There are multiple types of briefs in the media industry. The client who gives the brief would like you to interpret and produce a production based on a given brief. The brief can also be given to a production team in means of a competition and can be found online.
Structure of a Brief
Contractual
A contractual brief is a type of brief or contract where a media company is employed by the client in order to complete a project within the brief which is set to specific guidelines which the media company must follow. It is very important for the media company to follow these guidelines and do what the client states within the brief, if they fail to do so this can result in a breech of contract and the company could face legal actions. Having a contractual brief will be good for the media company involved as they will know exactly what the project is and what they are being asked to do as the brief will be very detailed and go into specifics that are not to be negotiated. The disadvantage if this type of contract would be that if the media company think that there are issues within the brief and they produce the product to their own standards this would not be producing the product to the standards set by the client and they could decide to take legal action and this could result in your company having a bad reputation for not completing projects to a set brief.
Negotiated
This type of brief is for when both parties have different ideas for the production. To ensure that both parties are happy with their arrangement a compromise is made in the brief. This involves a lot of back and forth between production team and client.
Taken from:
(http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_negotiated_brief)
This type of brief will be brought up if the co-operative brief given to the two or more media companies that are competing the project have any issues between them selves about the brief or anything they would like to clear up with the client. Through the negotiations the brief can then be changed in order to suite every party taking part in the production. This could be anything from changing the appearance of the product to changing the products content as well as keeping it to the guidelines set in the brief. Negotiating the brief can sometimes waste time and unnecessary issues are brought up that the client believes do not need to be tackled and this can delay the production time of the product.
Formal
This type of brief is much more professional than the previous as the client will have very clear ideas and will most likely invite the group working on the brief to a formal meeting to keep up to date with progress and suggest any improvements or alternative ideas/solutions to problems met by the group.
Taken from (http://techofediting.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/unit-5-working-to-brief-in-media.html)
This is where a media company is given a brief by the client which outlines the product which they are wanting to be made. This brief is very open and only gives enough information to be able to produce the product, any issues or information that the media company would like to go over can be discussed during the negotiations with the client. The layout of the formal brief would be very relaxed and easy to read, it would allow the client to understand and create a product more easily and quickly.
To learn how to construct a formal brief click the link. http://www.ehow.com/how_8624969_conduct-formal-briefing.html
Informal
An informal brief is not documented and is usually of the verbal kind. It is where the client and the company which they have employed simply discuss the requirements for the product they will be making and ultimately agree upon the project. The advantages to this type of brief is that there is more verbal communication between the client and the company they are employing which could mean that the media company will understand fully exactly what the client is asking of them and they should be able to complete the project to the client’s standards easily.The fact that there is no written documentation or contract to prove the employment of the company could mean that at the end of the project the client could easily fail to pay their employees. Also this could mean that certain things like deadlines are not completely clear and this can cause confusion for both parties.
Taken from (http://creativemediaatjt.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/informal-brief.html)
This type of brief is done face to face through a meeting,
all aspects of the brief must appeal to all members from the client list, the
advantages of doing an informal brief is that it can create a relaxed environment
and therefore be created a lot quicker, the disadvantages of an informal brief
is that it can be seen as unprofessional and unclear. This is when the client doesn't necessarily write down the details of the brief, instead a verbal brief can be given. This is an effective method for the speed of the project, but as details of the brief aren't written down some misunderstanding can take place, meaning all the criteria of the brief may not be covered.
Commission
This is when the client knows you are a reliable group and likes the way you make your productions, this may also be because you have a good reputation. The client will know that you can produce what is needed and will offer a commission (pay) for your efforts. This is an advantage to the client as they will get exactly what they want with little input from the client.
Taken from (http://techofediting.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/unit-5-working-to-brief-in-media.html)
Taken from (http://techofediting.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/unit-5-working-to-brief-in-media.html)
Having this type of brief means that the larger company does
not have to do all of the hard work, so to speak. They can sub-contract the
work that is set in the brief out to another company and each company will both receive money for
the work they have contributed to the making of the product. This
type of brief could mean that because there are two different companies working
on the same product there could be some conflicts, but because the brief is not
negotiated with the client, the product made may not be to the client’s
standards.
