Planning guide ยท Corporate video
How to Write a Corporate Video Brief: A Practical Guide and Template
The brief decides more about a video than the camera does. A clear one gets you accurate quotes, a focused shoot and fewer rounds of edits. This guide walks through what to include, gives you a template to copy, and shows the mistakes that cost the most time.
Why the brief matters more than the budget
When a corporate video disappoints, the cause is rarely the camera, the crew or the edit. It is usually a question nobody answered at the start: who the video is for, what it should make them do, or who has the final say.
A written brief answers those questions once, in one place. It gives every production company the same information, so the quotes you receive can be compared fairly. It keeps your own team aligned when opinions differ. And it becomes the checklist you review the finished video against.
A good brief fits on one or two pages. It names one audience, one main message and one action, and it says who approves the final cut. Everything else is detail.
Answer three questions before you write anything
Most briefs go wrong because they start with the video (“we want a two-minute film with drone shots”) instead of the problem. Agree these three answers inside your team first.
- What problem is this video solving? For example, sales calls take too long to explain the service, new staff need the same induction every month, or buyers outside the UAE cannot visit the facility.
- Who exactly is watching? “Everyone” is not an audience. A procurement manager in Riyadh, a new warehouse hire and a retail customer on Instagram need three different videos.
- What should they do afterwards? Book a meeting, complete a safety step, visit the stand, request a quote. If you cannot name the action, the video will drift.
If your team gives different answers, that is useful. Settle it now, because it is far cheaper to settle in a document than in the edit.
The ten parts of a good video brief
Not every project needs every section in depth, but a brief that touches all ten rarely leaves a production team guessing.
1. Background
Two or three sentences about your company and why this video is being made now. A product launch, a new market, a rebrand or a recurring training need all change the approach.
2. Objective
One sentence that starts with a verb: “Help our sales team explain the service in under two minutes”, or “Show overseas buyers our production line without a site visit”. If you have two objectives, consider two videos.
3. Audience
Describe the viewer: their role, what they already know, what they doubt, and which language they are most comfortable in. In the UAE this often means planning for English and Arabic, or for subtitles in both.
4. Key message
The single idea a viewer should remember. Add up to three supporting points, ideally with proof such as a number, a client type or a process step. More than three and none of them land.
5. Where the video will be used
The channel shapes everything: length, framing and whether people watch with sound. List every place the video will appear.
| Where it plays | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Website or landing page | Landscape, usually with sound, room for a longer story |
| LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok | Vertical or square cut, captions burned in, the point made in the first seconds |
| Sales emails and proposals | Short, focused on one product or service, easy to share as a link |
| Trade show screens | Silent, readable from a distance, loops cleanly |
| Internal training or LMS | Clear chapters, on-screen text, subtitles for multilingual teams |
Say this up front. Filming landscape and vertical versions on the same day is far easier than reframing later.
6. Style and references
Share two or three videos you like and one you do not, and say why in one line each. “Calm and premium, like this one” is more useful than “modern and engaging”, which every brief says.
7. What and who is on camera
List the locations (office, factory, site, showroom), the products or processes to show, and the people who might appear. Note anything that cannot be filmed, such as confidential screens or restricted areas.
8. Deliverables
Spell out what you expect to receive: the main video and its rough length, short cut-downs, formats, subtitle languages, and whether you need the raw footage or still photos.
9. Timeline
Give the date the video must be live and any fixed dates in between, such as an event, a board meeting or a launch. Work backwards and leave time for at least two rounds of feedback.
10. Budget range and approvals
A budget range is not a trap. It lets production companies propose the right approach instead of guessing. Also name who gives feedback and who signs off. Most delays come from a senior reviewer seeing the video for the first time at the final stage.
Want a second pair of eyes on your brief?
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Copy-ready video brief template
Copy this into a document and fill in each line. Short answers are fine.
- Project name
- A working title for the video.
- Background
- Who we are and why we are making this video now.
- Objective
- This video should help [audience] to [action].
- Audience
- Role, location, language, what they know, what they doubt.
- Key message
- One sentence, plus up to three supporting points with proof.
- Channels
- Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, sales emails, event screens, internal training.
- Style references
- Two or three links we like, one we do not, and why.
- Locations and people
- Where filming can happen, who may appear, and what must not be shown.
- Deliverables
- Main video length, cut-downs, formats, subtitle languages, raw footage or photos.
- Timeline
- Go-live date, fixed dates, feedback rounds.
- Budget range
- A range we are comfortable with.
- Approvals
- Who gives feedback, who signs off, how quickly they can respond.
Six common brief mistakes
- Too many messages. Trying to cover every service in one video means the viewer remembers none of them. Split it into a main film and short focused cuts.
- No named audience. A video for “clients, staff and investors” ends up speaking to nobody in particular.
- Length decided before purpose. Decide the length after you know the channel and the message, not before.
- Missing the approver. If the person who signs off is not involved until the end, expect late changes that undo earlier work.
- No list of restrictions. Discovering on the day that a production area, a client logo or a screen cannot be filmed wastes shoot time.
- Vertical as an afterthought. If social media matters, plan vertical framing from the start, not as a crop of the landscape edit.
What happens after you send the brief
Still deciding who to send it to? Our guide on how to choose a corporate video production company in Dubai covers what to check, the questions to ask and the red flags in quotes.
A good production company should come back with questions, not just a price. Expect them to ask about anything unclear, suggest a structure or script approach, and explain what the budget covers. Their questions are a useful test: if nobody asks anything, the brief may not have been read closely.
Once you choose a team, the brief becomes the reference for the script, the shoot plan and every review. Keep it open during feedback and check each comment against the objective. If a change does not serve the audience or the message, it can usually wait.
If you are getting ready for the filming day itself, our guide on how to prepare your office, site or factory for a video shoot covers the practical side.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a video brief be?
One or two pages is enough for most corporate videos. What matters is that it names the audience, the main message, the action you want, the channels, the timeline and who approves the final cut.
Should I include a budget in my video brief?
Yes, a range helps. It lets production companies suggest an approach that fits instead of guessing, and it makes quotes easier to compare.
Do I need a script before contacting a production company?
No. Most production companies write or shape the script with you. A clear brief is more useful at the start than a draft script.
What is the difference between a brief and a script?
The brief explains what the video must achieve and for whom. The script sets out exactly what is said and shown. The brief comes first, and the script is written to meet it.
How many videos should one brief cover?
One main objective per video works best. A single brief can cover a main film plus short cut-downs for social media, as long as they share the same audience and message.
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