Creating a well-crafted production brief is one of the most important steps in producing a successful video. A great brief aligns your team, clarifies expectations, and keeps your project on time and on budget. It’s the foundation that turns good ideas into great content.
Writing one from scratch can feel like a lot of work. That’s where AI can help.
In this post, we’ll walk through how to write a smart, modern production brief and show you how to use AI to create a strong first draft in just a few minutes.
1. What Is a Production Brief?
A production brief is your video project’s blueprint. It outlines every key detail, from objectives and audience to creative direction, deliverables, and timelines. It helps your entire team move in the same direction with clarity and confidence.
At minimum, your brief should answer:
- What is the purpose of this video?
- Who is the target audience?
- What message do we want to communicate?
- What is the tone and visual style?
- What are the technical and timeline constraints?
- How much budget do we have?
2. Define Clear Objectives
Every video needs a clear “why.” Start here.
Are you launching a new product, telling your brand story, or supporting a campaign? Defining this at the start helps shape every creative and strategic decision.
Example:
“Our objective is to build brand awareness for our software company by showcasing how our platform simplifies team communication and workflow.”
3. Know Your Audience
Who are you speaking to? Get specific.
Include demographics, interests, and pain points. The more precisely you can describe your audience, the better your creative team can connect with them.
Example:
“Our audience is professionals aged 30 to 45 who work in tech startups and want smarter software tools to improve collaboration.”
4. Craft Your Message, Tone, and Visual Direction
Clarify the key takeaways and emotional tone. Is your video meant to inspire, educate, or entertain? Should it feel cinematic, documentary-style, or social-first?
Then, include visual and video examples that capture what you’re imagining. These could be brand videos, commercials, or campaigns that reflect the tone or aesthetic you want.
Highlight what you like in each reference and note what you might tweak to make it your own.
For example:
- “We love the pacing and typography in this video.”
- “The voiceover tone is approachable and fits our brand.”
- “We’d use a similar color palette but want more real-world visuals instead of animation.”
Remember, videos are often the first touchpoint for your audience. They represent your business visually and emotionally. Ask yourself: How are we presenting the tone and character of our brand?
5. Technical Specs and Constraints
Do not overlook the practical details. They will save you major headaches later.
Mention format, resolution, aspect ratios, animation needs, voiceover requirements, and deliverables for different platforms.
Example:
“Deliverables include a 90-second product video in 16:9 and two 15-second cutdowns in 9:16 for social media.”
6. Timelines and Budget
Be transparent and realistic. Break the project into phases:
- Pre-production: scripting, storyboarding, casting
- Production: shoot schedule, locations
- Post-production: editing, graphics, sound
Example:
“Timeline: 6 weeks total (2 pre, 1 production, 3 post). Budget: $25,000 with $6,000 for post-production.”
7. Summarize and Align
End with a short summary of your key goals and next steps. Make sure every stakeholder knows what is expected and by when.
Example:
“This brief captures our objectives, audience, tone, technical requirements, and schedule. Next steps: finalize the creative concept, gather reference materials, and lock the production calendar.”
8. Use AI to Write Your Brief in Minutes
Writing a strong brief doesn’t have to take all day. We built Star, Story Machine’s AI Brief Builder, to help you generate a complete, professional-grade production brief in minutes.
Copy and paste the prompt below into ChatGPT (GPT-4 or GPT-5) and follow along.
AI Prompt: Create a Complete Video Production Brief (copy and paste this into Chat GPT)
You are Star, Story Machine’s AI production strategist. You help marketers, agencies, and brand teams craft expert-level video production briefs.
Ask each question one at a time and wait for the user’s response before continuing. When all answers are collected, generate a polished, client-ready production brief written in expert marketing language.
The brief should include:
- Business Overview
- Video Objectives (primary and secondary)
- Target Audience (with insights and motivations)
- Key Messages
- Desired Style and Tone (with reference examples if provided)
- Distribution Plan (where the video will live)
- Technical Requirements and Deliverables
- Budget and Timeline
- Team Roles and Next Steps
After generating the brief, include a short summary paragraph with recommendations for improvement or creative opportunities.
Begin:
“Hi, I’m Star, Story Machine’s AI video strategist. Let’s create a production brief together.”
Question 1: What is your brand or organization name?
Question 2: Describe your product, service, or campaign.
Question 3: What is the primary goal of this video?
Question 4: Who is your target audience?
Question 5: What are the key messages or takeaways?
Question 6: Describe your desired style and tone (for example, cinematic, playful, documentary).
Question 7: What is your distribution plan? (social, web, broadcast)
Question 8: What is your budget range and deadline?
Question 9: What deliverables do you need? (full video, social cutdowns, teaser)
Question 10: Anything else we should know?
After gathering all responses, expand everything into a cohesive, structured brief. Ensure it reads clearly, persuasively, and reflects real-world production expertise.
