The document discusses different types of client briefs, including: 1. Contractual briefs that outline tasks, fees, and rules between a client and worker. 2. Formal briefs that provide detailed project descriptions for clients and production companies. 3. Informal briefs that are discussed verbally rather than through written documents. 4. Co-operative briefs where multiple production companies work together on a brief. 5. Negotiated briefs that require agreements between clients and multiple companies. 6. Commission briefs where an outside company creates a product for another.

1. WORKING TO A BRIEF
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Cameron Barnes

2. CONTRACTUAL BRIEF
Definition
A contractual brief is when a task is set over a period of time and the company you are
working for set a fee for you after completing the task. It outlines the required tasks that
need to be done by the client. It tells you what the rules are between the client and the
worker. It will tell you what the client wants from the job which will help the worker know
exactly what is expected of them. You have to agree a contract with the client before
starting to work and then once you are happy with it then you have to sign a document.
Advantages
It gives the company an idea of what the client wants them to achieve. Whilst also talking
about a price range that is suitable for the both of you. So the client is guarantied money
at the end of making the product for the company. This type of brief comes with a contract
which means you are guaranteed some reward at the end and also will outline the
guidelines that you have to work to.
Disadvantages
You have to stick to the brief as if out decide to do something that is not on the brief you
can be taken to court and face legal action. Another disadvantage is that there could be a
lot of work for a single person to do due to the company needing lots of work and if you
have signed the contract if you want the money you have to complete it.

3. FORMAL BRIEF
Definition
A formal brief is a document that will have detailed description about what
the client needs to do. It only gives the information that is important and
the information is enough to make the product and any issues you can
discuss with the company. Both the client and the company employed by
them will formally agree on the project and the brief but it can not always
be legally binding.
Advantages
Having this type of brief means that the client is open to any idea that you
have weather it is a issue or an idea to improve the company. Which makes
the work creative for the media company and there will also be room for
negotiation if there needs to be.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of this type of brief is that media company may decide that
the client has not offered enough information to the company for them to
complete the product to the standard of the client. Plus the fact that the
brief is not always legally binding it could bring up problems with the
project you are working on with such things as money problems or a breech
in the contract that you have.

4. INFORMAL BRIEF
Definition
An informal brief is something that has to be done with the client. It would have to be in a meeting
so they can cover everything about the project they are working on. This type of brief does not
include a contract or any type of documents but the brief has to appeal to the company for them
to go forward with the project. By talking about the brief is means there is nothing that can catch
you of guard which means the date can be chosen at any point which makes it less complicated.
Advantages
The advantages about the informal brief is there are no surprises with the brief. It is easy to do and
will sets a nice environment for the company. With it being a meting it can happen fast and done
easily as it is just a chat between yourself and the client. Whereas the contract would take a lot
longer as it would be a long drawn out process. Another advantage would be that you can change
ideas throughout the project which could make it easier for the company as it would give them
multiple options. This type of brief allows you to be more creative and also change up the idea
which might end up being better than the original.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages with the informal brief are that it is just a meeting so all the details are told to
you and not written onto your contract. When it is in a contract style it is more safe and helps
people to feel comfortable knowing they will get paid at the end. So without a written document
you are not guaranteed to get paid by the employer. It is bad especially if you put money into
working on the project than you don’t get paid at the end of the project. Also it looks
unprofessional to meet a client and not with a organised contract. As when you are talking with
the client it does not seem as professional as it would if you had a contract involved. Also being
told what to do means you could forget what you were told and then do something wrong which
could make the project look bad at the end which also could then lead to you not getting paid if

5. CO-OPERATIVE BRIEF
Definition
A co-operative brief is when two or more production companies are hired to work on a
specific brief. Then the companies that are working on the project will need to make sure
that they complete there task in the time allowed. If a disagreement were to happen then a
contract would be submitted which would hopefully sort out the problems.
Advantages
There is more than one company working so you will have more ideas and more people
working on the project to get it completed in time. They will both be able to help each over
to finish the project more efficiently.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of this type of brief is that companies that are working together may not get
along and that could lead to arguments and they may also have different opinions on
different subjects which could lead to them falling out and the project not getting
completed in the time given.

