications. An educational film might support fewer repeated questions. A campaign may have distribution and response measures managed by your marketing team.
A video alone does not control those outcomes. The offer, placement, audience, website experience, and follow-up also matter. Record what you intend to measure without treating it as a guaranteed production result.
What happens after you send the brief?
The production partner can clarify the objective, flag missing information, and develop an approach and scope. The proposal should establish the agreed work, deliverables, schedule, investment, and terms. Your brief informs that agreement; it does not replace it.
Explore Emberhouse’s production process, brand films, or commercial video production.
You do not need every answer yet.
Bring the objective, the audience, and the questions you are still working through. We can help define what the production needs.
Talk through your brief ↗