task 1

1. WORKING TO A BRIEF
LO1
Paige Moorby

2. CONTRACTUAL BRIEF
Definition
A contractual brief is a brief when a media company signs an agreement to complete a specific
task within a time frame to a specific budget. The budget and the time is a specification made
prior to the event happening.
This brief is usually put down in a document which is then signed by both parties, this makes
the document a legal agreement, a contract. As it is a legal document it means that you can
take the other party to court if this trade is not what is signed for.
A contractual brief is a brief which involves a signed contract.
Advantages:
-The first advantage of this brief is that both sides of the contract know what they are going to
receive, there is an exact contract so you know exactly what you’re giving or receiving so there
is no panic of the potential errors. All of the specifics are wrote down to follow so there are no
confusions.
-Another advantage is the level of protection given from the client and the worker, as there is a
legal document involved which is protecting both sides of the deal so neither side gets caught
out in any scandals.
-Funding is another advantage of this contract, as there is a pre signed document you know
what you need to do on what budget, the clear guidance means that you can budget fairly for
the work and there will be no overspending as you know exactly what you need for when.
Disadvantages:
-The first disadvantage of this brief is the potential of being sued which is a really high price for either
side and can be a potential disadvantage if something goes wrong.
-You can’t really get out of it, this is a disadvantage as from the second you sign it you are locked into

3. FORMAL BRIEF
Definition
A formal brief is simple yet formal document that simply gives you direction on what you should
be doing. This type of brief only gives you the minimal information for you to complete the
project, the rest of the information would come through having a chat with the client and then it
will be down to the producer and have some of their input.
This brief does not have a contract involved but after negotiation and a brief is formed then you
can turn this into a more contractual brief that isn’t necessarily legally binding.
Advantages:
-This brief gives you flexibility with creativity, time and budgeting. This is beneficial for a
freelancer as they get more input into what they are producing.
-This brief also keeps things more simple and friendly so there is less to worry about legally and
you get to drive more of the ideas and production. You get a better friendship with the client
and an ability to suggest which makes the work a lot lighter and less heavy on the freelancer.
-You can often have more discussion with the client which then is formalised in an E-mail. This is
a good method of communication allowing there to be a good understanding of clarification.
Disadvantages:
- As a formal brief is not legally written so you are not going to be legally insured. This brief is
less secure which means you have less protection over the work which you are going to
producing.

4. INFORMAL BRIEF
Definition
A informal brief is a potential verbal agreement, there is no need to have a contract or written
document involved in the process. A client and a producer discuss what they want to happen and
then it just happens. There is a date and time set but then it is left to just happen.
This is a very casual brief as it is depending on both sides to have a level of responsibility and to
get the job done. This is just a brief which is not formalised with documents.
Advantages:
-The advantage of this brief is the producer has full reign on what happens, it is completely down
to the producer to make the product appropriate without any real instructions.
-There is full control to the producer, there tends to be a time frame but no specific dates so the
freelancer has full control of the whole of the production.
-This kind of work is also really laid back, there is not much stress involved in this agreement it is a
simple way of producing work for a client.
Disadvantages:
-The disadvantage of this brief is the lack of reliability involved. If there is no finalised contract
which means that the production, payment and the final product is not always reliable.
-Another disadvantage of this brief is that there can be a lot lost through chat, if there is no
contract then things can go wrong and things can be forgotten during the production. Neglecting
details or potential for the work can ruin the production.
-There is no protection for either side of the trade. This means that you might make something but
not be payed or vice verse which can cause detrimental issues for both sides of the party, an
informal brief is not a secure method for production, finance and protection of a business.

5. CO-OPERATIVE BRIEF
Definition
This type of brief is a brief which is completed by two or more production companies work together
to complete the task for the client. The client hires two companies and then they work
simultaneously together to complete what the client wants. A negotiated brief may need to be put
in place if the producers can not work together during the negotiation and has a disagreement.
This type of brief allows production companies to work together to make strong work for the
client.
Advantages:
-As there is two or more production companies working on this brief it means that there are more
opinions and ideas. This means that the client has more options during the negotiation and there
is a high chance of a much more successful end product.
-Production companies always have to budget their work, as this is a joined task this means that
the companies can split the financial cost, this means that it is more profit for the companies if
they work together.
-As there are two companies working together this speeds up production time which is both
beneficial for the client- they get their product faster and the producers who don’t have to spend
as much time on it. This is good for both parties.
Disadvantages:
-Even though the budget will be cut meaning there is less for the companies to pay it also means
that the wage they get from the client will also be split between the two production companies.
-The other disadvantage to this brief is that there is a much larger chance of a disagreement within
the negotiation, this means that the production companies are likely to argue and potentially drop

