How to write a brand film brief your production team can use

Start with one audience and one next step

Name the person you most want to reach. A prospective customer meeting your business for the first time needs different context from an existing customer.

Choose one main action, such as booking a conversation, visiting a service page or introducing your team to a potential partner.

A simple starting point: Audience: prospective customers. Message: how our team approaches a project. Next step: request a call. Replace each part with your own answer.

Say what the viewer needs to understand

Write a sentence about what you want someone to remember. Share what makes your work meaningful and which part of your story will help this audience understand it. You do not have to fit your entire company history into one film.

Find the evidence

Think about the people and scenes that can show your message: a team at work, a customer describing their experience, a process on location or a detail that says something about your work. Ask permission before featuring a customer and agree on what can be shown.

Choose the people and places

List likely interviewees and the locations that matter. Note access, hours, sound concerns, safety requirements and whether work will continue during filming. Your production team can help shape a realistic schedule around the people and places available.

Plan where the film will live

A film for a homepage may need different framing or supporting edits from a video used in a presentation or a social campaign. List the main version and any shorter or vertical versions you need, together with captions and delivery formats. Discuss music, footage and usage rights before production.

Name an approver and deadline

Tell the team who will gather feedback, who has final approval and when the film is needed. Share brand guidelines and examples you like, and explain what you like about them.