NDY2 Creative Media Production

Unit 5: Four types of brief

Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Understanding the requirements of working to brief

Introduction
This report will be looking at different types of professional briefs that are used
within the creative and media industry. Inside will be examples of the different
types of briefs you can be given in the media sector and an accompanying
example of how I have encountered each type of brief.

Different types of brief

Formal Brief

A formal brief is a type of brief that will almost always include a series of
contracts, budgets and deadlines. A formal brief will always brief the client on
the very specific needs that need to be completed, giving you a clear idea of the
product they want to create and set ideas and steps towards completing it.
Anything that deviates from the task that has been set for A formal brief can
come in the form of a tender, contract or commission.

Advantages of a formal brief

 The client has strict controls and instructions for you to follow
throughout the project.
 A budget for the filmmaker to follow along with and ensures that
the project gets created without the filmmaker needing to pay out
of pocket for any equipment.
 The client and the filmmaker will agree on a deadline, one that
must be followed and will help the structure of the production find
it’s legs.
 A formal brief will never be changed without being consulted,
meaning that even if you are not in contact, you can be sure that
your work is not being put to waste.

Disadvantages of a formal brief

 A formal brief can never be changed which means that everything
is fixed and there is very little wiggle room for the filmmaker to
insert their own creativity.
 The production company and filmmaker’s ideas for what the shoot
would be like can clash, meaning the filmmaker might need to
sacrifice their own creativity to get the project finished.
 The client might hold unrealistic expectations, meaning they could
become disappointed in the product they receive, even though the
filmmaker hasn’t been given the needs for the product they
envisioned.
 The product could be delayed due to unforeseen events, putting
the deadline in jeopardy.

Creative Media 1 Understanding four

types of brief
 NDY2 Creative Media Production
Unit 5: Four types of brief
Tutor: Faustina Starrett

When the two parties, the client and the production team, meet, they will
establish a proposal which will include a list of requirements for the fore coming
project that the client has come up with and specific information on how it will
be completed.

As the pre-production process begins, a treatment is created. This contains the

filmmakers vision for the product from the information they have been given
from the initial proposal by the client. This will give the client a good idea of
what they should expect when they get the product in its fully completed state.

The next thing that is discussed is the deadline. A deadline has to be suitable to
both parties as there needs to be a realistic expected date as the client needs to
have the product by a certain date and the production team needs enough time
to work on the product to get it to the level that is required.

Lastly, the main thing left to discuss is the budget. The budget is very important
as it can make or break the project from the beginning. A budget will usually
include the cost to rent the equipment needed, travel costs, food costs and wages
for the entire team involved in the project.

In the end, the contract will ensure that every party involved are safeguarded if
perhaps one of the other parties decide to change the agreement in any way. This
is the biggest advantage of having an informal brief compared to an informal
brief.

Creative Media 2 Understanding four

types of brief
 NDY2 Creative Media Production
Unit 5: Four types of brief
Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Informal Briefs
An informal brief is typically an agreement between two people without a
specific contract. In the creative media industry, this is typically made
between a client and a filmmaker. The client will provide the filmmaker
with some sort of idea they want to have produced and the filmmaker is
usually the one that handles everything from that moment forward.
Because it is an informal brief, there is usually no budget or exact
deadline involved. Though, if they are a necessity, they can be discussed
between the client and the filmmaker. Typically, the filmmaker is allowed
complete creative freedom on informal briefs, leading them to be able to
flex their capabilities more.

Advantages of an informal brief

 When you are working under an informal brief, there is much
more communication between the client and the filmmaker as they
are usually somebody that they already know in their life, making
it easy to communicate.
 The filmmaker gets to have more creative control over the product
as they are not bonded by legal contracts telling them to do one
thing or another.

Disadvantages of an informal brief

 Without a contract, sometimes it is harder to get across to the
client what the product is supposed to be.
 Without a proper budget, it may be hard to create a product that
lives up to the client’s original thought.
 Without an exact deadline, it could leave the client to get anxious,
leading to them asking you about the project while you are busy.

