Working to a brief pro forma

CONTRACTUAL BRIEF
Definition
A contractual brief is when a media company signs an agreement to complete a specific
tasks within a time period therefore having to create a specific product for this brief for
a certain time frame and certain budget. It will be document you and client will both
sign and date becoming a legally binding document. If you do not get what you signed
for you can take them to court, so its very important that the contract is read and
understood before signing so there is no miscommunication.
Advantages
An advantage to a contractual brief is that both a client and worker will know what they
are getting, and as a freelancer you know exactly what your going to make, therefore no
issues with making the wrong product such as length, size etc.. All the specifics are
wrote down for you in a document. It also offers protection for both the client and
worker. As the contact protects them from extra work or being exploited by there client
they have proof to what they were asked to make. Another advantage is funding. You
know how much money your going to get though the contract making it easier for you
to budget your project, it makes sure that you don’t go over in spending as you have a
clear budget it will help you in regards to your deadline.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage to a contractual project is being sued if making the wrong project or not
sticking to the brief, so you have to make sure you read through the document very
carefully. You are also locked into the contract once you signed it having full

FORMAL BRIEF
Definition
A formal brief is not a full contract as a client provides and media company with a brief simply
displaying the product they want to be made. Any other product or material they want to
include has to be discussed however the brief it not always legally binding. For example if a
charity wanted some posters creating and created a brief of things they wanted, they have
formalised the brief and stated what they wanted but it is up to the creator to chose the fonts,
colours and graphics and therefore have to discuss to there client different options making it
more of a flexible brief.
Advantages
One advantage to a formal brief is flexibility, as it allow the freelancer to have some control on
what they make and choice. Another advantage is that it is not always legally binding meaning
you do not have to go through with it if you change your mind. It nice and simple with a well
structure page of things they need and room for discussion it is much better than reading
pages and pages of writing from a contract as it keeps to easy to understand exactly what they
want. Also you can email your client making it simple to get in contact with the and everything
is sent through emails after having phone calls with your client discussing other projects you
can know you will have it all down in writing making it easier to come back to and also use as
proof as form of protecting yourself.
Disadvantages
There is no protection as it is not always legally binding there your client and freelancer can bail

INFORMAL BRIEF
Definition
It is a very relaxed and casual approach to taking work for a client. It can typically just be verbal
agreement as you can’t trace or build up evidence about what your going to create for your
client. There fore there is no contract or written documentation to support your process or the
brief. For example if a manger contact someone through a call asking if there were ok to do
some extra work for them this would be a informal brief as there is no proper agreement.
Advantages
An advantage is you have compete flexibility as you can do whatever you want as there is no
written contact to say what you have to do. There is more room for discussion with your client
as this is a verbal brief. For example if a photographer was asked short noticed to do a
photoshoot they would have full choice on what to take images of and how they would do it as
there was no proper brief for what they wanted. Another advantage is the client is open to
most ideas and because it is informal there is also not set time. Making it easier for you to
create your project as you can spend as much time as you like and also not get in trouble for it.
Disadvantages
As disadvantage for a informal brief is that its not a reliable form of work. If you need a product
or material for a scheduled event there is not guarantee the work is going to be finished by
then making is a risky choice to make and can lead to disappointment. It can be hard to paid
as they did not sign anything to prove they did work and because of how informal it is the
client can take a while getting the money for you making to hard for you to track down money
as you cannot prove anything.
If a business is whiling to undertake a informal brief, this can show that the business does not

CO-OPERATIVE BRIEF
Definition
A cop-op brief is when your working with someone else against a brief. A client,
you and a partner. An example of this is a camera man and audio man working
together to create a movie for a client. Typically big companies needs lots of
people to create something as one person cannot do everything.
Advantages
One advantage of a co-op brief is you have a partner working with you towards
your client brief therefore have a bigger task force so you can work towards a
better and bigger product. An advantage for the client is the product can be made
much faster as there is an extra person making you more efficient. Working with
someone else can double the ideas as you can both brainstorm thoughts and
ideas that you can put together giving you more choice when creating the
product. An advantage for a co-op brief is that because there is too off you, you
have a back up plan for example if person a falls in person b can fill there place
and chip in by doing extra work for them to make sure you both do not get
behind.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage to working with someone is disagreements, when creating the
product of producing ideas as you might not agree with the other thoughts
making it hard to produce something when you don’t agree on anything. The pay

