Start with the change you want to make
A useful brief explains what the audience should understand, feel or do after watching. “We need a one-minute animation” describes an output. “We need publishers to understand how listeners can become subscribers” describes a communication problem. The second gives a creative team something to work with.
You do not need a finished script to begin. You do need a clear sense of the audience and the main message. If several messages compete for attention, put them in order. That helps everyone see which idea should lead and which information can live somewhere else.
Tell us who will be watching
Describe who will see the film and what they already know. Someone discovering a product for the first time needs a different introduction from a specialist audience at an industry event. Tell us where the film will appear, too. A presentation with sound, a social feed and a mobile app are different viewing situations.
Include practical information: the target length, deadline, available budget, required versions and any brand guidelines. Share legal or factual wording that must be accurate. If a claim needs internal approval, flag it early rather than adding it when the animation is nearly finished.
References are a conversation
Reference films are useful when you explain what you like about them. Is it the warmth of a character, the graphic simplicity, the humour or the pacing? Those qualities may be achievable through several visual approaches. Asking for an exact replica makes it harder to develop something that belongs to your brand.
Share references you do not like if they reveal a real constraint. “Too childish for our audience” is useful. “We dislike this colour because it belongs to a competitor” is useful too. Keep the reference list focused so that it describes a direction rather than every possible direction at once.
Explain who will make decisions
Tell us who will review the work and who gives final approval. Include any existing artwork and explain whether you have permission to use it. List translations, subtitles and different screen formats you will need.
Before sending the brief, ask someone outside your organisation to read it. Can they describe the main purpose in one sentence? If not, simplify the opening. Leave the creative team room to work out how to tell the story.
Copy this starter brief
Fill in the prompts below before approaching a studio. “Not decided yet” is a useful answer: it shows us what we still need to work out together.
Example objective: “Help first-time users understand the three steps to signing up, then direct them to the registration page.” That is clearer than “Make us an exciting animation”.
- Objective: after watching, the audience should…
- Audience: they already know… but may misunderstand…
- Message: the single thing they should remember is…
- Delivery: the film will appear on… in these formats and languages…
- Constraints: deadline… budget range… mandatory wording… existing assets…
- Direction: these references appeal because…; these approaches would feel wrong because…
- Approval: the decision-maker is…; combined feedback will come from…; specialist review is needed for…
