What a good creative brief actually looks like

A strong creative brief requires more clarity. And that clarity pays for itself in a cleaner shoot, fewer revision rounds, and content that actually works when it's deployed.

Fabiana Mena has directed brand films and editorial photography for luxury properties including The Plaza Doha and Barneys NY Residences. Here is what a strong brief looks like compared to one that creates problems.

The difference in practice

Most briefs that cause friction aren't vague because the client doesn't care. They're vague because nobody stopped to write down the things everyone assumed were obvious.

Here is a simple example.

• A brief that creates problems:

  "We need a video for the hotel. Something nice that shows what we offer. Maybe 1-2 minutes. We'll know what we want when we see it."

• A brief that works:

  "We're launching a new wellness floor in Q1 and we need a 60-second film for our website homepage and a 30-second cut for Instagram. The audience is women, 30-50, traveling for leisure. The tone is calm and restorative. We have brand guidelines and a few reference films we can share. The wellness director needs to be featured because she's central to our marketing. One of our brand managers will be on-site and available for the full shoot day."

Why the second one works

It tells Fabiana what the content has to do. The business goal is clear. A wellness floor launch for a leisure traveler aged 30-50 is a specific brief. The shotlist and the shooting style changes when you know who you're talking to and what you want them to feel.

The platforms are named. A 60-second film for a website homepage and a 30-second cut for Instagram are two different pieces of work. Knowing that before the shoot means the right coverage exists in the edit. Finding out after the shoot that you also needed a vertical cut for Stories means going back.

There's something to react to. Brand guidelines and reference films give Fabiana a direction to work with. She doesn't need a complete brand book. She needs enough to understand the tone and to push back if something doesn't feel right for the brand.

The must-have is explained. "The wellness director needs to be featured because she's central to our marketing" is more useful than a name on a shot list. It tells Fabiana the weight that moment carries and how to treat it.

One person is on-site.

Shoot days move quickly. When one empowered person is present and available, decisions get made in seconds. When they aren't, time gets lost, and time on a shoot day is expensive.

Building the brief together

If you don't have all of it, that's completely fine. Fabiana works with clients to build the brief in pre-production, and most of the questions are straightforward once you're in the conversation.

To start a project or ask a question, reach Fabiana at fabcreative.studio.