A company video can introduce a business, explain a service, support recruitment or help a customer understand a product. Those are different jobs. Before discussing cameras, locations or music, decide which job this particular video needs to do.

A useful brief gives the creative team a clear problem to solve while leaving room to develop the idea. You do not need a finished script to start the conversation.

1. Define One Audience and One Next Step

Describe who will watch the video and what they already know. A potential customer discovering your company needs a different introduction from someone comparing two suppliers.

Then finish this sentence: “After watching, we want the viewer to…” The answer might be to understand a service, explore a product page or send a project enquiry. Choose a primary action so the message has a clear destination.

2. Replace Broad Claims with Something Visible

Words such as “quality” and “innovation” leave many creative decisions unresolved. List what a camera could actually show: a product detail, a step in your process, a person explaining a common question or the way your team prepares a delivery.

For example, a manufacturer might explain how a component is checked before dispatch. The point is to connect each claim with material the business can provide and approve.

3. Plan the Deliverables Before the Shoot

Write down where the material will appear: a website, a presentation, social media or an advertising campaign. Identify the main film and any shorter edits you need. Ask whether versions require different framing, captions, opening sequences or closing messages.

A close-up that works well in one composition may leave little room for a different crop. Discuss these uses before production so the shoot can include suitable alternatives. If the final channels are still undecided, say so in the brief rather than treating every possible version as included.

4. Bring the Brand into the Conversation

Share your logo files, guidelines, website and a few examples of existing communication. Explain which elements should continue and which feel out of date. Photography, typography, pacing and sound should support the same character.

Our article on building a visual identity beyond the logo explains how these choices connect across formats. References are useful when you explain what you like about them: the lighting, simplicity, rhythm or clarity of the explanation.

5. Agree Who Supplies and Approves What

Name one contact who can gather feedback and confirm decisions. List available people, products and locations, along with any access restrictions or permissions that need arranging. Identify who will check factual statements and approve the script before filming.

Include the intended deadline, the event or launch behind it, and an available budget range if you have one. These details help shape a realistic production proposal. Agree the scope of revisions and delivery files before work starts.

Start with a Short Written Brief

Send your audience, objective, main message, planned uses, available material and timing. A few clear paragraphs can provide a useful starting point for discussing the creative approach and project scope.

Sense Art is based in Vörå, Finland, and works with businesses in the Vaasa region and across Finland. Local meetings and visits can be arranged in advance; online collaboration is also available. To discuss a video, photography or creative production project in English, email info@senseart.pro or send a WhatsApp message.