A useful production brief does not need to sound like an advertising pitch. It needs to help another person understand what you are trying to make, who needs to watch it and what must happen next. You can send it as a document or a clear email. The thinking matters more than the layout.
At iChill Productions, our Services & Rates page is a starting point for scope, not a reason to squeeze every project into the same shape. A good brief helps you decide whether you need existing footage edited, a faceless video made or a production planned for a shoot.
Start with one job for the video
Write the decision you want the viewer to make. “We need content” leaves too much unanswered. “We want visitors to understand how the product works before they open the product page” gives the creative team something concrete to solve.
Choose a primary action. A recruitment film, a product explanation and a paid ad can all use moving images, but they ask for different scripts. If you need several pieces, separate their purposes in the brief rather than asking one film to carry every message.
Define how you will judge the work too. It may be accuracy, clarity or whether the finished files fit a planned campaign. Sales and views depend on more than the film, so they should not become production guarantees.
Describe the audience as people
Explain what your intended viewer already knows, what they doubt and what question they need answered. Include the market and language. A video for someone comparing suppliers can start further into the subject than a video introducing an unfamiliar category.
Avoid a long string of demographic labels with no connection to the story. “First-time buyers who cannot tell which size fits their space” is useful. It suggests a demonstration and a comparison. “Everyone online” gives the writer no basis for choosing what to leave out.
Specify the files and where they will appear
List the platforms and placements, then the intended length and orientation for each deliverable. A vertical feed video and a website hero film are different viewing situations. Captions, screen space and the opening image all need thought before the edit begins.
Say whether you need a finished video, scripts only, caption files or several versions. Distinguish a new edit from a simple export. If a paid-ad version needs different wording or visual clearance, put that in the brief rather than discovering it during delivery.
If you do not know the right format, describe the placement and ask for a recommendation. Uncertainty stated early is useful information.
Use references to explain choices
Send a small selection of references and explain what each one demonstrates. You might like the calm narration in one video, the product close-ups in another and the pace of a third. Those notes are more helpful than “make something like this”.
State what you dislike as well. Perhaps you do not want fast transitions, exaggerated claims or a presenter. References communicate direction; they do not grant permission to copy another company’s footage, music, script or visual identity.
Our portfolio gives context for the studio’s work. The separate sample-work collection contains concept pieces and fictional brands. Use those examples to discuss format and treatment, not as evidence of a real client’s campaign results.
Tell us what already exists
Make a simple asset inventory. Include logos, approved product photographs, footage, brand guidelines, previous scripts and any source information the writer should trust. Say which assets are final and which are placeholders.
Check permissions before sharing files. A photograph found online is not automatically cleared for advertising. If people appear in supplied footage, explain whether you have the permissions needed for the intended use. Flag private information and material that must not appear publicly.
Product facts deserve their own source. Give the current specification sheet or approved page, and name the person who can verify a claim. This is especially helpful when old packaging and new website copy disagree.
Separate the deadline from the launch date
Give the launch date, the date you need final files and any dates when your team cannot review. If a film depends on access to a location or a particular performer, include that constraint too.
Name the decision-maker and explain how feedback will arrive. Several reviewers can contribute, but conflicting comments need one consolidated answer. A brief should also identify approvals that sit outside the creative team, such as brand or legal review.
Tell us your budget band without inventing precision. Explain what it must cover, including whether filming, talent or multiple versions are expected. The team can then discuss a realistic scope instead of preparing a proposal for an entirely different project.
A brief you can copy
Use these prompts as a working document:
- What are we making, and what action should it support?
- Who will watch, in which language, and what do they already know?
- Where will it run, and what files or versions do we need?
- What must we say, and which sources approve those facts?
- Which references explain the tone, and what should we avoid?
- What assets and permissions do we have?
- What are the budget band, review dates and final deadline?
- Who approves the scope and the finished work?
Send the brief before you settle on a package
iChill is a 24/7 production house in Pasig/Manila, working across time zones. The former cafe is permanently closed; this is a production inquiry, not a venue reservation. For projects that involve a shoot, explore our film production services alongside the current packages.
Send your brief through the project inquiry form. Include what is known and mark what still needs a decision. Scope and price are confirmed in writing before work starts, so the first conversation can focus on making the right work.