6. NEGOTIATED BRIEF
Definition
A negotiated brief is when two or more companies come together to talk about ideas with a
project that they want to work together on. When they talk about the contract they can not stop
until both companies have come to an agreement and if they can not then the project will not
happen. This type of brief is all about sticking to the contract so that everything is fair between
both companies. When they are talking they have to make sure the project are in the legal
guidelines as if they are not then they might get sued.
Advantages
An advantage with this type of brief is that it helps knowing what you are doing and what has been
improved for example the visual aspects of the project. This means that both of the companies
and the clients can see what they need and what they need. Another advantage is that there will
be more ideas on the project as there are two companies and when say your idea with the other
company there will be less conflict and better solutions. When talking they should try to talk
about deals that could save them money when working on the project. You also see a wider
image of what you want the project to become and you will have a better understanding of what
is going on in the project.
Disadvantages
You could talk about something for a long period of time as both companies have to agree so it
can be boring to be apart of if both companies can not come to a agreement. It also wont help
you come to the bottom of any problems you may be having. As they are working with another
company they might forget to talk about the best deals they can get as they just want to get
started on the project. But they may just agree on a bog standard idea instead of the best one
due to the long conversation. Which then could lead to talks breaking down due to the fact that
neither company can come to an agreement altogether.

7. COMMISSION BRIEF
Definition
A commission brief is when there is a other media company to your company
brought in to create the product for them. They will have to do there own
research and come up with there own ideas for the product which is then taken
to a person who will be overseeing it all. This does not effect myself as I have
been given a formal brief set by the client but if it was commissioned then the
money at the end would be split between the company and the developers or
even the company how used it.
Advantages
This is good for an independent company because they are getting paid for doing
the job as well as sharing the profits by the main company so they are getting a
lot for the deal. It is also good for the main company as they don’t have to spend
all there time on this project and they can work on other projects at the same
time.
Disadvantages
The main company dose not get a active role in the project and in the decision
making for the product and because of this they might get something they did

8. TENDER BRIEF
Definition
This brief is very similar to somebody advertising a job advert this means that the client
created an advert showing that they need a media product to be made. There may be a
number of production companies make a pitch or send in a brief and adapt what the client
has asked for. They would have to show the cost and how the product may be produced and
then get that bid and secure the project. Then it is up to the client to decide upon which
proposal they want to go forward, the one that best answered there brief.
Advantages
An advantage to this brief is that there are multiple choices for the client to choose from and
they can choose from multiple or they can take parts of different briefs and build it up. They
have a lot of freedom as they choose how they would create the product and if their proposal
is chosen by the client then that is how they make the product.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage to the tender brief is that if the company pitch is not good enough and the
client decides not to take it then it can set the company back. Also if the company put
everything into this and turned down over offers from other clients expecting to get this one
which means they would not be able to do any work for anyone. Not every company that
applied will be able to get the job, so there is no guarantee there is work in it for your
company. You may spend a lot of time and money creating something and then not get
picked by the client.

9. COMPETITION BRIEF
Definition
The competition brief is left open to any company to take part and participate in the
production. Then companies complete the brief which is then judged and assessed and
then finally one is chosen and published by the company. This brief is very similar to
the tender brief as the same type of elements apply in both.
Advantages
An advantage is that the client has only got o pay the winning team and some times will
not have to pay at all. Also they have multiple companies producing something for
them means they will have a large choice of products at the end. They can then choose
the most successful one. It can also be cheaper for the client to do this type of brief as
it may save them some money. Whilst this project is going on they can be working on
other projects as they are not the ones creating it.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage is that only one company is picked so all the other companies how try
to win and create something will lose out and it will seem like a waist of time for there
company. If they put money into the production then they may not get any back
especially if they do not win.

10. MY BRIEF
Which structure/structures will your client brief use?
Reference your reasons for choice/choices
I would say that my brief is a informal brief as a lot of what was
asked of me was said in a meeting with the client. A lot of what
was wanted was discussed before the project started so I had a
idea of what was needed from me before starting. Also the brief
was more appealing to them so they would go forward otherwise if
they client was not happy with the brief they would not decide to
continue on with the project. Also because we talked about
everything there was nothing that could catch me of guard as we
had gone through everything already so there was nothing that
would surprise me when it came to the brief. When going through
the project I was given a document that had some improvements
which could be a formal brief as it gave me a detailed breakdown
of what to do and what to change to make them happy with the
product, as it is feedback the information given is only important.
Before the project I agreed the terms that they cam with. It could
also be a contractual brief as I was given a task and given a time
period to complete it but I did not get paid for it so only some of
this brief relates to mine.

11. READING THE BRIEF
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
It is important to read the brief to know exactly what to do and reading
it properly means that you will not miss anything and then be surprised
when the client gets back to you saying you forgot something. It allows
you to get a full understanding of what the client is asking for and if
you don’t understand you are able to ask questions. If you fail to do
this it could result in legal action and being dismissed from the project
and then will have a bad reputations, which could hurt you in the future
when you look for work. We can also pick out anything that we
disagree with or believe could be better, for example they could say
they want something one way but you may be able to do it better
another way. Also you can look at the legal and workplace terms if
there are any and see if they are to you liking. It allows you to prepare
in the best possible way. This is because you can clearly see what you
are doing and how long you have and what resources are available to
help you.