NEGOTIATED BRIEF
Definition
A negotiated brief is not a actual brief but is a discussion between yourself and
another. It is when two and more companies are working together on a brief
and have conflicting idea on a project therefore having to negotiate. It is there
to formalise a brief before undertaking by negotiating their ideas. This could
involve the deadline, product styles and legal and ethical obligation.
Advantages
An advantage of negotiating a brief is that its beneficial to the companies
because they make sure everyone is happy before signing any contracts. They
can do this by discussing the time schedule recourse and money to make sure
everyone is on the same page. Another advantage is that successful negotiation
is that you know everyone is going to work together well, therefore a better
product will be created as everyone gets along promoting synergy; everyone
working together for a mutual benefit.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage to not negotiating a brief is arguing as people will not be
happy with the final decision's as you didn’t talk through what is going to
happen. Also if you don’t there could be miss communion therefore different

COMMISSION BRIEF
Definition
Commission brief is were a large media company hires an independent media company to
create a product for them. For example the BBC might commission a York television company
to create a documentary for them. BBC then use that documentary as part of the schedule.
They are outsourcing there work. If a big media company have lots to do then they can send
there work to smaller media companies for them to do then use that to send to their client.
The independent company have a contract where they are paid a commission every time their
work is used.
Advantages
An advantage to a commission brief is when you are given it, you have a better understanding
of it because it is coming from a media savvy person. For example is a music company sent
work to an audio company there are in the same field of expertise therefore have a good
understanding of the work to do making it easier to discuss work and also making the product
will be quicker as they already will have the materials and knowledge.
Another benefit is you can keep getting payments and royalty's from their product and work as
if they keep getting used then you will keep continuing to make profit form when its used. An
example of this is stock photos as people can keep using your image for years and this allows
you to keep making money for a long time off one photo.
Working from commission the bigger companies have given the smaller independent companies
more opportunities to work for large popular businesses. Something they might of not done on
there own not being so big.

TENDER BRIEF
Definition
A tender brief is when a client publishes a product they want to be made therefore
the create a tender brief for companies to pitch their ideas and thoughts the client
will then pick the best person to create the product. An example of this is
Morrison's put out a tender brief for photography they needed doing big
companies came forward but the best valued pitches won as they could do it in a
short amount of time and for the less money. This allow the client to pick the best
one suited to there needs. Some companies are obliged to pick the cheapest
companies but other chose between the quality rather then the price.
Advantages
One advantage of a tender brief is it gives the client lots of flexibility between who
they can chose from and they will bring a range of idea with them on what they
want to implement. SO the client will chose the best proposal and they will get full
control of the ideas that have bee suggested to them. Another benefit is the client
can write down all the ideas from each client and when they have chosen just one
they will already have lots of ideas ready to use but with a cheaper company you
have gone for. With other brief types there are a lot of discussion before it takes
place but with a tender brief have to put a plan together before pitching therefore
they will have a clear plan of action so in essence they are already planned and
ready to get started making it easier and quicker.
Disadvantages
An disadvantage to a tender brief is from a freelance prospective is wasted time as

COMPETITION BRIEF
Definition
A competition brief is available to all participating production companies. It allows
each company to complete the brief were they are then judged and the best is
awarded the project or I has been shown. Its free to enter but the client has to pay
the winning company. For example E4 did a competition called stins where
companies could make a 15 second moving graphic for the logo and the winner
would be shown on TV and win £3000. Lots of people would of entered but only
one won and E4 would have had to pay them.
Advantages
An advantage of this is that if you produce quaintly work that wins it could lead to
further opportunity's from the same company if they enjoyed your work and other
companies seeing your work and researching out to you. Another advantage is up
and coming freelances get the chance to work with big companies giving them
more experience to use in the future. A benefit of it is that lots of companies will
enter the competition giving E4 lots of variety of work to chose from and also can
use there idea from not so well made videos. Another advantage is its free to win,
so it does not cost you anything therefore you are not loosing out on any money.
When E4 did the eastings competition they had lots of good submissions therefore
they were able to use lots of the entire even if they did not win, so this was a great
way to find good production companies without having to pay them.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage is you are not guaranteed to win so you can waste you time entering

MY BRIEF
Which structure/structures will your client brief use?
They have used a formal brief as they have given me a deadline to get my
work done for them, 21st of may as my worked is going to be used at an
event at York St Johns university, therefore if I don’t get my work done for
them is will ruin their event, but they cannot do anything about it because it
is not a legally binding contract.
Reference your reasons for choice/choices
It is a formal brief because I have been emailing them about the work and
projects they want me to do allowing me to log my conversation in a written
format and also I have met them formally to speak about the work in more
depth. I have talking a negotiating extra work I can do what's not on the
brief and there is no contract between us that has been signed.

