This document defines and compares different types of briefs that can be used when commissioning media projects, including: - Contractual briefs that set out clear rules and regulations for projects with legal agreements. - Formal briefs that outline the basic requirements without binding contracts, allowing more flexibility. - Informal briefs where requirements are discussed verbally without documentation. - Cooperative briefs where multiple companies work together on a project, bringing different skills but also potential disagreements. - Other brief types like tender, competition and negotiated briefs that involve multiple parties proposing ideas or reworking requirements.

1. Working to a Brief
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2. Contractual Brief
Definition- a contractual job or assignment is where a media company signs an agreement containing certain rules
and regulations that have to be followed for the completion of a certain task within a specific time period for a
set fee. For example sport media giants Match of the Day work within a studio space in MediaCityUK supplied
by Dock 10, they are contracted to rent this studio out at an estimate of £100,000 a day, including all technical
equipment and lighting.
Advantages:
• A big advantage of using contracts is that risk and liabilities are minimised for both parties as agreements and
guidelines are set, to be properly followed throughout the project. If the company or the client do not stick to
what they agreed upon they would be found in breach of contract and could face legal action.
• Contracts also provide a sense of clarity to the employee, as they give an exact outline of what is expected of
the project which helps to reduce confusion and increase focus.
Disadvantages:
• Writing up and going through contacts can be very time consuming and expensive especially for large
companies working on big projects. Companies have to think of every aspect of the whole process which again
has to read through by the client, taking up valuable time that could be spent working on the actual project.
When big companies need to write up contracts they often have to employ a lawyer which can be extremely
expensive.
• On some occasions when a contract is seen as necessary it can create a certain negative atmosphere between a
company and its client as it may look as if one does not trust the other.

3. Formal Brief
Definition – This is were the client gives the company or freelancer the basic structure of
what that client particularly wants from the production with no set terms or
conditions as these are usually agreed upon after.
Advantages:
• An advantage of this type of brief Is that there are not really any bindin agreements
made so the media company or freelancer are able to share any ideas or issues they
find during the design or creation of the projects, meaning there is more room for
negotiation and creativity
Disadvantages:
• As most formal briefs only offer a basic outline of what the client is asking for in terms
of the project which could lead to the company producing a product that may not be
up to the clients standards.
• As the brief is not legally binding, problems within the project with things according
to financial issues or breaches in contacts could come up mid way through the
production process.

4. Informal Brief
Definition- An informal brief is an agreement, usually verbal between the client and the
company/freelancer where the requirements for a certain project will be discussed
and agreed upon. In a lot of cases this takes place within smaller companies on low
scale projects, where agreements are settled with a handshake or verbal
acknowledgment of a deal.
Advantages:
• This type of briefing for a project creates more verbal communication between a a
company and its client which could help to build a personal relationship between
both parties.
• Verbal briefs also mean that both parties are able to easily discus and change any
certain requirements with new and better ideas.
Disadvantages
• Certain guidelines or requirements with things such as deadlines cold be unclear as
they are not fully documented which could cause some confusion and slow down the
process overall
• As nothing is legally documented many serious problems could arise such as the client
not paying the company or the company itself not keeping to certain requirements set
out by the client

5. Co-Operative Brief
Definition- This is where two or more companies are hired by a client to work together in
the production of the same project
Advantages:
• The two companies can bring contrasting skillsets to the project, one company may
excel in a certain area compared to the other and vice versa.
• The project can be seen from two different perspectives meaning for a wider
understanding of the brief and larger amount of different ideas.
Disadvantages:
• As the brief is being looked at from two different perspectives more apposing ideas
can be created making for disagreements between the two companies on how they
think the project should be lead, there can be a negotiated brief to resolve these
issues but this could potentially waste valuable time and even anger the client.
• One company may bring more ideas to the table and put more effort into the final
project than the other but in the end both receive credit for the final product, which
could greatly anger the apposing company.

6. Negotiated Brief
Definition- negotiated briefs are only implemented when two or more companies are
working on a co-operative brief and have contradicting ideas and feel the brief has to
be changed in a certain way. All parties involved including the client would have t
come back to this decision making process and re-negotiate the brief, the brief is then
often changed and certain aspects such as legal requirements or contents of the final
product would have to compromised in order to appease all parties.
Advantages:
• After the brief is reviewed certain aspects of it can be negotiated and changed
between all parties meaning the project is open to more ideas making for a more
effective project.
• Give companies more of a sense of trust and freedom with the project as they feel like
there are being properly taken in by the client and other parties.
Disadvantages:
• Having to go back to the start of the project by implementing a new brief can
potentially waste a lot f important time that both companies could be using
effectively to produce the actual project.

