1. Working to a Brief
LO1
Natalie Lynch

2. Contractual Brief
Definition A media company will sign a legal agreement so that they will complete a
specific task within an agreed time frame. They will do this for a set fee and the
contract will state exactly what the production company needs to do. This will usually
take place during a consultation with the client before the project begins.
Advantages The client is able to get a very detailed and in depth brief of exactly what the
company is wanting from them. It also allows for both the client and company to agree
on a suitable price range, which will be confirmed in the contract. If a large amount of
money is involved, contractual briefs ensure that everything is covered (eg. Insurance)
in case the brief isn’t adhered to.
Disadvantages A disadvantage of contractual briefing is that if the media company or client
does not stick to what they agreed on or doesn’t complete it within the deadline
decided, they could face legal action due to breach of contract.
Example Dock 10, which is a studio space in Media City UK, supplies a studio for Match of
the Day in which they are contracted to rent the studio out at a cost of around
£100,000 a day. This price includes use of the space as well as all equipment and
lighting.

3. Formal Brief
Definition This is where the client will give the freelancer or production company a brief
and the terms can be negotiated. It will give the basic structure of what the client will
want from production but won’t go into lots of detail.
Advantages The brief can be negotiated and used within larger groups and audiences. It’s
also good because once the brief is set, clients must adhere to and follow it exactly –
this must include all components and instructions that have been agreed upon. Because
of its simplicity, the brief is a lot more easy to follow and therefore the project is more
likely to be completed quickly and sufficiently.
Disadvantages The brief is usually very generalised and not overly detailed, meaning on the
other hand it will be harder to follow and create an end product that runs parallel with
what the company wants. It also doesn't always cover the legal side of the contract
which can cause risks to the company. Another disadvantage is that once the brief is
set, if the company decides to give more resources for the project, then they will have
to fund it themselves and will not be allowed to charge the client more money for it.
Example An example of where a formal brief may be used is where a client will give a pitch
and will state their needs and regulations for the project.

4. Informal Brief
Definition This is a verbal agreement between the company and the freelancer /
production company. No contractual terms or a formal brief will be set however the
brief will have to appeal to the company in order for them to go ahead without a set
contract.
Advantages Through this there can be more communication between the client and the
production company in terms of experimentation and being able to change the project
during production. Adaptation throughout the project will be allowed in order to create
the best outcome possible if something along the way is found to not be working as
well as expected.
Disadvantages This includes there not being contractual terms as the production company
may create something completely different to what was agreed. Also, due to it not
being a written contract, the company could go back on their word. As it is all spoke
about verbally, there is potential for misunderstandings about things such as payments
which could lead to disagreements however there will be no legal action allowed to
take place as it hasn’t been recorded professionally.

5. Co-Operative Brief
Definition Co-operative briefing is where two production companies or freelancers work
together to produce a brief for a client. This may be done purposefully for multi-skilling
as the different companies can learn and share new ideas between them.
Advantages The different production companies involved will all get a sense of working as a
team / community in the work place which will help build communication skills.
Different and varied ideas will circulate due to the increased amount of people working
on the project, which is most likely to improve the product. Employees are also more
than likely to be able to learn new skills throughout the process while working on the
job. Finally, if there are tight deadlines on the project, more people working on the
project will help to ensure that it is all completed on time.
Disadvantages Conflicting views of different people within the team may cause a downfall
of the project and cause it to take longer to complete. It will also cost a significant more
amount of money to hire extra teams just so that there’s a wider circulation of ideas
and an overall quicker process which could result in the same quality finish as if one
team completed it in a larger time frame.

6. Negotiated Brief
Definition Two or media companies may have conflicting ideas when working on a
brief together so would have to negotiate the brief. It would be changed in order
to meet everyone’s demands, including the clients. They make sure everything is
fair between all participating parties and that everyone is happy.
Advantages This brings the ideas from both the employer and client together to create
a solid brief that both teams are happy with. This means they’re less likely to have
arguments over the legal agreement if both sides have inputted something into
the brief. It allows for new ideas to be brought forward so that the project will be
as innovative and strong as possible.
Disadvantages Both parties have to compromise in order for the project to continue,
which may take longer time than ideal if one company is adamant on a particular
idea. Sometimes, if the process has been going on for a longer amount of time
when negotiating, it could mean that one or more parties will agree on something
so that production can start, even if they don’t necessarily agree on the idea.

7. Tender Brief
Definition For this style of brief, a client will publish that they are needing a media product
to be made. Several production companies are then able to enter a brief to the client
through pitching a proposal and budget, in order to try and secure the project.
Advantages Due to the competition levels, there may be a production company that
specifically stands out above all the rest in terms of high standards and good ideas that
they bring forward. This means that the client will be confident in using a specific
company to complete the project as they’ve seen the idea from the production
companies perspective.
Disadvantages If a companies idea is turned down, it may create a set back in the business
for them because of the increased difficulty of gaining work in the industry these days.
It may also be a disadvantage if a company proposes an idea but then the final product
isn’t as strong or successful as planned.
Example The BBC will advertise a contract for tender in which different production
companies will supply a proposal alongside a quote of how they would approach the
brief of the programme given. The company that gives the strongest proposal as well as
costings will win the tender and will produce the programme.

