Many feel that simple extensions to the regular advertising brief format work well when briefing agencies and production houses on films and audio-visual projects. But this is not true.
Like when you plan a digital campaign, your brief is tweaked to the medium; similarly, your brief needs to be customized when working on audio-visuals.?
I can't stress enough that audio-visuals are a mix of art and science. And science requires a method and process to be followed.
- Background
- Business Objective
- Marketing/communication objective
- Specifics of the target audience - demographics and psychographics (which play an even more crucial role in AVs)
- Reasons to believe (again, for an AV brief, it is essential to not only understand the quantitative parameters but also the qualitative ones)
- Technical content that needs to be included (including a single-line proposition/message)
- The desired CTA or leave behind the thought
- The timeline. Project planning is always done basis the time available at hand with the reverse integration method. A day less, and the team working on the project will plan very differently. A day more and some processes can be thought through and executed better. Lack of a timeline can also make projects tizzy as indecisiveness takes over, ruining enthusiasm and creative spirit.
- Budgets. The overall production value can sometimes be significantly enhanced if the budget can be stretched, even slightly. How? Processes like colour correction and sound design cost a fraction of the overall budget but add exceptional value.
- Usage. Will the AV link be dispatched over email? Is the MD/CEO going to play it to the audience? Will a diverse set of audiences see the AV across different venues? The exact nature of the display of the end output helps shape the narrative, making it more impactful and suited for the defined purpose. It helps you get more bang for your buck!?
- Preferred technique or treatment, if any. I detailed the various kind of techniques in another article. I suggested the approaches to identify the right one for your project. Suppose a preference for the technique or treatment is announced alongside the brief. In that case, it helps the agency or production house to begin their planning better. They can judge whether the client's preference matches the overall requirement. They can also do a significant value add by creatively enhancing/tweaking or suggesting a change in the technique itself.
- A relatively accurate reference, preferably in video format. Whilst selecting a treatment helps understand the overall zone, choosing a precise reference is like giving the GPS coordinates. Selecting a reference is the natural next step in identifying what your end output may look like. The entire project could be in a singular treatment, or each component of the project could have a different treatment (like in mixed media projects)
- A decision between having a voice-over or running with text-on-screen. If the project is in live-action treatment, then the need to ponder this aspect does not arise. Otherwise, it is vital to make a decision during the briefing stage. The work that precedes will be shaped based on this decision. If the project is to only have text-on-screen, then the writing process and art team's design approach change accordingly. Suppose the project is to have a voice-over. In that case, the tonality will dictate the scriptwriting process, the choice of voice-over artist has to be made well in time, and the selection of music has to gel well with the voice-over.
I am sure if all above are considered and well in time, you will have a successful project in your hands.
Here is a link to a elaborate but ideal audio-visual brief. Feel free to download and use. Do note that this is purely indicative so you must add what you have and initiate a dialogue with your agency or production house on the rest.
If you have any doubts, please feel free to comment below. I will try to answer every query.
