Video production
How to Write a Video Brief That Saves Time and Gets Better Results
Updated July 23, 2026
A good video brief answers five questions: what goal you're chasing, who you're talking to, the single message you want to land, where it will be seen, and the tone you want. Add visual references and constraints, and you give the production company a solid base to get it right the first time.
Start with the goal, not the video
Before thinking about shots or music, define what you want to achieve. Attract clients, explain a product, strengthen your brand, train a team? The same message is told very differently depending on the goal. Write a single sentence that starts with an action verb: «Get website visitors to request a demo». That goal becomes the compass for every creative and technical decision that follows, and it stops the project from filling up with pretty but irrelevant ideas that dilute the final result.
Define your audience and single message
Describe who the video is for in detail: industry, role, level of knowledge, what worries them. Speaking to a CFO is not the same as speaking to an end user. Then boil it down to one sentence: the single idea you want them to remember when it ends. If you try to convey five messages, none of them sticks. A single, clear, concrete message guides the script, the length and the pace, making the piece work both for the viewer and for your business goals.
Specify format, channel and tone
A video for your homepage, for LinkedIn or for a trade fair needs different lengths, framing and styles. State where it will be published, in what ratio (horizontal, vertical, square) and roughly how long it should run. Define the tone too: warm, corporate, energetic, elegant. References help here: share two or three videos you like and explain what appeals to you about each. At Bostak Films we use that material to align expectations before shooting and to sharpen the creative direction from day one.
Close with deliverables, deadlines and constraints
Put in writing what you expect to receive and when: the main version, social cuts, subtitles, languages. Add key dates, especially if a launch or event drives the calendar. Include the real constraints: mandatory brand logos and colours, people who must or must not appear, available locations, legal disclaimers. The clearer these red lines are, the fewer surprise revisions later. A brief with defined deliverables and limits turns an open-ended idea into a concrete, executable assignment everyone can plan around.
Keep the brief short and alive
The best brief fits on one or two pages. It's not a legal document, it's a tool to think together. Write it, share it with the production company and let yourself be corrected: a good team will ask questions that sharpen the assignment. Treat it as a living document that adjusts after the first creative meeting. If something changes (timeline, channel, message), update it. A shared, up-to-date brief is the best guarantee that everyone is rowing in the same direction through to final delivery.
FAQ
How do I write a good brief for a corporate video?
Answer five questions: the video's goal, the audience you're addressing, the single message you want to land, where it will be seen, and the tone you want. Add visual references, deliverables, deadlines and brand constraints. With that, a production company can get it right the first time.
What must a video brief never leave out?
The business goal, the audience, the core message, the publishing channel, an approximate length, the desired tone, and brand constraints. Visual references and key dates round out a genuinely useful brief that a production team can act on.
How long should a video brief be?
Ideally one or two pages. A short brief forces you to prioritise the essentials and gets read in full. A brief, clear document beats a long one that nobody finishes reading or actually applies to the work.
Do I need a finished brief before contacting a production company?
No. A draft with the essentials is enough to start. A good production company will ask questions that sharpen the assignment and help complete the brief in the first creative meeting, so treat it as a living document.
Got a project in mind?
We tell stories in video end to end — production, filming and post-production.
Let's talkKeep reading