This
brief is where a large media company
will employ an other independent media company to create and produce the
product for them, and after the product has been made the larger company may go
on to be use the product for an external client who will pay the independent
media company for making the product and they could even get a cut of the
royalties too. The brief is not negotiated between the company and the client,
however is negotiated between the two media companies.
Tender
A tender brief is a far less formal brief. It is essentially you pitching your ideas to a group who would also be pitching ideas. (Web definition)
This
is where a client will advertise their brief and a production company will
bring together a proposal that they will pitch to the client, there could be
multiple pitches to the client from many different companies, so the client
will then get the chance to choose the proposal that they think best suits
their brief and offer the job to that production company.
The advantages of this brief is that the client
will be able to look at many different ideas for their product from different
companies perspectives and in effect will be able to produce their product to a
very high standard if one of the pitched ideas stands out above all of the
others. The disadvantage of this type of brief is that if a company’s pitch is
turned down by the client this can set them back in business as it is very hard
to gain work in this day and age. The business may have been very optimistic in
thinking that the client would have accepted their proposal and could have gone
as far as to decline any work that they were offered in the time that they
would have been working on this project.
A co-operative brief is one where 2 or more parties are involved in a production. This allows the production to be completed quicker and possible at a higher standard than if it were just one company making the production.
For example, say I'm a client and the production I wish to make includes an elaborate soundtrack and is highly built on special effects then the most likely option I would take is hiring two separate companies to tackle these areas separately. Theoretically I would hire Legendary pictures to tackle the effects because they handled the effects in films such as Pacific Rim, Man of Steel, Godzilla (2014) and several others. For soundtrack I would hire Constantin Film Produktion who developed the soundtracks for Resident Evil, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Mortal Instruments and again several others.
Competition
A client can put the brief online for the public (in this case the production companies) to see. It can sometimes been seen as a free competition as each production company will complete the brief and the client can then judge which company has the best project and as an award they have it published. The advantage is that the client only has to pay the one winning production company, but sometimes will not have to pay them at all. Also the fact that they have multiple companies producing a product means that they have a large choice of products and can choose the one that they believe will be the most successful. A disadvantage of this is the same as the disadvantage of a tender brief; the companies that are turned down by the client may become disheartened as they have missed out on potential work and money.
Reading a brief
Competition
A client can put the brief online for the public (in this case the production companies) to see. It can sometimes been seen as a free competition as each production company will complete the brief and the client can then judge which company has the best project and as an award they have it published. The advantage is that the client only has to pay the one winning production company, but sometimes will not have to pay them at all. Also the fact that they have multiple companies producing a product means that they have a large choice of products and can choose the one that they believe will be the most successful. A disadvantage of this is the same as the disadvantage of a tender brief; the companies that are turned down by the client may become disheartened as they have missed out on potential work and money.
Reading a brief
Once you have received the brief you need to make sure you
understand exactly what the client wants. You should make sure that you can do
what is required and that you have the budget for it. Ensure you know who your
target audience is so that you do not create something irrelevant to what the
client wants. Also find out everything about the target audience such as age,
location, where they work and whether they are male or female. The most
important factor is timescale. You should know when the client expects the
finished product. If it is a contractual brief and you do not meet the
deadline, worst case scenario, you could find yourself being sued in court.
Negotiating a brief
When negotiating a brief it is always best to consult with your client. This can be done through Emails, Phone calls or a face to face meeting. When you meet your client you will be able to discuss the brief with them, this is a good opportunity for you to be able to raise any issues that you have noticed with the project and also offer any ideas that you will have to add to the project. It is best to consult with your client because if you make any drastic changes to the brief and they are left uninformed they quite possibly could fire you and work with a different company. And/or more likely not hire you for another project.
When reading through the brief you may need a degree of discretion. This means that if the brief is missing certain information like the films run time, or the characters, then it is up to the producer to decide these areas. Just note that these are examples and a lot more areas could be left out of a brief that are a lot more likely to over look which this person will have to now decide. Sometimes a brief is vague so it is up to the filmmakers to decide the look and feel of the film. They would have to consult with the client whenever they begin to add things or make changes, but in the long run it would be their decision of how the film looks, its run time, and the characters if they are left out of the brief.
