Video project brief template
A video brief that does not say where the film will run is not a brief. Placement decides duration, aspect ratio, captions, loudness, and whether the first three seconds have to carry everything. Ask that first and the rest of the project follows.
Free to copy and use. Nothing to download, no email required. Replace anything in [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own details.
Placement first, then everything else
The same story is a different film on a website hero, a YouTube pre-roll, a conference screen, and a vertical feed. Get the full placement list at brief stage — including the one someone will ask for in week five — so the shoot is framed for it and the versions are quoted rather than absorbed.
Ask what already exists before booking a shoot
Clients routinely have unused footage, product renders, drone plates, and a photo library that would cost thousands to recreate. Ask what exists, in what format, and whether they hold the rights to it. Sometimes the honest answer is that the project needs an edit and not a shoot, and saying so builds more trust than a bigger invoice would.
Talent, music, and usage terms have expiry dates
Ask how long the film needs to run and in which territories and media, then price the music and talent usage to match. A campaign that is extended after the licence lapses is a real problem for the client and an awkward call for you. Setting the usage term at brief stage is the cheapest possible time to get it right.
The intake form template
Copy the whole thing, or select the parts you need. The numbers and dates are examples — change them to yours before sending anything.
Video project brief template
VIDEO PROJECT BRIEF
Fill this in as fully as you can. The questions about placement and
existing assets are the ones that most change the price — please do not
skip them.
— PURPOSE —
1. What is this video for? One sentence.
[ ]
2. Who is watching it, and where are they when they watch? (At a desk
researching, scrolling on a phone, sitting in a conference audience,
halfway through a sales process.)
[ ]
3. What is the single message they must take away? If you list three,
the video will land none of them.
[ ]
4. What should they do next, and where does that action happen?
[ ]
5. How will you judge whether it worked?
[ ]
— PLACEMENT AND FORMAT —
6. Where exactly will this run? Tick everything, including "maybe".
( ) Website hero ( ) YouTube — organic
( ) YouTube — paid pre-roll ( ) Meta / Instagram — paid
( ) TikTok ( ) LinkedIn
( ) Sales email or deck ( ) Conference or event screen
( ) Internal / all-hands ( ) Out-of-home or broadcast
( ) Other: [ ]
7. Which durations do you need?
( ) [90]s hero ( ) [60]s ( ) [30]s ( ) [15]s ( ) [6]s bumper
8. Which aspect ratios?
( ) 16:9 ( ) 1:1 ( ) 9:16 ( ) 4:5
9. Do any versions need burned-in captions, or is a separate subtitle
file enough? (Most social placements play muted — I would recommend
burned-in for those.)
[ ]
10. Any brand or platform specifications I should build to? Safe areas,
logo end-card rules, loudness targets, accessibility requirements.
[ ]
— CONTENT —
11. Is there a script, or are we writing one? If there is one, please
attach it and say whether it is approved.
[ ]
12. What kind of film is this?
( ) Talking head / interview ( ) Product demo
( ) Brand film / narrative ( ) Animation or motion graphics
( ) Event or documentary ( ) Customer story
( ) Screen recording / tutorial
13. What footage, images, renders, or animations already exist? What
format are they in, and do you hold the rights to use them?
[ ]
[ ]
14. Is there anything that MUST appear? A product feature, a person, a
location, a legal disclaimer, a specific claim.
[ ]
15. Is there anything that must NOT appear? Competitor products,
unreleased features, staff who have not consented, a location under
NDA.
[ ]
16. Show me [2] videos you like and say what you like about each, and
[1] you dislike with the reason.
[ ]
— PRODUCTION —
17. Who is on camera? Employees, professional talent, real customers,
nobody?
[ ]
18. If employees or customers appear, who is responsible for getting
their written consent?
[ ]
19. Where would we film, and who arranges access and permits?
[ ]
20. Which dates work, and are the people needed available on them?
[ ]
21. Do you need voice-over? In which language(s), and do you have a
voice preference?
[ ]
22. Music direction — a reference track is more useful than adjectives.
Do you have an existing library licence, or should I license one?
[ ]
— RIGHTS AND ADMIN —
23. How long does this need to run, and in which territories? This sets
the music and talent licence terms and therefore the cost.
Term: [ ] Territories: [ ]
24. Will it be used in paid media? (Organic-only licences are cheaper,
but upgrading later costs more than buying it correctly now.)
( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) Possibly later
25. Who gives final approval, and who else reviews?
[ ]
26. Deadline, and what is driving it?
Date: [ ] Reason: [ ]
27. Budget range for production:
( ) Under $[5,000] ( ) $[5,000]–$[15,000]
( ) $[15,000]–$[40,000] ( ) Over $[40,000]
( ) Not set — advise me
28. Anything else I should know?
[ ]
—
Next step: I will come back with a treatment direction, a shoot plan or
an edit-only recommendation, the deliverable list with durations and
ratios, and a fixed production fee.
[Your name] · [you@yourstudio.com]This is a practical starting point rather than legal advice. Terms like late fees and payment periods are regulated differently depending on where you and your client are, so check anything you plan to enforce.
Send it as an intake link from PaloWorks
Your client fills in the brief on a link before you quote, and the answers land on the project. A new workspace starts with a question set for its trade, which you edit to yours — short answer, pick one, pick any, or a date, and any question can be optional. It does not import this page's questions: add the ones you want to your form.
Free for one client and three active projects. Pro is $19/mo for unlimited clients and projects.
Use this with
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Contract
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