1. Contractual Brief
Contractual brief is when someone signs an agreement paper with stated objectives but if
you or anyone breaks this agreement, you could face legal action. It will be very clear what
objectives will need to be followed.
Example: I was asked to be a photographer for HEAT magazine, photograph a model for the
front cover so they asked me to meet the manager, editor and legal representative to
discuss what they want me to do for her but they asked to sign a contract so that I knew the
terms and conditions of my task. I gave my email address and phone number so that they
could update me with any news or changes. They had to email me because the model was
off sick so they had to rearrange the photo shoot. I made sure the diary was free for this
photo shoot so I knew I was not free on that day and I could plan in advance because I knew
the date. I made sure I was on time for this photo shoot. The technical skills I needed were
to have a professional camera DSLR, tripod and know how to use appropriate lighting. I also
needed to know how to edit in Photoshop. This will help my career because it will allow me
to expand and be more recognised by bigger companies instead of my own websites and
Facebook, etc…
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Identify_the_different_types_of_briefs_used_in_the_
media_industries
‘Involves a signed agreement with stated objectives. If you or the other party were to
break any agreements you would be in breech of contract and could face legal action.’
Negotiated Brief
Negotiation is when a decision cannot be made because there are two or more different
ideas. Therefore each individual thinks their idea is the best, so they have to compromise
and make the decisions that they are happy with and include ideas from both individuals.
Example: I was asked to do a music video of my new song by a new director. I had to
arrange a time to meet with the director to talk about what he expected however we did
not agree with each other ideas because he wanted to finish the song early as he thought it
was too long. Obviously I wasn’t happy because I had written my song and therefore wanted
it all to be included. So I went away and emailed him some more of my songs and see if he
liked any of these. He decided he preferred a shorter song and therefore we decided to
shoot a music video of this song, because we were more comfortable with this. The
technical skills were to see if I can dance and sing. This will help my career because it will
make me more popular in the music industry and I may one day have opportunity to release
my first song I chose.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_negotiated_brief
‘This is when two parties have different ideas from each other but they both have to come
to a decision by compromising and making sure that both the parties are happy by the
decision.’

2. Formal Brief
Formal brief is when someone knows what they want and is specific about what they want.
It will not make any other suggestions other than that in the brief. It is normally used in
professional ways such as businesses.
Example: I was asked to create a leaflet for an event that was being held at my old school.
They emailed me asking me to do this and they asked me to ring them for more details.
Therefore I rang them and they explained that they wanted the leaflet to look eye catching
and creative. It also needed to include the date, time, event and price. They gave me a two
weeks deadline to complete it but I decided to manage my time effectively by finishing it
early so they could see a draft and make any changes if they wanted to. Technical skills I
used were using software called Adobe Illustrator and being creative and inventive. This will
help my career because I can add it to my existing portfolio and impress any future
employers.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_formal_brief
‘A formal written document containing specific and precise details about the goals that
needs to be achieved. The brief gets straight to the point and doesn’t contain any
unnecessary detail or information. This type of brief is mainly aimed at a group of people
or a business company rather than individuals. A formal brief is not always legal
document.’
Informal Brief
Informal brief is more of a discussion between two people or more for example, a discussion
between a tutor and student about their behaviour. This may not be written down but will
be expected to be followed.
Example: I was asked to be a reporter for SCC Sports Academy. They wanted me to
interview all the different sports and try to get the information about it so I can attract
people to come and play sports for us by doing this, I asked them what do they think of it.
He wanted me to show everyone how good is it by interviewing students who do this sports
academy. We emailed each other so he asked me to come around to meet him and talk
about what questions I can ask them and check will those questions be good enough to
show the students this reporter show. By doing this, we found out when is the best time for
both us so I can interview the students and he had to let me know when they werefree and
gave me the options to come and see them whatever the time he gave me so I can come in
my free time. Also he asked me to edit the film that I had been filming and try to make it
look good so that it doesn’t make people think it is boring so I had to make it fun and clear
and try to attract the students. The technical skills I needed for this were how to ask the
questions, being confident enough to ask them, looking professional for TV and knowing
how to use the camera so I can film it and also how to edit the film by using the software
called Adobe Premiere Pro. This will help my career because I can use this to add to my
portfolio of work from my BTEC Media and also if I want to be a reporter it shows I have
experience of this role.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Identify_the_different_types_of_briefs_used_in_the_
media_industries
‘More of a verbal agreement between parties with nothing official or in writing, less
formal so to speak.’

