How to write a creative brief for a film or photo shoot

A creative brief is the short document that tells a filmmaker or photographer what you need and why. It is the reference everyone returns to when choices get difficult on location or in the edit. A weak brief usually shows up later as extra rounds of revisions, missing shots or a film that nobody quite knows how to use.

The guide on briefing published by BetterBriefs and Mark Ritson with the IPA puts the test simply: a good brief contains everything you need and nothing you don't, and the brief itself should be kept brief.¹ For most film or photo shoots, two to three pages is enough. If it runs longer, the core idea is probably not yet clear.

Before you describe a single shot, write down what the film or photographs must achieve. The same guide calls objectives the most critical yet most poorly defined element of every brief.¹ "A three-minute video" is an output. "Persuade district health officers to adopt the new referral process" is an objective.

The UK Government Communication Service OASIS guide is a useful model here. It asks for objectives that are achievable, measurable, expressed numerically where possible and focused on outcomes rather than outputs, and it recommends keeping them SMART.² If you cannot say how you would know the film worked, the production team cannot design for success either.

Name the audience as precisely as you can. "The general public" gives a director almost nothing to work with. The IPA guide notes that audience definitions need to be meaningfully different from the population generally.¹ Say who they are, what they already know, which language they use, and where they will actually see the content: a conference screen, a WhatsApp forward or a ministry report.

Then give the team one key message. A single-minded brief contains only one key message.¹ Supporting facts can sit underneath it, but if the brief lists six priorities, the finished film will try to say six things and land none of them.

Add short notes on tone and references. Two or three links to films or photo essays you admire, with a sentence on what you like about each, save a great deal of guesswork. It also helps to say what you do not want, such as dramatic music, staged scenes or images that show people only as recipients of aid.

This is the part of a video brief template or photography brief that most often goes missing. List every asset you expect, with its length or quantity, format and destination. Production teams plan the shoot around this list, so changes after filming are expensive in time.

Include accessibility from the start. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative advises addressing accessibility in video content as the video is planned and produced, and developing a described version at the same time as the main video where one is needed.³ That means the brief should state which films need captions, transcripts, subtitles in other languages or audio description.

• Main film: running time, aspect ratio and language versions
• Cut-downs for social media, with platforms and lengths
• Photographs: approximate number, subjects and orientation
• Captions, subtitles, transcripts and audio description
• Raw footage or full photo selects, if you need them for an archive
• Usage: where, for how long and by whom the content will be used

Tell the team where filming will happen, who the contacts are on site and what access has already been arranged. Flag anything that needs official clearance: government buildings, health facilities, schools, airports or protected areas. Note the expected weather, travel times between sites and any days when key people are unavailable, because these shape the shooting schedule.

Aerial shots are a common example. In Rwanda, a permit is required to fly a drone recreationally or commercially, permits are issued by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, and Visit Rwanda gives an average processing time of two to four weeks for an activity permit.⁴ If drone footage matters to you, say so in the brief so the production company can apply in time or plan an alternative.

If real people will appear, the brief should say who will facilitate consent and how contributors will be approached. Bond's guidelines on ethical content describe informed consent as the cornerstone of ethical story production, and advise that a risk assessment should take place during the planning phase.⁵ They also recommend deciding in advance who is responsible for the consent process with contributors.⁵

Where children may be involved, Bond advises having a designated child protection focal point within the team, and states that contributors' wellbeing and safety should always take priority over the need for an image or a story.⁵ In our own practice, we ask clients to share their safeguarding policy with the brief, so the crew can follow it from the first day.

Name one person who signs off, and list everyone else who must review: technical experts, legal, partners or a donor. Set out the key dates, including shoot days, first cut, feedback rounds and final delivery, and say how many rounds of changes are expected.

Agree up front how the work will be judged. The IPA guide says agreeing on how ideas will be assessed is a crucial part of the process.¹ The OASIS guide recommends monitoring outputs, outtakes and outcomes and evaluating once the campaign is complete.²

Finally, talk it through. The same IPA guide warns that a brief sent only by email is an opportunity wasted.¹ A one-hour conversation with the director or photographer, with the brief open on the table, surfaces questions that a document alone never will.

• One measurable objective, focused on outcomes
• A precisely defined audience and where they will watch
• One key message, plus tone and reference examples
• A full list of deliverables, formats and languages
• Captions, transcripts and audio description planned
• Locations, contacts, permits and drone clearance
• Consent, risk assessment and safeguarding responsibilities
• Named approver, review rounds and key dates