7. Tender Brief
Definition- a client will publish through either online or literacy platforms that they a product to be
made, a company/freelancer will then create a brief outline concerning aspects such as proposal
and budget, after receiving and reviewing multiple briefs the client will decide on the best
proposal that works with them or any ideas they may have and will offer the project to that
company. Broadcasting company BBC usually use the tendering process in their programming
decisions, they advertise a contract for the production of a new programme and are sent multiple
proposals from production companies. The company with the most viable proposal is then
chosen to make the programme.
Advantages:
• The client is able to review multiple different ideas and come up with a detailed proposal of
themselves according to each brief allowing them to work out which company they think would
produce the most effective project.
• This type of brief also puts the client in a somewhat more powerful position as they have the
choice of multiple companies wanting their business.
Disadvantages:
• This type of brief can sometimes result in a negative outcome for the companies offering their
business as they could be offered smaller jobs as the client is making their decision but decline
these jobs as they are hopeful of getting the tender briefs business, potentially losing both clients
in the process

8. Competition Brief
Definition- This is where a client will release their brief to the public in order to gather a more diverse range of
complete products. Multiple production companies will enter the competition where they will review the brief
themselves seeing hat kind of end product the client is looking for and come up with their own design , In
accordance to the requirements. At the end of the competition the client will choose the most ideal product to
best represent their brand and usual offer a cash prize. An example of a competition brief is channel 4’s ‘E
stings’ competition where production companies/freelancers enter small animated clips that relate to the brand
image of channel E4, at the end of the competition two winners are chosen, one voted on by the public and the
other by judges at E4 each sequence wins a £5,000 prize and is broadcasted as a sort of ident on the E4 channel.
Advantages:
• With the large amount of companies that enter the competition the client has a huge choice of products
allowing them to make an informed decision on what they believe will most effectively express their brand
image.
• This style of brief also opens the client to a range of diverse products, providing them with new ideas that they
had not thought of themselves.
Disadvantages:
• The decision process of choosing a company out of the many applicants can be very time consuming, a
somewhat quicker process would be if the client proposed the brief to an individual company in the first place,
saving time and therefore money.
• This decision process can come at a disadvantage for the companies in the competition, similar to a tender brief,
as companies may miss out on other potential work due to waiting for the competition client to make a
decision.

9. My Brief
Which type of brief is being used in the corporate promotional project? Explain your
response.
In the making of my promotional video we have used a formal brief. We started the
process by emailing our potential client, the email contained a short paragraph
providing the client (European ceramics) with information on who I was and why I
had emailed them, I felt this was done in a very friendly and professional manner.
In order to give my client a more detailed explanation of the project I also
provided them with a bullet point list of what I require from them and what/when
I will be filming, I felt that providing the client with this information made them
feel more comfortable with me and the project as I gave them a clear indication of
exactly what ill be doing. After sending this email my client responded explaining
how they agree with the project and how if there is any further information or any
questions I need to ask, it could be discussed on the phone during working hours.
About a week before filming I rung my client and discussed certain things
regarding the filming process such as who I will be interviewing and any necessary
health and safety requirements. I have deemed this process as a formal brief as

10. Reading the Brief
Why is it important to thoroughly read your brief?
When a production company receives a brief from a client it is of extreme importance that
the production company thoroughly read through the brief before going ahead with the
project or making any finalising decisions. I need to make sure that I have full
understanding of the brief and what my client is asking of me in terms of things like
content or certain standards they may want to uphold through their promotional video
as if I don’t precisely follow the brief to how they have set it out and create a video
which is nothing like what they are looking for or what they were wanting this could
greatly displease my client leading to them not paying me for my work and it is unlikely
that they will use it for their website or other online platforms meaning everything I did
would become a complete waste of time, which I could've spent producing more
effective pieces of work and other companies may be deterred from using me for
similar projects. Another important aspect of why I should thoroughly read through my
brief is that of legal issues, this is especially apparent in a contractual brief as the client
could involve requirements that could leave me liable for legal actions or lawsuits on
things I was un aware of if I were to not thoroughly read the brief but as I had agreed to
the contract I would be fully accountable.

11. Negotiating a Brief
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?
After reviewing the brief it is important to discuss it with your client before any real start is made
in the project, as this will help to make sure that everyone is on board with all aspects of the
brief and that the company/ freelancer have a full understanding of what the client is asking
of them and the guidelines they have set. If the company complete the brief without
addressing some of the key aspects set out by the client then this could lead to major
altercations between the two parties and the client could be eligible to not pay the company.
Discussing the brief is also important as the company has the opportunity to raise any issues
with things such as legal requirements, pay or the products content, they are able to offer
new ideas that clients may take on board or decline according to how they feel on the issue
or how much these new ideas change the brief. Discussing the brief provides multiple
opportunities for both the client and the company to converse with each other and build on
their professional and personal relationship, once both parties become more comfortable
with eachother the project and any further discussion about it will flow easier, also as a
personal relationship is built any awkward points that need to be brought up such as pay can
be easily discussed as a certain amount of respect has been made which goes both ways.

