Related: Our branding & design work · Start a projectThe single cheapest way to make a better film is also the most overlooked: a great creative brief. Most budget overruns and disappointing results trace back to a brief that was vague, bloated, or missing entirely. Here's what a strong brief includes — and why getting it right pays for itself many times over.
Start with the goal, not the deliverable
"We need a 60-second video" is a deliverable. "We need to convince mid-market CFOs that our product pays for itself" is a goal. The goal is what lets a creative team make smart decisions about tone, story, and format. Lead with what you want to change, not what you want to receive.
Name the audience — specifically
"Everyone" is not an audience. The more precisely you describe who this is for — their world, their objections, what they already believe — the sharper every creative choice becomes. A film aimed at one real person always outperforms a film aimed at no one.
Say what success looks like
Define the outcome up front: more qualified leads, a shift in perception, a launch that lands. Agreeing on the metric before production means everyone is building toward the same thing — and no one is reverse-engineering success afterward.
Give constraints, not just wishes
Budget range, deadline, must-include elements, brand rules, and hard nos. Constraints aren't the enemy of creativity — they're what focus it. A brief that hides the budget or the deadline just guarantees a painful surprise later.
Leave room for the idea
The best briefs are specific about the problem and generous about the solution. Tell your team what needs to be true; let them surprise you with how. That balance — tight on goals, open on execution — is where great work comes from.
Planning a project? A 30-minute conversation about your goal is the best brief there is — and we're happy to have it.