Guides / Film Me
How to Brief an External Post-Production Team
A good post-production brief answers ten questions: purpose, audience, deliverables, footage, brand, references, languages, approvals, deadlines and constraints. This Film Me guide explains each one, lists what to send with the brief, and links to a free template.
Why the brief matters more in post-production
An external editor was not at the shoot, does not know your organisation, and cannot guess which of three takes your chief executive prefers. The brief is how that knowledge crosses the gap. A clear brief is the cheapest way to improve the first cut.
The ten questions a brief should answer
| Question | What to write |
|---|---|
| 1. Purpose | What should the viewer think, feel or do afterwards? One sentence. |
| 2. Audience | Who will watch, where, and on what device. Staff on an intranet is a different film from customers on a phone. |
| 3. Deliverables | Every file you need: versions, durations, aspect ratios, languages, captions. A deliverables matrix is ideal. |
| 4. Footage | What exists, how much, which cameras, where it is stored, and whether there are transcripts or shot notes. |
| 5. Brand | Guidelines, fonts, logo files, lower-third templates, music rules. |
| 6. References | Two films you like and one you do not, with a line on why. |
| 7. Languages | Which languages, who supplies translations, who checks them. |
| 8. Approvals | One named approver, who else is consulted, and the review tool. |
| 9. Deadlines | The real date, the reason for it, and any fixed points before it. |
| 10. Constraints | Confidentiality, legal review, accessibility requirements, and any policy on the use of AI tools. |
What to send with the brief
- The footage, or a sample and a list if it is very large
- Scripts, interview questions and transcripts if you have them
- Brand guidelines, logo files and fonts
- Music, or the rules for choosing it
- Names and job titles of everyone who appears, spelled correctly
- Any earlier films in the same series
Five common mistakes
- Describing the look but not the purpose. "Make it dynamic" does not tell an editor what to keep.
- Forgetting the versions. Cutdowns and ratios discovered late double the work.
- Many approvers. Conflicting notes are the main cause of extra rounds.
- A padded deadline. Editors plan better around real dates.
- Leaving AI and security until the end. If your organisation restricts AI tools or has data rules, say so first.
Briefing a large programme
For ten or more videos, add three things: a deliverables matrix, an agreed pilot batch, and a fixed review rhythm. These are covered in how to plan a large-scale video editing project.
Use the template
Film Me publishes a free post-production brief template. It follows the ten questions above and can be printed or saved as a PDF. You can use it with any editor or post-production company.
