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Public Affairs and Communications (PubCom)

Video Production Brief

A video production brief will help you define the scope of your project–so that everyone from stakeholders to production crew, will have a clear understanding of the vision, the strategy, and the goals. You can refer back to this brief to help you answer questions about the look and feel, right tone to use, level of familiarity that can be assumed, and so on.

Tips for Creating a Video Production Brief
  1. Understand your audience. You may want your audience to know everything about your subject, but what’s in it for them? Think about what would be necessary to get them to take precious time out of their day to watch your video.
  2. Keep it relevant, and get to the point. The goal is not to capture every detail about the subject. Craft a document that will serve as a useful and succinct guide for the members on your video team.
  3. Gather input from all stakeholders. By including all stakeholders, you increase your chances of gaining their buy-in as you move forward with the video.
 Reference Materials and Brand Checklist
  1. Identify and email background materials to provide more context (“About” documents; other materials you have developed or that your audience has seen; competitor information, etc.) to videoproduction@lclark.edu. 
  2. Check out PubCom’s Logo and Brand Guide to ensure that your materials express the Lewis & Clark brand appropriately.
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Give a short overview of the story that you want told and why you want to tell it.
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List your target audience (and no more than 2-3 primary audiences) and how your audiences will engage with the piece/how the video will be shared. Give thought to what your audience cares about when considering your message.
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What is the single most important message you want your audience to get from this piece? What are secondary messages that you hope to communicate? Is there something you want your audience to do when the video is over? How is that call to action communicated?
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Describe the tone of the writing and the imagery; the feelings you are trying to evoke; and the impression you hope to convey. Is it formal? ? Casual? Funny? Serious? Outline how you want the finished video to look and give an example of a similar video that you like. For example, is the video mostly b-roll with voice-over, or just an interview with multiple camera angles? You can also note video pacing, tone, and the emotional effect it should have on your audience.
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Who will appear on camera for this video, and what will their roles be? What other visuals are needed for this video?
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What is the overall budget for the project?
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When does this video need to be completed? Are there any timing considerations (ie. scheduling of key interviews) that need to be considered when building a project timeline?