Though, there is more similarities in an informal brief to a formal brief than you
are lead to think. Firstly, you will always have to have a proposal to make sure
that both parties are on the same page. Treatments and scripts are always
needed along with other pre-production paperwork to make sure that they are
keeping themselves on the right track. Even though it is an informal piece of
work, it would be a bad idea to not be prepared.

Creative Media 3 Understanding four

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 NDY2 Creative Media Production
Unit 5: Four types of brief
Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Four Types of Brief

Tender

A tender brief, which is sometimes called an RTF (Request For Tender) is a

formal brief in which a client sends an open invitation to the public, meaning that
anyone can apply, no matter the level of notoriety or influence you have within
that industry. In the creative media industry, a tender is a brief that a client will
give a basic outline of the product they would like to have made and make it
public and from here the film makers and production companies will pick up on
it and submit applications to be contracted by the client for the creation of the
product. From here, the client will choose the applicant that they feel is the best
for the job.

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-London:-Advertising%2C-
propaganda-and-information-film-and-videotape-production./J72G5AVT43

The link above is a tender I found on the website www.delta-esourcing.com. The

tender is from the University of London, where they want a professional video
made that shows Advertising, propaganda and information film and videotape
production. The contract would span 36 months (3 years) but does not include a
salary or any kind of payment on the contract. The location that the tender will
take place is Inner London – East and the contract is subject to renewal.

https://oharajack.weebly.com/brexit-project.html

The link above is an example of a tender that I have personally (group)

responded to in collaboration with the Nerve Centre and the North West
Regional College. We were tasked to create a product based around Youth Voices
in Brexit. The group I was a part of decided to show how we felt about it in a
series of comedic sketches, showing that we felt that it was a joke in the end. For
more information on the project, please look at the link above!

Advantages of a tender brief

It gives a wide variety of different people with different artistic styles to apply for
a job, meaning that the client could possibly pick up new ideas or change their
approach because of the person they have hired.

Disadvantages of a tender brief

Sometimes they might not get the response that they were looking for with the
tender and might not end up getting to make the project they wanted to make
whenever it is eventually given back to them in its finished state.

Commission

Creative Media 4 Understanding four

types of brief
 NDY2 Creative Media Production
Unit 5: Four types of brief
Tutor: Faustina Starrett

A commission brief is whenever an organization, company or client goes to a

specific filmmaker or production company and offers them the opportunity to
work on a project or product for them. This brief is usually a formal brief and will
involve a contract and other paperwork. After they have contacted the person
they want to carry out the project, the client will then provide them with a clear
vision for the product and will also offer guidance and feedback throughout the
production period. The client will also always provide the filmmaker with a
wealth of information about the product such as target audience, the style of the
product and everything down to the miniscule details.

A tender is likely a filmmaker’s first job. However, that tender can lead to the
filmmaker getting recognition, meaning that they will soon be approached with
different commissions. These commissions are usually handed out by television
broadcasters like the BBC or Sky. They will pay you to complete a media product
for them based around an idea that they have had.

In the link provided is a base template for a commission brief between two
parties. It highlights everything that is agreed upon by both parties and what
they will carry out to fulfil their contract together.

https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/annex_1_agreement_for_com
missioning_film-maker_final.pdf

An example of a commission that I carried out would be an interview that I

carried out for Churches Trust. It was a part of my Communication module and
can be viewed at the link below.

https://oharajack.weebly.com/unit-two-communication-techniques.html

Advantages of a commission brief

Whenever a company approaches you with a commission, it usually means that

they are already familiar with the type of work that you do and are likely to
suggest or ask you to do something similar for them.

Disadvantages of a commission brief

If you are commissioned to do a piece of work, there is a chance that they will ask
you to do something out of your comfort zone as you don’t have full creative
control. In the end, this may hurt the product because of it.

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 NDY2 Creative Media Production
Unit 5: Four types of brief
Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Contractual

A contractual brief is the agreement between a client and a

filmmaker/production company. This is the most formal brief there is. A contract
could also be part of a tender, commission or competition brief. The agreement is
based around the product they want to have created. In this contract is usually
stated the product they want created, the budget of the project, the expectations
for the project and the guidelines that they will provide for the project. This is
usually saved for productions of a higher importance like commercial
advertisements or feature (or above) length films. This is done so that both
parties involved will be safeguarded in case something goes wrong in the
process.