6. NEGOTIATED BRIEF
Definition
During a co-operative brief there would be a conflict of ideas and negotiation. After a
discussion with both production companies they negotiate a final brief. This brief is
designed to consider all of the production and clients thoughts to make the project run. As
soon as the negotiated brief is sorted and done it means that both of the production groups
have to stick to this and allow the project to be completed to what was decided in the brief.
Advantages:
-The advantage of a negotiated brief is that all of the parties involved can have a discussion
and finalisation on the fine details as well as what needs to be led and done. This means
that the whole team will be able to be on the same level and know exactly what is being
done which will result in a much more successful final project.
-As there is a discussion prior to the negotiated brief being set, this discussion can create a
fire chat which can spiral into ideas, thoughts and lead to a successful better product. This
conversation and brief allows everyone to collaborate with each other and steam ideas into a
really successful outcome.
Disadvantages:
- The disadvantage with this brief is that if there is several parties involved you are unable to
please everyone. So after the compromise not all of the parties are going to be happy with
the compromise and agreement, this can lead to them not wanting to do the work or just
taking more time and putting less effort into it. This can be annoying as the final product
will not be as strong as it could have been.

7. COMMISSION BRIEF
Definition
A commission brief is when a large company hires a smaller independent company
to create a product for them. This brief is negotiated between two companies, this
product then is used by a larger company the independent company will be paid
for making this product and potentially part of the products profit.
Advantages:
-The small company who is making the big product means they get paid for the
initial work and also profit on product. Not only do an independent get to gain
more experience and have bigger advantages they will continually make profit.
-When you receive a brief you are able to understand the work as you are in the
same field as them, they are advanced in the same field so can produce better
work.
-A good thing about this brief is the ability to work for a higher company, this is a
good way to build contacts and experience.
Disadvantages:
- The disadvantage to this brief is that you are going to earn less money. If you
had taken the work directly for that audience then you would have got paid more.
A larger company can take a cut of some of the money.

8. TENDER BRIEF
Definition
A tender brief is when a client publishes that they need something made. A production
company can then create a brief, proposal and budget which they then pitch to a client.
Several companies enter and pitch then the client can decide on the best proposal. The
winning production company can then start the production.
Advantages:
-You get a lot more ideas in this method. There is a lot of flexibility to who you want and an
organisation gets to select the best proposal and then they get full control over ideas which
are more suited to their organisation.
-A client gets to listen to more ideas and take on board more suggestions which they may
not of initially had, this means they will have got the best ideas and could easily imply them
else where. It gives more options and potentials.
-As the production company has already planned, proposed and budgeted this means they
have a plan of action and are ready to start, this means that there doesn’t need to be the
negation time that is usually there in a brief.
Disadvantages:
- A disadvantage of this is that a production company might waste a lot of time planning
and proposing. There is not a guarantee for the production company which means that it is

9. COMPETITION BRIEF
Definition
A competition brief is a brief that is available to production companies. Each company completes
the brief and sends it to the client. All of the completed projects are then judged by the client and
one of the projects is published. This is a motive for production companies to enter as they could
win money and the client only has to pay the winner.
Advantages:
-If a niche production company/ individual wins then that could lead to further to opportunities.
You wouldn’t just win money you could also win some more jobs within the company or other
companies.
-The client gets to see and judge other work and it allows smaller companies to get their work out
there so clients get a variety of work. A lot of entries will be given so they get a lot of quality
content to go from.
- The brief is a free entry so people can get involved and get experience even if they don’t win.
-There could be a lot of quality entries which means that there could be one winner but there will
also be other’s as their was a brief and a high standard of work then they could producers less for
using their work.
Disadvantages:
-There is a potential failure, if the rewards are too shabby and there isn’t much publicity then you
are going to have a lack of entries. This means that there is less choice for the client and the end
result might not be good.
-There is also a potential for the entries not being to a high enough standard, if the quality isn’t
good then the client is not going to want to use it but they will have to use one.
-People might put a lot of time into a product and it might not get chosen which could be an issue

10. MY BRIEF
For my client brief it was a formal
brief. I had a chat with my client
prior to giving him the brief, in
this chat we spoke about the
potential work which I could do
for him and his company. I then
emailed him the brief and he
emailed me it back and we have
since further discussed the work
and what I could produce and
when for. There were no signings
which meant that it is not a
contracted brief but there was a
formal brief as there was a
physical brief involved.