READING THE BRIEF
Why is important to thoroughly read your brief?
It is important to read the brief thoroughly to make sure you understand everything
your client wants you to create so you can plan what your going to do and time scale
you want to achieve this in by not reading it clearly you could miss out important parts
of the project that they wanted you to do therefore ruining the event and also when
you find out you might not have a enough time to create it as a result of this the end
project could be rushed and not the best it could be.
At the top of the brief they have a box to discuss there company in my case it is a
organisation for a mental health event. So by reading it carefully I was able to learn
about what they do and the cause and I can use this information in my work to ensure I
create the best product for the message they are trying to get across, if I did not do
this I could make something that doesn’t spread awareness or could be offensive to the
people reading it.
Another reason why it is important is because if the client start to expect more work
form you that you firstly agreed on you can go back to your brief as its written out and
show evidence of what you were asked to do. This protects you from being exploited
and used for free labour. If you don’t read the brief and take on more work you can
find your spending much more time than you thought on something your doing fro
free and it might not be worth it.
Also a benefit to reading it is making sure you agree with everything they have put,
because this is a formal brief there is room for discussion and your input so if you
think you could add something to the brief or something your not capable of you need

READING THE BRIEF
What is the nature and demand of your client brief?
The nature of my client brief is to display, pictures from the campaign week, the All
About Respect York College posters, posters about healthy relationships created by
York College Art Students (with their consent), posters created during drama
workshops, statistics from the York College survey, Any news articles featuring York
College about the project (we have one printed from YC social media account) on to a
big 3 bored display that is going to be shown at York St Johns University. I also have
to include poster I will create in college time, these poster include a infographics of
the statistics that they brought in on the 26th of April. After discussing in person with
them we have all agreed that I am also going to be creating personalised bunting for
the display. I am always printing off work from two other students in my class Paige
and Kira as they have create domestic abuse poster easier on in the year that they
want me to display on the bored as well. I have also been asked to go see the event
and to take images of my display that I can post on their social media while writing a
blog post of my experience through this project to be posted on their blog.
The demand of my client is to get all of this work done by the 21st of May for their
event being shown on the 24th on May. I am the only person doing this project. The
resources I need for this are the posters, leaflets, business cards and images from
their event which they are providing me. Resources I need myself are Photoshop,
bunting, glossy printing paper and image printed off from their event.

NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Why is it important to discuss the brief with your client prior to production?
It is important to discuss your brief with your client prior to production to make sure you
both understand what the other people are wanting. By not speaking to them and just
working off the brief you could of read it wrong or not understand what they meant
fully resulting in creating the wrong product. By talking to them beforehand you can
ensure your making the right product by asking them any questions about it. Its also a
good time to pitch any ideas you have for the brief, for example I met my clients on the
26th of April to discuss the brief and from this I was able to talk about some ideas I have
such as a infographic and some personalised bunting to go around the display and
from this they accepted my offer and gave me tip of how to create some certain things
making it easier for me when it comes to production as I know exactly what they want.
From meeting them they pitched in some ideas of there own as well so now I am also
doing a blog post for my experience and some social media converge. Discussing with
you client is a great way to make sure you both on the same page and by working
together you are able to go to a mutual agreement from my experience I know have
more work to do which I am happy with as this I will look good on my CV and I was able
to get their approval for my ideas. If you do not speak to your client you wont have any
flexibility to add anything to your work as you would not of got their approval and
would have to work to the brief.