12. READING THE BRIEF
What is the nature and demand of your client brief?
It is a informal brief which aims to create a poster and a twitter poster
so that people can find out about the dot peen machine. It shows how
the machine works what it will do and how it will look on your
products. The poster needs to be A3 and able to be put on display
when the machine is in use. It needs to be bright and stand out so it
catches the eye of a person walking by and then informs them with the
information they need to learn about the dot peen and realise what it
does and how it can help that person. There needs to be logo on the
poster before anything else as well as the crest so the public know who
the machine belongs to and the people who work with the police when
it comes to the dot peen. The demand is to make a poster that teaches
people about the dot peen and grows the understanding of people
when it comes to property marking. The demand is that it is completed
in two weeks and is ready to use in the future to replace the one they
have know.

13. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to
production?
If you have any questions or problems with the brief then you are able
to ask them to get the information before you start the project. It stops
any confusing that you may have when you are reading the brief. If you
do not understand then the product you make will not be what the
client has asked for. You are able to give your ideas to the client and
see what they have to say and if they like your idea’s you are able to go
further and find out more details. Also if they like your idea but want
you to change one aspect they are able to tell you so you know exactly
what you are doing before making the product. When I meet my client I
went in with some ideas for them to look at any see what the liked and
they picked out certain things from my ideas that they believed should
be on the poster and also gave me some suggestions on what could
make it better or could be swapped.

14. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion
with a brief?
If there is not much information on the brief than it gives you more of
an opportunity to do your own work and will have the freedom to be as
creative as you want to be and don’t need to hold back. But you have to
make sure that the parts they do want are there but other than that you
can do what you believe makes the product the best. But if you change
even the things they want keeping or adding then the client may not
pay you or not take your product. An important part of my brief is to
make it eye catching so making it black and white with small text
would be going against what the client wants and therefore they will
not use it. It allows you to keep good communication with your client
as when you make something that is not what they want they will get
back to you and ask for some changes but this can be bad if you are
working to a time scale and don’t have the time to change anything
they want changing.

15. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the brief’s proposed
product?
There is some legal issues that I will have to think of before creating the project. For
example copyright as I can not add anything that is copyrighted unless the creator
has given me the permission to use the there work. If I happened to do this without
asking then I could get my client sued if they put the content out and that could
lead to my client sued me. Also when taking images I have to make sure if there are
people in the images I have there consent before using it or if the people are under
18 have the parents consent. I need to make sure that I don’t offend anybody when
creating the poster and I need to keep people privacy away from the poster
otherwise they can sue me for putting information that is private and not mine to
publish. I will need to make sure that I stay in the guidelines of the ASA. I need to
make sure that I know every that I am going to write and make sure that it is not
fake or misleading otherwise the ASA will get involved and remove the product
from the public.

16. NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Amendments you have considered to:
The Product
I must take into consideration that my first draft will not be perfect and the product
they are looking for so making sure that I am willing to make changes to make the
product better. I may have to change something due to legal issues with something
that I have placed on the poster, an example would be copyright.
The Budget
As there is no budget there will be no amendments needed. If there was a budget the
adjustments that may happen are if you need more money to complete the tasks or
get better resources to help you and make a better product at the end. Also you will
need at least enough money to complete the brief. If the client believes that you
don’t need more money then they may not give you extra funds.
The Conditions
In the brief there would be your wages, it is important that you agree how much you
are going to be paid for the project before signing the contract. This could be bad if
the project takes longer than you expect it to or you require more resources to
complete the task, which will cost you more and this could then lead to you getting
paid less.

17. OPPORTUNITIES
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development
Working on this brief will allow me to improve on my communication skills and negotiation
skills. Also I will improve my development skills in the work, for example I will be
improving my photography, graphic and writing skills when creating the poster. Learning
how to work in the media industry and how media companies work. This will give me more
experience when working in the media industry.
Learning new skills
I have got better at using Photoshop and used more of the options that are available to me
when using Photoshop. I have also got better when using InDesign. I have benefited from
using it in the past but I believe that I am better when using this program.
Multi-skilling
A multi-skill I may have gained would be photography I took images when making the
poster and have improved from how I was before the project.
Contributing to a project
I will be able to use the dot peen machine when going out with the police to take some
images.