3. Commission Brief
Commission brief is where two media companies work together, one media company will
produce a product for the other, and usually this company is the larger one. Once the
product has been made, the original company would use the product with their clients and
these clients would then pay the other company because they made it for them. This is
where the commission works, as commission is making money from sales of products.
Example: I was asked to be a modelfor a company who sell perfume and wanted me to
advertise their product in a photo shoot. They emailed me to ask me when to come so I had
to make sure that I was free on that day, so they emailed me four weeks before so I could
book it off work and make sure I was free and not making any plans. I don’t need any
technical skills but I had to make sure I looked professional, not messing around and knew
how to model, look pretty, tall and etc… This will help my career because I will get
recognised by doing this shoot and I can learn more about modelling and show I can model
more than one thing.
http://creativemediaatjt.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/commission-brief.html
‘This brief is where a large media company will employ an other independent media
company to create and produce the product for them, and after the product has been
made the larger company may go on to be use the product for an external client who will
pay the independent media company for making the product and they could even get a
cut of the royalties too. The brief is not negotiated between the company and the client,
however is negotiated between the two media companies.’
Tender Brief
This is where you would write down any information about your product and submit it to
different companies for them to consider or not whether they want to buy it. They would
look at it and decide if yours is the best.
Example:I was asked to advertise a new product in a supermarket and had to see if different
supermarkets would sell it for me. I had to organise meetings with the people who were in
charge of what the supermarkets stock and the company emailed me and told me when the
deadline was and how they wanted me to advertise it. In order to manage my time
effectively, I decided to advertise it a week before the deadline so I can get feedback and
see if I need to improve it or make any changes.The technical skills I needed were to use a
software called Adobe Premiere Pro for editing, how to use a camera, know how to direct,
and also be creative and look professional for their supermarket. I think this will help my
career because everyone watches supermarket adverts because there is lots of competition,
so I can get some recognition from creating this advert and they may then ask me if I can
produce adverts for other companies.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/tender-document.html
‘A written invitation sent to potential suppliers of a good or service to inform them about
the information required for the buyer to choose among them.’
Co-operative Brief
Co-operation means working together with others and sharing ideas. Therefore with a co-
operative brief this will involve not just your own work but work from other people and you
have to listen to others in order to work well together.

4. Example: I was asked to organise a fashion show for my college and work with others to
decide on the theme. I emailed them to see when we were all free so we could work
together and share ideas with each other so I had to make sure I was free when everyone
else was. We also decided we could email each other and help each other with what to do
and what to bring and update each other if someone could not make it. The college gave us
two weeks to get everything organised so we needed to make a plan and show the ideas to
who was in charge of the fashion show before we buy the items we need so we can get
advice and see if it was good enough. There has to be enough time to get the work done,
and the time has to be right so that everyone can be there for meetings. The technical skills I
needed for this were to be a creative, good team player, reliable and work hard. This will
help my career because I always have always wanted to organise a fashion show and they
will be able to see how successful I was for this college fashion show and show that I have
experience and that I am very creative.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Identify_the_different_types_of_briefs_used_in_the_
media_industries
‘You work alongside other production companies or organisations who also have a brief
therefore your brief has to co-operate with the brief they are working on as well’
Competition Brief
A competition brief is when the clients need to understand what is involved when entering a
competition. It is usually for the companies who promote competitions. The clients must
understand the type of the work and target groups, etc.
Example: There was a competition for me to make an advert and a company would choose
the best one, the company emailed me to make sure I understood the competition and
knew the rules. I emailed them to organise a meeting so I could asked them what to do and
I asked what they would like me to do for the advert or if they wanted anything specific so I
could put it in my ideas. While I was talking to them, I told them my because I wanted to see
what they thought of it before I could advertise it. They gave me a deadline and it was only a
month so I cleared my entire diary so I will be free to create the advert. The technical skills I
needed were to be a creative, know how to use a camera, know how to hire people, etc...
Also I needed to know how to edit by using this software called Adobe Premiere Pro. I think
this will help my career because I want to prove how good I am in creating adverts and can
work with more than one company and it shows how independent I was and shows lots of
creative skills.
http://sophiehunit5workingwithabrief.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/competition-
brief.html
‘This type of brief is given to you when participating in competitions, it allows the clients
to understand what they must do to enter and complete the competition, this brief is
different to other briefs as it is more intense with the audience. This brief is usually used
for companys that are promoting competitions, the brief is given out to clients so they can
understand what they are to do. When creating the brief the client must consider the
scope of work, medium required, size of purchase ( how many competition details are
needed), target group and how to attract them, time framed, quantities and siting.’