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 have full control as no is
bossing you around and controlling what you can do. This gives you more freedom to
chose what you want to creative this also involves being able to add small parts into
your work that maybe your client did not ask to as experiment with their reaction if you
think something would work better then they ask you can be risky and go for it. Another
advantage of employing discretion is you have time to get one with as no one is
bothering you and have any input, you can get on with your work, this also means you
are more likely to complete the work much faster which will please your client more.
A disadvantage of discretion is lack of advice. If you are left on your own to the work you
will have to do everything on your own with no one’s help. This means if you are
struggling there is no one to ask for advice or their opinion. This can lead to your work
not being its best and lacking behind. Another disadvantage is when you have done the
work or have some ideas there is no one to discuss them with therefore there is no
criticism involved so your not going to know if your ideas are very good or bad you have
to figure that out yourself and this can lead to creating something not very nice and not
good enough for your client.

NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Are there any potential legal/ethical/regulatory issues with the brief’s proposed
product?
There are potential issues with creating some posters that my client as asked. A legal
issue that I could face would be using copy righted material such as photos and
graphics on my poster as they have only be licensed to use it so I am not aloud, a
result of this could be my client getting sued lots of money. I can make sure I do not
do this as I will be taking my own images and creating my own graphics of Photoshop.
I another legal issue can be using fonts of Dafont. On Dafont there are lots of fonts
that you can use for your personal use but not for business so I can make sure I
research the font and that it okay for me use. An ethical issue would be promoting
prejudice businesses, for example a café that sell unfair coffee and are exploiting their
trader would be a really bad café as its unfair. By promoting this business you are
offending lots of people and advertising a bad business. I will not being doing this as I
have research my client and they are charity that help people with abusive relationship
problems and therefore I would not be promoting anything bad only good. Lastly there
are regulatory issues this means falsely adverting fake or incorrect information on my
posters. For example, the information for emotional abuse if I put wrong facts on to
the poster this can mislead the audience into thinking they are being abused or the
opposite and not seek help. This could get my client into serious trouble with the law.
There is not any regulatory issues that I will be facing because all the information has
come from my client and is correct and any information I find myself I will be

NEGOTIATING A BRIEF
Amendments you have considered to:
The Product
There has been amendment to the brief as additional work has been added for me to
do. After speaking with my client I am now creating an infographic poster, writing a
blog and coming to the event to takes images. This was not in the original brief but we
have felt I am able to do this with the other projects they have asked me to do. This
amendment was followed up in a email to make it official and a formal brief.
The Budget
The budget did change after the official brief as when we decided that I can come to the
event to take photos I now have to get the bus there, this is going to cost m £3.00.
This is not setting me back at all as this Is just a minor fund.
The Conditions
The conditions are still the same as I need all the work completed by May 21st for the
event. This has not changed as the event is quite big and cannot be changed due to me
being behind my work has to be completed for that date.

OPPORTUNITIES
What opportunities could this brief allow you to explore?
Self Development
A brief will allow me to gain self development as I can learn professional skills with my
client that I can use with other projects. This will be useful for in the future as when I
work with another client I will already have experience and I can become better next
time. Working with a client as made me learn how to communicate with them through
meetings, events and emails. It also allows me to develop my work further as my client
can give me feedback which will help me In the future.
Learning new skills
Through a brief I can have the opportunities to gain new skills in my work. By creating
work for my client I can practice my skills and improve them. I can also learn how to
create something new if my client wants something making that I have never done
before it gives me the opportunities to create something different and learns new skills
that I can use for the future also an example of this will be the graphics I am creating
for one of the posters I am creating for my client. This will give me a new experience iv
never done before.

OPPORTUNITIES
Multi-skilling
From this brief I can learn different skills and use my skills for this project. In this
project I can use skills such as Photoshop, photography, writing and social media
knowledge. I can use all of these different skills to do different work for my client. I am
creating some posters so I can use my photoshoot skills but also I doing some
photography and social media for their website. By having all of these different skills it
makes me more desirable as they do not need to hire lots of different people as they
can just have one person to do all the work.
Contributing to a project
In this project I am creating a display board for a charity event happening at York St
Johns University. My work will help contribute to other people and a bigger project as it
help spread awareness about abuse in relationships and also be a part of an event. By
my work being in this event it lets other people see my work giving me more of a
chance for it be seen. This could lead to other opportunities with future clients.

Working to a brief pro forma

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to Working to a brief pro forma

More from rachel hewitson

Recently uploaded

Working to a brief pro forma