11. READING THE BRIEF
Why is it important to thoroughly read your brief?
It is important to read the brief thoroughly, this is because you need to
know the expectations and what the client was so you can produce the
product which they want. You can get to know the ethos, the
background, the opportunities, the limitations and the deadline to the
clients needs.
You need to make the work accurate or it is a waste of budget and time.
You need to be able to make the work accurate and have the details of
the client so that you are able to contact them and have all of the fine
details that you need to produce a quality outcome for the client.

12. READING THE BRIEF
What is the nature and demand of your client brief?
My client has asked me to produce a series of photographs that are
detailed, show features and are clean and sleek to represent the vision
of the company. The final product needs to be high quality images that
need to be suitable to go onto an existing website. The photographs
will promote the apartments for what they are showing all of their
features.
As for the demand of the content the client wants them produced as
soon as possible but as long as it has a high standard it doesn’t really
matter as much.

13. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?
It is important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production so that you can discuss a range of issues
and the potentials. A discussion with a client is an essential before you can even think about starting production.
-Budget. Budget is a massive part of a brief especially for the producer. The producer needs to know how much
they are going to get paid and the task the client wants them to do. They can then use this to workout what they
are going to need and the budget that they are going to be able to set themselves ready for production. An
example of this would be if a freelancer was making a photography series for a company they would need to
know their budget for making these before starting so they didn’t overspend on the shoot and end up loosing
money.
-Designs- designs are another part of the brief discussion, this is important for both the client and producer.
They will both have ideas on what they want the final product to look like and through the brief they can finalise
any of the ideas they both have into one design plan. An example would be having a client with an idea of a
poster which they want to create and then having a freelancer producing this but wanting to tweak things to
make it more suitable. By putting these ideas together you can get a much more suiting product for both the
producer to make and the client to receive.
-Time scale- time scale is needed to be negotiated on the brief so that the client can establish when they want the
final product in for so that the freelancer can go ahead and make sure they can schedule their time so that they
meet the deadline. If this wasn’t discussed on the brief then it would be hard to produce a final piece for the
producer as they wouldn't know when for and the client wouldn’t know when they would receive it so it is an
untied end.
-Ethos- the ethos of a company is essentially the heart of the company. When discussing the brief it is important
to understand the client and the company ethos. This will allow you to be able to get the fine details of the
company and be able to include them in the final product. The ethos will also allow you to understand a company
more, an example of this would be a freelancer doing work for a small organic shop, the freelancer would want to
know all of the minor background information
-Plans- both the client and the producer are going to have plans. These are probably going to be different to each
other so by negotiating and forming a brief they are able to combine ideas and thoughts and produce a final
plan. The producer can then use this plan and produce an outcome that fits with the plan and the client.
-Contact- through the brief you can get the contact details of your client and have regular contact with them
which makes sure that you can have a good connection and make sure you’re both on the same page and can
keep contact through production. This is beneficial for both the client and the producer as having contact makes
things more friendly and suiting.

14. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion
with a brief?
The advantages of employing discretion within a brief means that you as
a producer have the ability to have some creative freedom within the
plan and production. If there is a brief with some general rooming
within it then you have the ability to put your own interpretation and
individuality into the work that you will create. Even though there is
that level of individuality that a producer can have as there is still a
brief that is there and has been formed with the client in mind so that
the final piece which is produced is produced to the clients needs and
standards.
The disadvantage is that the client can really control the direction of the
brief at this point. They are the ones who are wanting the work and
essentially paying you so if the client is not happy with the movement
of the brief or the things the producer wants then this can make the
client unhappy, not pay you and waste your time. As a producer it is
important to keep the clients needs in the brief whilst enforcing your
own creativity into it. It is all about the use of the brief and keeping
what the client wants without changing it all for the negative.

15. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the brief’s
proposed product?
For my personal brief there are no issues that would be a potential issue
legally, ethically or regulatory. As I am only taking photographs of
someone's owned apartments there are no potential issues that these
photographs could cause. There will be nothing in the photographs
which could cause any issues.
If I was taking photographs as

16. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Amendments you have considered to:
The Product
The Budget
The Conditions

17. OPPORTUNITIES
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development
Learning new skills

18. OPPORTUNITIES
Multi-skilling
Contributing to a project