Video brief template
A video brief as a finished document: placements, the hero cut, technique, sound, what exists, budget and dates. The specifications are worked out from what you pick.
For marketing teams and founders briefing a film, a campaign or a set of social cutdowns.
About 9 questions, mostly taps. Free, no account. About ninety seconds.
Start a motion or video briefThis is what a finished motion or video brief contains, with an example line in each section. Write it by hand from this, or answer the questions below by tapping and the page writes it for you.
The one thing that must not be got wrong
The constraint that overrides everything else. Put it first.
“The product name is Vela, pronounced VEE-la, and it must be said aloud once.”
What we are making
The kind of film and how many, in physical terms.
“One hero film and a set of cutdowns for social, from one shoot.”
Where it plays
Every placement. Each one is a deliverable with its own ratio, duration and sound rule.
“Instagram Reels, Meta feed, YouTube pre-roll. Reels is the hero cut.”
Specifications
Written for you from the placements. Ratio, pixels, duration, codec, sound, safe areas.
“Reels: 9:16, 1080×1920, 30–90s typical, MP4 H.264, sound on. Meta feed: 4:5, plays silent, captions required.”
How it is made
Live action, 2D, 3D, motion graphics on existing material, or not decided yet.
“Live action, one shoot day, with product stills we already have.”
Audience and objective
One person it is for, and one verb they should do.
“For a first-time buyer who has seen the product on a friend. They should tap through to the product page.”
Tone
Positions on three scales, not adjectives.
“Considered rather than energetic. Understated rather than bold. Warm rather than cool.”
References
Work to sit beside, and work to avoid, one reason each.
“Like the Hay spring film for its pace. Not like the Zalando spots; too fast for us.”
What exists
What the client already has, so the rest can be priced.
“Logo files, brand guidelines, product stills. No music licence, no script.”
Budget, dates, sign-off
A band, the live date, and who says yes.
“60–150k DKK. Live 24 October. Two people sign off; Mette decides a tie.”
Open questions
What the brief does not know yet, said plainly, so nobody guesses.
“Music not chosen. Voice-over language undecided: Danish only, or Danish and English.”
You answer the questions. The brief writes these.
- Ratio, pixels and duration per placement
- Codec and container
- Sound on or silent by default
- Safe areas and caption rules
- Minimum production window
- Adaptation count from the hero cut
Most video briefs fail before the first frame is cut, and they fail on arithmetic rather than on ideas. A brief that says "a short film for social" has not said how many films. Instagram Reels, Stories, the Meta feed and YouTube are four aspect ratios. Two languages doubles that. A producer who prices one master and three adaptations, and then learns it was supposed to be nine, has to reopen the budget on the day you wanted a first cut.
The document above is what a good video brief looks like when it is finished. You can write it by hand from the example lines, or answer the questions further down by tapping and let the page write it. Either way, the decisions below are the ones that move the quote, so they are the ones worth your attention.
The decisions that move the quote
Where it plays. Every placement is its own deliverable with its own ratio, duration ceiling and sound rule. Name them all, including the afterthoughts. The specifications are looked up for you; the count is what the producer prices.
Which cut is the hero. When placements span more than one ratio, one is shot and composed for, and the rest are adapted from it. A 9:16 hero re-framed to 16:9 is a different film from a 16:9 hero cropped to 9:16. Deciding this in the brief costs one tap. Deciding it after the shoot costs a reshoot.
How it is made. Live action, 2D, 3D and motion graphics on existing material are different productions with different crews, and the cost between the cheapest and the most expensive is roughly four to one. "Not sure yet" is an honest answer. Say it, so your designer knows they are being asked to propose rather than execute.
Whether there is a voice, and whether there is music. A voice means a script somebody writes. Licensed music means a territory and a term somebody negotiates. Meta feed and LinkedIn play silent by default, so anything there needs captions.
What already exists. Logo files, guidelines, typeface licences, footage, product stills, a music licence, a script. Every unticked item is a line in the estimate. Skipping this produces the sentence "we assumed you had that".
The budget band. Not a commitment. A signal about which of the four productions is on the table.
The live date, and what fixes it. A media booking is not a target. Put the date next to the technique, because they decide each other: live action needs about five weeks, 3D about six.
Who signs off. The number of people who must approve, with a named tiebreak, predicts the number of revision rounds better than anything else in the document.
Mistakes we see most
“A 30-second video for our channels.”
“Three placements: Instagram Reels (hero), Meta feed, YouTube pre-roll. Danish and English. Seven files including the master.”
The count was the missing number. Now the quote can hold.
“Style: premium, energetic, modern.”
“Considered rather than energetic. Understated rather than bold. Like the Hay spring film for its pace.”
Three positions and one reference with a reason, instead of three adjectives.
“Live by end of October if possible.”
“Live 24 October, fixed by the media booking. That is under three weeks from today. Tell us what would have to give for live action.”
A fixed date beside the technique lets the producer say early what fits.
Answer the questions below by tapping, and the brief writes the placements, the specifications, the deliverable count and the production window for you.
What it asks, and why.
- ScopeWhat are you making?
Leave it open and your designer prices the smallest reading of the job. Everything after that is a change request.
- ScopeWhere will it play?
Each placement is its own deliverable with its own ratio, duration and sound rules. Three placements briefed as one film is a threefold deliverable count nobody priced.
- CraftHow is it made?
Live action and 3D can differ four times over in cost. Leave it open and your designer quotes for the cheapest one.
- CraftWhat does this need?only when it applies
A shoot day means a producer, talent means casting, a location means permits. Unnamed, they arrive later as extras.
- CraftWhat kind of 3D?only when it applies
Photoreal 3D built from scratch is a different budget from stylised work on existing models.
- CraftIs there sound?
A voice means a script someone has to write. A commercial track means a territory and a term someone has to negotiate.
- LookWhat exists, and what must appear?
Every unticked asset is a line in the estimate. Skipping this produces the phrase 'we assumed you had that'.
- LookWho is this for?
A film for existing customers and a film for people who have never heard of you are different films.
- PracticalitiesBudget range
A band is a signal about which kind of job is on the table, not a commitment. Without one the designer guesses.
- PracticalitiesWhen does it go live?
A date only means something next to the minimum production window. If they do not fit, better to know now.
- PracticalitiesThe one thing that must not be got wrong
Every project has one. It is rarely written down because it feels obvious to the person who knows it.