8. Competition Brief
Definition Competition briefs are set by a company who is wanting complete products of a
diverse range. The client will receive a range of products and given ideas from different
companies which they then will be able to choose from in order to represent their
brand image.
Advantages An advantage is that the company will have different options to choose from
which are all varied so they can pick the one most suited to their brand. Another is that
all production teams will most likely be more individual and creative, giving the
company a range of different things to look at. Another advantage is the cash reward
that is usually given, this can benefit whoever wins the competition as well as the
company itself as the cash initiative will most likely attract more people and increased
ideas.
Disadvantages For all the production companies that entered the competition but didn’t
win, it will mean their work won’t be used and they won’t get paid for the project or
the time they’ve spent making it.
Example E4 held a competition, ‘E Stings’, in which they got members of the public to
design and create an ident for their channel.

9. My Brief
Which type of brief is being used in the corporate
promotional project? Explain your response.
Our given brief is a formal type of brief. It includes a
very detailed list of what is wanted from the
client within the video but has also given us the
opportunity to negotiate the content of what has
been included in it. The response we gave to the
brief was that we would film all the different
aspects that they wanted us to include as well as
adding in an interview so that the video becomes
more professional and informative. We would
have to agree a set date and time with the client
so that we are able to go in when the engineers
are training and fulfil all the needs they have
specified. An advantage of this brief within our
project is that it allows us to easily follow set
instructions which means there’s less confusion
and more likely to complete it on time. A
disadvantage that we found with this brief is that
it allowed for some creativity however this could
put us at risk if something is done that the
company doesn’t want there in the end.

10. Reading the Brief
Why is it important to thoroughly read your brief?
It is important to read through the brief at the start of the project as it expresses exactly what the
client wants and so the client is more likely to create something more appropriate for its use
once complete. If you read the brief thoroughly, then it will give you starter points on what to
include because you know exactly what is needed. It is also important to read the brief
entirely so that the chance of errors stays at a low level and the client remains happy with
what has been created. If the brief is not read properly, then the project is most likely to be
completed using their own ideas and not done correctly, which won’t incorporate all aspects
that the client wanted. Another reason why it’s highly important to read the brief is that it
will give you the intended audience and will help give an idea on what the nature of the
video needs to be in order to attract the most people as possible to the business.
The brief given to me by the company I will create a video for was set out really clearly using a
bullet point list. This gave us all the key aspects that we needed to include within the video
and allowed us to plan around it.

11. Negotiating a Brief
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?
It’s important to discuss the brief with the client so that you’re 100% happy and confident with
what you’re doing and what you need to include within the project. For example, if you have
any doubts or questions about the project then you can take this opportunity to ask and clear
these up before production has started. If this isn’t done, then the final product may have
some aspects missing or it may not be right, meaning you’re less likely to get paid the full
amount agreed in the beginning. It’s also important to discuss as it gives you time to express
your ideas and see if it’s similar to what the client wanted from the project. This can
sometimes be beneficial for both sides as it can help to improve the original idea, or show to
the client that you’re creative and like to challenge ideas. Sometimes the client may be more
than happy to take on new ideas to make the product even stronger and more likely to make
an impact.

12. Negotiating a Brief
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion with a brief?
An advantage of employing discretion with a brief is that you’re able to put ideas forward that
you think will be good for the project. Whether this is turned down or accepted, it will show
your willingness to be involved within the project and help to bring new and innovative ideas
forward. When negotiating and discussing a brief with the client, it can also mean your
interpretation of the brief is more detailed and understood more by yourself if the
opportunity to question and challenge the client is there.
Disadvantages include not being able to negotiate as such if you were contracted. The brief may
have been too vague for you to fully understand what you need to do and therefore the risk
of it not being right is higher. It may cause difficulty if the contract is already set and agreed
however any questions should’ve been cleared before the contract has been agreed and
signed.
The brief given to us wasn’t too vague as it stated clearly what they wanted from it and how it
was to be represented within the final video.

13. Negotiating a Brief
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues when negotiating a brief?
Copyright is one of the largest issues that may be faced when negotiating a brief. This is because
you need to make sure you’ve got permission to use things such as logos if they’ve been
created by someone else. If the product is completed but hasn’t followed copyright laws,
then you could face being sued by the client if they get into trouble for it, meaning you’ll lose
large amounts of money for it.
Another thing that needs to be taken into consideration is making sure an individuals private
information isn’t posted out in any way without their permission as well as ensuring people’s
personal stories are portrayed in a positive way and not a negative one.
During filming, permission from anyone who will appear in the film will need to be granted and
shown in a document. If their permission isn’t given however they appear in the film in any
way, then legal action could be taken after production is completed.

14. Negotiating a Brief
From the brief you were given were there any limitations? In terms of production, budget or
timings? Please explain.
From the brief, one of the main limitations was the time that was best to film in. The client stated
that it would be beneficial to film when the engineers are actually training so that it gives an
insight on how it’s done and an idea of the communication between the business and the
customers. This potentially may be a struggle as we will need to find free time but also when
there’s people in that will allow us to film and use them within the corporate video.
There wasn’t many limitations in terms of budget as the main factor of this that we will have to
take into consideration is the transport to and from the location, potentially on several days.
Aspects such as risk assessment in the filming location had to be greatly considered when we
filmed due to the amount of machinery and the risks of each individual machine. We had to
ensure we filmed in open areas where there was no risk to us as well as being careful that we
didn’t damage any of the machinery that was on location.