The video brief (or specification) is the key to a successful corporate film. The more detailed it is, the more responsive our teams can be in providing you with a quote that meets your expectations. In this article, Solid Rusk Production shows you how to draw up a brief for a corporate film, the list of elements to include in the specifications, and the final working document used by all our directors on the day of shooting.
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Important points to include in the video brief
Here are the essential elements to include in a brief before sending it to thevideo production agency.
- A brief presentation of your company and its context
The video brief should begin with a brief presentation of your company. This will set the context and include elements of your brand, such as personality, philosophy, values, etc…
- Your offer
What is the phrase that best characterizes the benefit you offer your customers? How can you sum up what you offer?
For a videographer to produce a quality video that makes an impact and meets its objectives, he or she needs to know what you’re selling! Set the scene, introduce your brand, its personality and philosophy, etc.
Also, don’t hesitate to share your competitors’ video content to analyze what’s already been done and, of course, do it better or differently 😉. All information is good to understand your offer, and propose a successful corporate video!
- Your video’s objective
What are the objectives you want to achieve in response to your problem? How will this corporate video fit into your communication strategy?
- The message
The message you wish to communicate to your audience through your corporate video must be clear and adapted to your target audience. We advise you to answer these 5 questions: WHO / WHEN / WHAT / WHY / WHERE to be clear and make sure you’re providing the right information.
- The audience: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ⚠️
Who do you want to reach? Customers, employees, future collaborators or partners? Why do they need your products or services? Where will they watch your video? On which platform?
- The right tone
Offbeat, moving, corporate, reassuring, educational, light-hearted, dynamic… It’s up to you to choose the tone of your video! It’s this tone that will then define many elements of the production (voice-over, animation style, music chosen, etc.).
- Your expectations and tastes
By studying what your competitors have produced and giving us feedback on your previous audiovisual productions, you’ll help your service provider understand your tastes and style. Don’t hesitate to send us “reference” videos that inspire you and can guide the videographer in his proposal.
- People involved, extras, etc.
Don’t hesitate to include as many staff members as possible in the video! Not only will you save money on actors and extras, but you’ll also get more engagement when the video is posted on your social networks. At Solid Rusk Production, we’ve noticed over the years that when staff are integrated into the video there’s a lot more interaction, more shares, more views. And yes, we’re proud to see ourselves in our company’s video, so we want to share it with all our friends!
Keep this in mind: the more different people there are in the video, the more it will be shared. People like to see themselves on video and won’t miss the opportunity to share it on social networks. That said, don’t forget to get them to sign an image rights release form. You’ll find a number of templates online that you can easily modify, or we can suggest some for you.
Mr Regard 2021 campaign, for Horus Pharma. This video is a YouTube “pre roll” format, i.e. the advertising videos that appear before your video. The first few seconds are crucial. The offbeat tone attracts the curiosity of an audience eager to see their video.
Technical elements not to forget
The specifications for your corporate film must also include all the technical elements that will shape the video:
- Length, format and distribution channels: To communicate on LinkedIn and reach a more professional audience, opt for a long video. It will be viewed by people who have the time to properly analyze the video and obtain the necessary information. To reach a B-to-C clientele via Facebook and Instagram, or even TikTok, prefer a short, vertical format. With this type of format, you’ll reach people who don’t have the time to watch a long video, but who still want to see what you’re talking about.
- The resources you have at your disposal: documentation, videos made in the past, etc.
- The schedule to be respected: ideally, we advise you to draw up a retro-planning with the ideal deadline. This retro-planning will then be validated with the agency if the various stages required to produce your corporate film are compatible with the deadline.
Solid Rusk tips ☝️:
- It’s possible to make a long original corporate film, which can then be broken down into several shorter versions for social networks. Just ask your videographer 😉
- To avoid any surprises when you receive your quote, don’t hesitate to ask your videographer how long the shoot will take, depending on the length of your corporate film. This will give you a rough idea of the final budget.
BONUS 
A short digest of what went wrong on the set of “The Waiter’s Choice” for Indiana Café. Sometimes things don’t go as planned!
Last but not least, sending the formal offer
Once we’ve studied your brief and discussed it with you, Solid Rusk Production will send you a technical and financial proposal that includes: the purpose of the service request, a presentation of our agency Solid Rusk Production, the presentation of the project, the proposed operating procedure, the scenario with a detailed summary of the various associated plans, the deliverables, the equipment used and the proposed price. This document summarizes the entire request to ensure that everything is in phase before starting the production work.
Once validated and signed by the customer, it is this final document that will serve as the framework for the director and the teams present during the shooting of your corporate film.
To find out more, read our latest article on how to prepare for the shooting of a corporate film 😉
Here is an example of a detailed technical proposal for a scripted video. Drafting a script, which will be validated by the customer, enables us to establish a shooting schedule and define the associated costs.
Solid Rusk Production is a video production agency based in the south of France. Our videographers are experts in image and video capture for professionals based in Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Menton and Avignon.
Article written by Emeline l Prête-moi ta plume