Attached in the link below is an example long term contract that has been
previously handed out by the BBC to one of their employees. We get a realistic
look at what sort of conditions and clauses are discussed and agreed upon in a
contract, such as total gross fee, the term length and everything in between that.
If any of the clauses are broken by any party, legal action may be taken.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/contributors/LTC_IND_GROSS.pdf

An example of a contractual brief I took part in is for the Royal Television Society
(RTS) Competition. We decided to make a short film/documentary on what a
creative minded person went through throughout the period of lockdown and
how they coped with it. It can be found at the link below.

https://oharajack.weebly.com/lockdown-on-creativity.html

Advantages of a contractual brief

 Once a contract is signed, the agreement has to be fulfilled or else there
will be serious legal action.
 There is a potential for a higher budget because of the agreement.
 You will have guaranteed work until the project is complete.

Disadvantages of a contractual brief

 There is less flexibility in the project once a contract is signed.
 Once a contract is signed, you cannot back out of the project until it is
completed.

Creative Media 6 Understanding four

types of brief
 NDY2 Creative Media Production
Unit 5: Four types of brief
Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Competition

A competition brief is a formal brief that an organization will give out to different
production companies or educational centers in hopes that applicants will make
a product that suits their needs while also offering a cash prize in return for the
top applicants. This is good for any applicant as they will get to add to their
showreel and get recognition from it if they place in any of the top spots. The
organizers will issue the brief with specific details of the product that will
include the theme or topic, the deadlines, the run-time and the competition
prizes. A competition can usually be varied as it allows the most amount of
creative potential from the applicant. Though, they will usually have some sort of
vague theme to match along with what they are trying to accomplish.

Living here in Derry, we have always been exposed to media competitions.

Ireland’s growing film and television exposure has been growing over the last
decade and the Foyle Film Festival has played a big role in it. The Foyle Film
Festival is Northern Ireland’s only Oscar affiliated film festival and it runs
competitions on a yearly basis. In the link below is the competition for 2020.

https://www.foylefilmfestival.org/content/industry

An example of a competition I took part in was NICMAS. For this competition, we

created a music video along the River Foyle for a Music Video for the song “Down
by the River” by Milky Chance. It can be found in the link below.

https://oharajack.weebly.com/music-video.html

Advantages of a competition brief

 There is no limit to how many people can enter, meaning that no matter
what, your entry will get looked at and judged.
 If your film or entry is chosen, you might get selected for more projects
because of it. If you don’t win, you can still use portions of it in your
highlight reel.
 You can express your creativity as much as you want as long as it fits in
with the competition’s guidelines.

Disadvantages of a competition brief

 You might not get complete creative control over your entry depending
on whoever is running it as it has to fit a general theme or style.
 You will have a lot of other aspiring filmmakers or potentially even
established filmmakers putting their own pieces of work into a
competition, meaning it will be very competitive.
 Your confidence may be lowered if your film is not selected for the top
spots of the competition.

Creative Media 7 Understanding four

types of brief
 NDY2 Creative Media Production
Unit 5: Four types of brief
Tutor: Faustina Starrett

Bibliography:

https://lawpath.com.au/blog/what-is-a-formal-contract

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/informal-business-contract-60859.html

https://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/tender-for-a-contract/

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-London:-Advertising%2C-
propaganda-and-information-film-and-videotape-production./J72G5AVT43

http://britishfilmcommission.org.uk/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/how-we-commission

https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/annex_1_agreement_for_com
missioning_film-maker_final.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/contributors/contracted-how

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/contributors/LTC_IND_GROSS.pdf

https://www.socialsamosa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Social-Media-
Contract-Samples.pdf

https://www.intofilm.org/competitions

https://www.foylefilmfestival.org/

https://www.foylefilmfestival.org/content/industry

Creative Media 8 Understanding four

types of brief