Send your brief or RFQ
If you’ve already got a brief, email it to info@dreamengine.com.au. We’ll read it, ask any follow-up questions and flag the decisions we need before we quote.
A practical video production brief
You don’t need a polished document to get started. Just tell us what you want the video to do, who needs to see it and where it’ll be used. You can write the brief yourself, or we’ll work through it with you.
Before production
What is a video production brief?
A video production brief sets out the purpose, audience and requirements for a video.
Our Melbourne production team uses it to recommend an approach, prepare a quote and plan the work with you.
Use the video brief template below to gather your notes, including any decisions you still need help with.
Brief us in whatever way suits you
Some clients come with a detailed procurement document. Others have a rough idea and a deadline. Either is fine.
Use our quote form
Our Get a Quote form covers the basics: audience, content, message, budget, timing and any examples you like.
Talk it through with us
If you’re still working things out, we’ll talk through the options and turn your answers into a practical brief. Contact us to arrange a call.
Start with three simple questions
You can fill in the detail later. These answers give us a direction and help us ask the right follow-up questions.
What should the video achieve?
What should change after someone watches it? They might understand a process, trust a service, choose a product, learn a task or feel better about a change.
Who needs to see it?
Be as specific as you can. Tell us who they are, what they already know, what matters to them and what might stop them taking the next step.
Where will they watch it?
Where people watch the video affects its length, structure and format. A website, training portal, presentation, event, LinkedIn campaign or internal channel will each need something slightly different.
You don’t need perfect answers. Tell us what’s fixed, what you’d prefer and where you want our advice.
Purpose and audience
Start with why you’re making the video. A video for new customers has a different job from a training module, an internal update, a recruitment film or a government information campaign.
Then tell us who you need to reach. Try not to say “everyone” unless that’s really true. What your audience knows, cares about and thinks of your organisation will shape the language, examples, pace and people we put on screen.
- What problem is the video helping to solve?
- What does the audience already know?
- What matters most to them?
- How will you judge whether the video worked?
Main message and response
What’s the one thing the viewer should remember? A clear main message helps us decide what belongs in the video and what doesn’t.
Tell us about any supporting messages, approved wording or facts that have to be included. Also tell us what you want the viewer to do next, even if it’s simply to understand, feel reassured or talk to someone else.
Content, people and locations
Tell us what you expect to see in the video. It might include interviews, a presenter, a customer story, a demonstration, workplace footage, an event, animation, archive material or a mix of these.
Tell us who might appear, where we could film and when people and locations are available. Include any site inductions, restricted access or limits on filming during working hours. We’ll use this information to plan the filming schedule.
Where the video will be used
Tell us everywhere the finished video needs to work. It’ll affect the length, framing, captions, graphics, calls to action and the versions we include in the quote.
If you’ll need a main website video, shorter social edits and vertical versions, tell us before filming. That way, we can frame the shots properly, capture enough supporting footage and make sure text will be readable in every format.
- Main video length or preferred range.
- Website, social, event or internal channels.
- Horizontal, vertical or square versions.
- Captions, languages and accessibility needs.
Timing, budget and priorities
Give us the launch or delivery date, along with any internal review dates. We’ll check whether the schedule allows enough time for planning, filming, editing and approvals.
A budget range helps us work out how much filming, editing and animation the project can include. Tell us if it’s a fixed limit. If you haven’t set a budget, we can explain the options and what each would involve.
If the scope and budget don’t match, we’ll say so. Then we’ll help you decide what to simplify, stage or prioritise.
Approvals, brand and requirements
Tell us who’ll provide information, review the creative work and give final approval. It’s fine to have several stakeholders, but agree on who’ll combine their feedback and who’ll make the final call if people disagree.
Send us any brand guidelines, campaign material, legal wording, accessibility requirements or agency specifications the video needs to follow. Seeing these early helps us avoid unnecessary changes later.
You don’t need to decide how the video will be made
Tell us what you know about the audience, your organisation and any practical limits. We’ll recommend how to film and edit the video within the agreed budget.
What we need from you
- The purpose and intended audience.
- Known content, contributors and locations.
- Fixed deadlines, budget limits and priorities.
- Brand, legal or accessibility requirements.
- Who needs to review and approve the work.
- Reference videos and existing assets.
What we’ll work out
- The most suitable video structure and treatment.
- Whether to use scripts, interviews or both.
- The crew, camera, lighting and sound setup.
- Whether a storyboard or shot list is useful.
- The filming schedule and practical production plan.
- Technical delivery details for the intended channels.
If an agency or broadcaster has supplied a technical specification, send it to us. Otherwise, tell us where the videos will be used and we’ll recommend the right formats.
Copy and use
Video production brief template
Copy these questions into an email or document and answer them in your own words. Short answers are fine. If you don’t know something yet, write “open to advice”.
Send a completed brief to info@dreamengine.com.au, or answer the core questions through our online form.
Project and background
What’s the project, and why now?
Purpose and response
What should the video achieve, and what should viewers understand, feel or do next?
Audience
Who needs to watch it and what matters to them?
Main message
What’s the one thing they should remember?
Content, people and locations
What topics, actions or stories belong in the video, who might appear and where could filming happen?
Channels and deliverables
Where will people watch it, and what main video, shorter edits or alternate versions may be needed?
Timing
When is the delivery date and when are internal approvals due?
Budget
What range, limit or spending approval are we working within?
Approvals
Who contributes information, reviews the work and gives final approval?
Requirements, references and assets
What rules, files or existing material should we see? For examples, tell us what you like or dislike about each one.
After the brief
From brief to production plan
We’ll review your brief, clarify any gaps and set out the work in a proposal for approval.
01
Review your brief
We check what the video should do, who it’s for and where it’ll be used.
02
Ask the key questions
We clarify the details that affect the approach or quote.
03
Confirm the scope
We set out the deliverables, responsibilities, timing and cost.
04
Prepare for production
Once you approve the scope, we’ll prepare the script, interview questions, storyboard, schedule or shot list the project actually needs.
Mosaic Private
Planning one filming day for several videos
Mosaic Private needed an end-of-year film featuring senior staff and board members, plus shorter videos for later release. We planned both uses before the filming day.
We grouped the interview questions by topic, including the Sydney office and borrowers. Each answer needed enough context to work in a short edit as well as the main film.
One filming day gave Mosaic a 3-minute 16-second end-of-year film and material for follow-up content, without bringing the contributors back for each new video.
Video briefing FAQs
Do we need a finished brief before contacting Dream Engine?
No. You can come to us with a finished document, an RFQ, answers in our quote form or just an idea of what the video needs to do. We’ll help you fill in the gaps.
How long should a video production brief be?
Start with a one-page summary of the purpose, audience, content, intended use, timing, budget and approvals. Attach supporting material such as brand guidelines, reference videos or technical specifications. Larger projects may need more detail, which we can work through with you.
Should we include a budget?
Yes, if you have a range or fixed limit. It helps us recommend a realistic approach and explain where the budget will make the biggest difference. If you don’t know the budget yet, say so and we’ll talk through the options.
Do we need a script or storyboard at the briefing stage?
No. Bring them if they already exist, but you don’t need them to brief us. Once the objective, audience and approach are clear, we’ll work out which planning documents the project needs.
What if several people need to approve the video?
List everyone who needs to contribute, review or approve the work. We’ll agree on the review stages and ask for one combined set of comments each time, with one person making the final call.
Need help preparing your video brief?
Tell us what the video needs to do, who needs to see it and when you need it. We’ll work out the production details and put together a clear plan.
