Before the shoot: what your production team needs

A clear idea before the shoot reduces revisions and helps the team capture what serves your goal. A production brief is a practical agreement about the message, required shots, and where the video will be used.

Choose one main message

Write down what a viewer should understand or do after watching. Are you introducing a service, explaining an experience, or building familiarity with your brand? Choose a central idea you can summarise in one sentence. Gather the customer questions the video should answer and prioritise them. Too many messages in one short video can make each message harder to remember.

Share your brand and useful references

Share the available logo, colours, fonts, and references, with a reason for each reference. You may like the pacing of one film and the lighting of another. This is more useful than asking for a complete copy. Explain what does not fit your brand, provide the correct product and service names, and identify who can approve the script before filming.

Prepare the shot list and delivery needs

Agree on the location, people on camera, products, and essential details to capture. Tell the team early if you need vertical and horizontal versions, captions, voiceover, or still images. Coordinate access and setup with the location manager and arrange appropriate permissions for people appearing in the film and materials being used.

Agree on review and delivery

Nominate one person to consolidate feedback and use timestamps to identify changes. Check facts, names, and on-screen text before final approval. Agree on the formats, sizes, and publishing destinations, and keep approved versions somewhere easy to find. This helps the shoot support the wider content plan and makes future reuse easier.