How to brief a creative director: what to bring before the shoot
The clients who get the best results from a creative director come in with a clear brief: they know what the content is for, where it will live, and what a successful shoot looks like for their business.
In practice, a lot of briefs skip at least one of those things. When they do, the cost shows up later. Re-shoots, extra editing days, content that looks beautiful on screen but doesn't work on the platforms it was made for. A vague brief is expensive for everyone involved, and it's also avoidable.
The business goal, alongside the shot list
A shot list tells the creative director what to capture. A business goal tells her what the content has to do once it's out in the world. Both are useful.
If you know you need a 60-second film of the lobby, the pool, and breakfast service, that's a good starting point. And the brief becomes much more useful when it also tells Fabiana: "We're repositioning this property for long-stay corporate guests."
A film made to convert a leisure traveler and a film made to attract a long-stay corporate guest are structurally different pieces of content. Different pacing, different focal points, different emotional registers.
Bring the shot list if you have one and bring the business goal too.
The platforms
Where the content will live changes how it gets made. A 90-second film for a website landing page is cut and framed differently from a 15-second reel for Instagram. A portrait-format video for Stories needs different camera movement than a widescreen piece for a pitch deck or a TV screen in the hotel lobby.
The best clients arrive knowing their distribution plan. They tell Fabiana: "This is going on our website homepage, our Instagram feed, and we want a short version for Stories." That information shapes every decision on set, from aspect ratio to pacing to the moments the camera lingers on.
If you don't know the platforms yet, say so early. That conversation belongs in the brief and we can help to narrow it together before the shoot day.
Brand guidelines or references
I know not every brand has a formal guidelines document. That's fine. If you don't have one come with something: a sense of what the brand sounds like, which colors or fonts matter, whether the tone is quiet and understated or energetic and bold.
If you have references, mood boards, films you've loved, or campaigns from other brands that captured something you're after, share them. A reference that shows Fabiana what registers with you is worth more than a paragraph trying to describe it.
For fabcreative.studio, the visual language is cinematic and editorial. Composed frames, deliberate pacing, a story idea behind every piece. That approach works well for brands with a clear point of view.
The must-have shots
Every shoot has a few frames that are non-negotiable. A chef who has to be featured or a suite that's being relaunched or a shot the sales team need to use in every presentation.
Good clients name them and explain the context. "The rooftop terrace has to be in the film because it's our newest renovation and it doesn't appear anywhere in our current content" is useful information. It means the shoot day is organized around what matters most, with
the right light and the right time.
A single point of contact
On the day of a shoot, decisions happen fast. A planned setup isn't working and a better option is right there. In those moments, Fabiana needs one person who can say yes or no on behalf of the team.
The best clients designate someone who is on-site and empowered to make calls. That person knows the brief, knows the brand, and can represent the team without needing to check in with other departments before answering.
Working with fabcreative.studio
Before a shoot with Fabiana, she'll ask for the brief in writing. If you don't have all of it, that's a starting point for the pre-production conversation.
To start a project or ask a question, reach Fabiana at fabcreative.studio.
