Reading a brief
Example of a brief could be: 'I am a representative of a large TV company. We are bringing out a new programme that we would like an advert making for. We will send you the documentation of what the programme is about and what shots we would like to be included in the advert. We would like it if the audience were left questioning what is going to happen in the programme. We have decided that our programme has a target audience of women so we would like it aimed more towards them. It would be great if the programme would stand out in the market so please be creative. I would like this to be finished by the 9th December'.
This is an example of a brief a TV company may receive from a client. Its important that when you receive a brief, before you do anything else, you read it. You then get a full idea of what it is your being asked to produce. Reading the brief more than once will allow you to pick out different arts if the brief that you may have missed the last time. The client will not be happy if you don't include something they mentioned in the brief. The easiest way to understand the brief is to break it down into elements, these include:
Nature: The nature is covering what the clients has asked of you and what they would like there final product to be. For example, from our brief, these things would be, the client asked that there wasn't too much of the program shown in the advert as they would like to leave the audience wondering, also, the target audience being woman.
Demand: This is picking out what is being specifically stated in the brief that the client wants to happen or to see.This would be the target audience. In the brief it was stated that the target audience was women. Therefore in the advert the company wouldn't be adding lots of action etc because that's not what they have been asked to do. It is clearly stated in the brief what is wanted of the final product the company makes. The nature of the brief is to make an advert for a new TV programme. The demand is maximising profit but paying out the least cost as possible. It's providing a detailed explanation in the brief of what you want, but not paying out too much for it so that your making money.
Co-Operative Brief
A co-operative brief is a brief shared by the producers of the project. Each producer may be in charge of a different section of the project. This means there are more people working on the project at one given time. With there being usually two or more companies working on it, the project can be completed in less time than others. When you have more than one company working on your project, more ideas are shared, therefore the end result may be more creative. It is important when you have a co-operative brief that you have it all on a written agreement so that each person knows exactly what it is they're supposed to be doing and no one can cheat there way out of a job by saying they weren't handed that job. There are disadvantages of this type of brief, one of these are, there will be more disagreements and arguments between members of each company. When you have more people that are working together, it is harder to get them to agree with every job they are given. (Starkey, Holmes and Baylis, 2007)
Contractual
A contractual brief is a brief that is discussed by the client and the company. In this brief, the company has to follow the clients specific requirements and guidelines to complete the project. This brief may be set out in a contract, this is a written agreement which explains the responsibilities that the media company and client may both have. This can also include how they might share the financial success. A contractual brief is good because the contract may be detailed which will avoid any misunderstanding that either side may have. A disadvantage of this brief is that it can be too controlling for the production company because they have been told what to do and it doesn't leave them any room for creative freedom.
Formal brief
A formal brief may be when a client has specific requirements they would like the company to complete, the client may send the company a letter with brief details of what they would like, they would ask them to attend a meeting so the client could explain in more detail. Examples of formal briefs would be; letters, emails or contracts etc. The advantages of a formal brief are that it only contains the information that is relevant to what the client is wanting. No time will be wasted on reading information that isn't going to help with the brief. However there are disadvantages, these are that a formal brief is not always legally binding. An example of one of these that I experienced is assignment briefs. These would be classed as formal because they tell you exactly what is wanted of you. They are very specific and you have to follow them carefully to get the result you want. (Starkey, Holmes and Baylis, 2007)
Informal brief
An informal brief is done either on the phone through call or face to face through an informal meeting. An informal brief is usually more of a verbal agreement rather than in a written agreement. This means it isn't documented. An informal brief would be used when there's only basic information to be exchanged between two or more individuals or companies without any formal need. An advantage of this would be, because the information is being told verbally, the company will fully understand what the client wants. They don't have to read the information, therefore they can't get the information wrong. A disadvantages however would be, because there is no written documentation about the task, the deadlines could be missed and the company can say that there wasn't any agreement on a deadline date. This could also mean that if the clients fail to pay their employees then there's nothing that can be done.