You will need to discuss the constraints of the production. The constraints revolve around the legal, ethical and regulatory rights of others. The brief itself would have nothing that would break any of these rights, however when it comes to production there is a lot to consider. For example if a production were to use children then they would need an official form signed by a parent or Guardian. Take the Harry Potter franchise for example. The cast is mostly built up of children including extras. Because of this a child's contract is given to their Guardian to sign and thus allow the production to use them in the film.
(From BBC Film network.
Any child under the age of 16 needs a licence from their local authority to perform in any film. The application for this licence will include, amongst other things, a medical certificate and detailed statement on the likely performing hours.
It is the Producer of the film who will need to apply for the licence from the child's local authority and the parent of the child will have to supply the producer documents such as the child's birth certificate and a school letter authorising absence. The licence granted needs to be kept on set at all times. There are restrictions on how child actors can be used e.g. maximum time on set. Any child holding a licence is required to have a chaperone.
If a UK child is performing abroad then a licence needs to be obtained from either their local Magistrates Court or Bow Street Magistrates Court. If a non UK child is performing in the UK then they will still need a licence and all the rules of restrictions on engaging child actors will apply to them in the same way as they would a UK child. The child is often licensed by the local authority in whose area the child is performing or living during his or her stays but a licence can also be obtained from the local authority whose area the producer has his or her main residence, or where the producer's head office is based. It is essential that you follow carefully the restrictions on using child actors in your films. These are governed by licensing regulations and are likely to be followed carefully by local authorities who are under a duty to protect children.)
Opportunities
There are a lot of opportunies in self-development. You learn to tackle new tasks you had not encountered before and thus learn new skills. You get out of your comfort zone and can possibly find something you really enjoy by doing so. For example some people think that when making a film editing is the hard and boring part. But when they try it they usually find that they love to edit. If your production team is small then you would have to multi-task with the areas of Production. For example you could write the script and Direct. This requires two skills which involve your writing techniques and communication skills. When you are in a small group it would be easier for you to communicate and thus you would increase your skills in doing so and be able to make more productions like this and after a while you will work with bigger production teams.
My contributions
For our Working to a Brief project we had an external client, Alice Gardner from the Stockton council, come and ask us to make a video about child employment. Everyone contributes individual research and we were assigned our own individual tasks afterwords. I was given the job of client consultent and organised all interviewed whilst keeping our client informed of what we were doing and where we were in terms of production. When filming we had a shortage of actors and as I have a brief history in acting I took the role of Jim. A boy who is being exploited through work and ultimately gets hit by a car because of it. I also operated the sound when I was off camera and communed with the actors. I learned more than I expected by doing these tasks. I learned that that there is no hotline to call if a child is being exploited when there are several in other countries like America, Germany and even Ireland. I learned that I had was definately not the best pick to commune with clients and now know for sure that my favourite thing to do in a production is to edit, even though I could do none in this. I am happy with the end result and think everyone pulled their weight in the production.
Once you have read over the brief and understand what needs
to be done the first thing to do is to brainstorm as many ideas as possible.
One way could be to use post-it notes and decide which ones are good ideas and
which ones are bad ideas, then take all the good ideas and develop them
further. It is a good idea to create mind maps, mood boards, a production
schedule and an asset list as it will make production much easier. Once
planning is complete your team should begin working on the project. There
should be clear communication across the team to make sure the project is
completed correctly and to the client's expectations. Once the project is
complete it should be presented professionally to the client and if the client
is happy with it you will be paid.
You would need to have a production meeting to discuss what
benefits you would get from the brief. From there you need to know that you
have the resources, knowledge and skill to produce the production while
sticking to the briefs requirements. When in the pre-production stage do not
give yourself too much of a work load at once. You would most likely have a
full pre-production team so the workload would be spread out evenly between
everyone. Try to organise it so certain parts of the work fits people’s
strengths also. For example, in pre-production you need to design your
characters in several ways. Personality, look, attitude. For developing their
personality and attitude that should be left with the writers and/or Director.