12. Negotiating a Brief
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion with a brief?
Discretion in this instance especially can be employed in two different ways. For one, discretion can
mean a certain term of agreement between both parties in which they agree to keep all
information concerning the deal and project to themselves. This can only really be advantageous
for both parties as other competitor companies from both sides wont have access to key pieces of
information such as the pricing, for example if competitors of the company production company
were to find out the standard pricing arrangements that the company make with their client thee
competitor could undercut their own pricing in order to steal any further clients. In another and
more apparent sense discretion could be advantageous to the production company as the brief
provided by the client may be slightly vague in detail of what the want in he production as he client
don’t have a professional idea of film and production, this allows for the production company to
interoperate some of the less detailed ideas and gives them more creative freedom, this can also
be advantageous for the client as if they are letting the production company who have more of a
professional and creative standpoint in this field, take the lead which could make for an all round
better production. Discretion within the brief could also cause dire issues for both parties, as if the
client is not completely clear in terms of what content they want included in the production then
this could cause confusion for the production company leading them to interpret what the client
wants with their own ideas, potentially making for a difference in opinion and a product that is
something completely different to what the client wanted, therefor the client could refuse the
product meaning the whole process was a waste of time ad money for both parties.

13. Negotiating a Brief
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues when negotiating a brief?
Legal
Legal issues in professional business are a very serious matter as they can often potentially lead to major financial problems, greatly effecting the business.
If the production company, or in the instance my self were to not properly look into the legal details of the brief such as terms and conditions that we
have to follow concerning things such as pay restrictions or any other stated conditions, we would be in breach of any contractual promises we made
to the business, the repercussions from this could eventually lead to a pay cut or even a law suit from the client, having great financial strain on the
business. With film productions especially a big and often recurring legal issue is copyright, for example if we were to use copyrighted content from
previous pieces of work in our production which we then gave to our client for them to publicly use, it would most definitely lead to them being sued
by the original creator of the work which evidently would lead t the suing us making for great financial problems and the loss of a personal and more
importantly professional relationship with the company, meaning he overall loss of what is possibly an extremely important client.
Ethical
When thinking about ethical issues I have to consider the legal issues surrounding them, for example as my content will be produced for public
consumption I will need to make sure I keep in line with the rules and regulations of OFCOM, there a number of rules stated by OFCOM that centre
around ethical issues such as equality and discrimination against things such as race, gender, sexuality etc. In the rules and regulations section of
OFCOM it states 'Material which contains abusive or derogatory treatment of individuals, groups, religions or communities, must not be included in
television and radio services or BBC ODPS except where it is justified by the context'. To make sure I keep within these guidelines I will only include
un biased factual information and content in my video that doesn’t discriminate against anyone. If I were to include bias discriminative content in my
video it wouldn’t only have a negative effect on me from a legal standpoint but it would greatly harm my reputation amongst the public potentially
leading to a loss in not only audiences but future clients.
Regulatory
As my filming locations involve a tile showroom and wharehouse it is vital that I consider the multiple health and safety risks that come with film in a
potentially very dangerous work environment. The most common health and safety issue amongst filming environments is the multiple tripping
hazards that come with camera equipment, as the store is open to the public this becomes more of an issue, for example if a customer was to come
into the store and trip over some of our equipment, seriously injuring themselves the business would be liable, potentially hindering our relations
with the business and overall putting a stop to the production. To make sure this doesn’t happen we intend to put up signs informing the public of
filming as well as taping down all loose wiring. As we intend to film the warehouse we will need to Sercombe to any health and safety regulations
that the business has, for example we whilst inside the warehouse reflective jackets, steal toe boots and hard hats must be warn at all times, this is
due to the high shelves that contain heavy boxes of tiles and industrial vehicles such as forklifts that are constantly used on sight.

14. Negotiating a Brief
From the brief you were given were there any limitations? In terms of production, budget or
timings? Please explain.
As I have worked at the business for almost two years I have built a strong relationship with both
the management and staff. When I first emailed the manager of the business (Paul Nichols) I
provided them with a small plan as to what I planned on doing and when, the manager then
replied on a later date confirming that he and the staff agreed with what I planned to do. Due
to our strong relationship the conversation through email was incredibly formal and the staff
were all more than willing to help in any way they could such as with interviews. There were
no limitations with budget as all the equipment used was provided by college on a sort of
free renting system, the only real money I spent during the production was on petrol due to
the traveling to and from European ceramics, although this was not a substantial amount as
the journey was under an hour and the cost was split equally with my filming partner. The
only real limitations during actual filming was discussed In person with the manager upon
arrival, he stated that when the shop was busy he didn’t want us getting in the way of the
customers, so when it was busy we planned to focus more on the buildings exterior and
warehouse. Also as the show room was open to the public we didn’t want to film any
members of the public that didn’t wish to be filmed, in accordance to this we erected signs
throughout the shop stating that we were filming in order to make people aware, although
all members of the public that we did film had no issue with it at all.