Negotiable brief
Negotiated briefs exist when the producer and the commissioner talk about certain parts of the production. They could negotiate on the cost of the production or the content of the production. There are some disadvantages with negotiations, one of these would be that negotiations can lead to arguments, then arguments can sometimes cause the client to pull out of the project because the producer is not doing what they have asked for. When negotiating with the client or the producer, it is good to discuss alternatives rather than saying that something can't be done because then the other side know that you are happy to talk to them about it. However there are positives with this type of brief and this is that it can lead to better work ethic if everyone is on the same wave length and talking to each other about what can be done. Also it can lead towards more suitable work places which makes each side of the production more motivated to do what needs to be done.
Commissioned
A commissioned brief is a brief that is often funded privately by investors. This type of brief although it sounds formal can also be informal. This type of brief provides minimal information, the only thing that is talked about in detail is what the final product is wanted to be and when they want the production to be finished for. This can be challenging but pays well. When doing a commissioned brief, the clients already know who they want to do the job for them, therefore it means less time is spent looking for people to do the job for you.
Tender
An estimated cost is made by several prospective contractors. They also discuss how the product may be produced. The commissioner discusses the proposals and the tenders are then chosen (Holmes, Baylis and Starkey, 2016). The client will look through all the different tenders they have received and chose which one they prefer.
Competition
This brief is created in order to be accessible to production companies. These companies are participating in creating a project/product. All products created by the companies get judged, as in any competition, the winner is congratulated and handed a prize. They are then taken into publication by the client. Examples are, when your in school etc and you have to make a poster etc and they are judged by the teachers and a winner is chosen.
Negotiating the brief.
If you do not negotiate/ talk to the client about the brief in the pre-production stage, then you may not understand it. This can cause problems throughout the production as the final product may not fit the brief, therefore is not how you would have liked it. Talking is the best thing to do when you want something to fit your brief. This way you can explain to the company what you would like and the company can then respond with some ideas that may help your product to look better. They can then discuss with you what editing technique you would like, what shots you would like in your advert etc. certain parts of the brief may be left vague as the client would like your company to be creative. This gives the company a rest way to show how creative they can be. However this part of the brief also needs to be discussed because the client and the company as the vague part may be interpreted differently between the two. In the making of the product you need to think about all the laws. An important one being copyright. You need to make sure you receive permission from other people if you are wanting to use their content.(Starkey, Holmes and Baylis, 2007) When negotiating, budget is involved. If the client receives the product and it isn't how they wanted it,then you are going to lose out on money. The client will not pay you the amount they said if it isn't up to scratch, they may not pay you at all. If this happens, negotiate with the client and you could maybe receive an extended time to be able to re-shoot, re-edit or fix what the client is not happy with. If you do this, and talk to the client and explain that what they are wanting is more money than they are paying for, then maybe they will negotiate with you and give you the money that is needed and deserved. If the client agrees, then this gives you a better chance to make exactly what has been asked of you.
Opportunities
Working to a brief gives you a number of different skills. Skills such as, teamwork, practical skills, time management, personal skills and building relationships. You will develop skills with new equipment that maybe you haven't used often, but now you get to learn whilst you work which is a great way to learn how to use the equipment. As well as using new equipment, you are also developing the skills you already have, such as, editing, cinematography, directing etc. Working to a brief develops your communication skills, the way you interact with other people, maybe in your team, or the clients you are working for. Another advantage would be that if the client you are working for is happy with the final product you have made, it is likely that they will have you back again to make more products for them. This is good because it get's you noticed, other companies will see what you have produced and maybe want you to make things for them. You will be receiving more work for one piece of work you did and took your time to complete to the best it could be, reading thoroughly through the brief.
Here is a website i found with aactual briefs on it. This will give you a great insight to what they are like. https://www.futurerising.com/inspiration
gsrowe. (2012). Working to a brief – A brief introduction!. [online] Available at: https://gsrowe.wordpress.com/working-to-a-brief-a-brief-introduction/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2016].
Starkey, G., Holmes, P. and Baylis, P. (2007). Media production. Oxford: Harcourt.
Anon, (2016). [Blog] Available at: http://workingtoabriefmattwheeler.blogspot.co.uk/ [Accessed 25 Oct. 2016].
prezi.com. (2016). Unit 5: Working to a Brief in the. [online] Available at: https://prezi.com/xmpbuwnrxeio/unit-5-working-to-a-brief-in-the/ [Accessed 25 Oct. 2016].
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