The look mostly would involve the costume depart and the hair make up
department. Always refer back to the client in regards to script, costume
and any other changes or additions you and your team will be making. From there you will need to work on your actual production and then post production. Create a rough edit to send to your client and they can then get back to you with their opinion and any changes they wish made to it.
Negotiating a brief
When negotiating a brief it is always best to consult with your client. This can be done through Emails, Phone calls or a face to face meeting. When you meet your client you will be able to discuss the brief with them, this is a good opportunity for you to be able to raise any issues that you have noticed with the project and also offer any ideas that you will have to add to the project. It is best to consult with your client because if you make any drastic changes to the brief and they are left uninformed they quite possibly could fire you and work with a different company. And/or more likely not hire you for another project.
When reading through the brief you may need a degree of discretion. This means that if the brief is missing certain information like the films run time, or the characters, then it is up to the producer to decide these areas. Just note that these are examples and a lot more areas could be left out of a brief that are a lot more likely to over look which this person will have to now decide. Sometimes a brief is vague so it is up to the filmmakers to decide the look and feel of the film. They would have to consult with the client whenever they begin to add things or make changes, but in the long run it would be their decision of how the film looks, its run time, and the characters if they are left out of the brief.
You will need to discuss the constraints of the production. The constraints revolve around the legal, ethical and regulatory rights of others. The brief itself would have nothing that would break any of these rights, however when it comes to production there is a lot to consider. For example if a production were to use children then they would need an official form signed by a parent or Guardian. Take the Harry Potter franchise for example. The cast is mostly built up of children including extras. Because of this a child's contract is given to their Guardian to sign and thus allow the production to use them in the film.
(From BBC Film network.
Any child under the age of 16 needs a licence from their local authority to perform in any film. The application for this licence will include, amongst other things, a medical certificate and detailed statement on the likely performing hours.
It is the Producer of the film who will need to apply for the licence from the child's local authority and the parent of the child will have to supply the producer documents such as the child's birth certificate and a school letter authorising absence. The licence granted needs to be kept on set at all times. There are restrictions on how child actors can be used e.g. maximum time on set. Any child holding a licence is required to have a chaperone.
If a UK child is performing abroad then a licence needs to be obtained from either their local Magistrates Court or Bow Street Magistrates Court. If a non UK child is performing in the UK then they will still need a licence and all the rules of restrictions on engaging child actors will apply to them in the same way as they would a UK child. The child is often licensed by the local authority in whose area the child is performing or living during his or her stays but a licence can also be obtained from the local authority whose area the producer has his or her main residence, or where the producer's head office is based. It is essential that you follow carefully the restrictions on using child actors in your films. These are governed by licensing regulations and are likely to be followed carefully by local authorities who are under a duty to protect children.)
Opportunities
There are a lot of opportunies in self-development. You learn to tackle new tasks you had not encountered before and thus learn new skills. You get out of your comfort zone and can possibly find something you really enjoy by doing so. For example some people think that when making a film editing is the hard and boring part. But when they try it they usually find that they love to edit. If your production team is small then you would have to multi-task with the areas of Production. For example you could write the script and Direct. This requires two skills which involve your writing techniques and communication skills. When you are in a small group it would be easier for you to communicate and thus you would increase your skills in doing so and be able to make more productions like this and after a while you will work with bigger production teams.
My contributions
For our Working to a Brief project we had an external client, Alice Gardner from the Stockton council, come and ask us to make a video about child employment. Everyone contributes individual research and we were assigned our own individual tasks afterwords. I was given the job of client consultent and organised all interviewed whilst keeping our client informed of what we were doing and where we were in terms of production. When filming we had a shortage of actors and as I have a brief history in acting I took the role of Jim. A boy who is being exploited through work and ultimately gets hit by a car because of it. I also operated the sound when I was off camera and communed with the actors. I learned more than I expected by doing these tasks. I learned that that there is no hotline to call if a child is being exploited when there are several in other countries like America, Germany and even Ireland. I learned that I had was definately not the best pick to commune with clients and now know for sure that my favourite thing to do in a production is to edit, even though I could do none in this. I am happy with the end result and think everyone pulled their weight in the production.
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