Every editor has had the same experience: a first cut comes back covered in notes, and almost none of them are about the editing. They are about intent – what the video was supposed to do, and for whom. That information existed all along. It just never made it into the brief.
A good brief is short. It does not need a script, a storyboard or a shot list. It needs six things, and most of them take one sentence each.
Why most revision rounds happen
When we look back at projects that needed three or four rounds of changes, the cause is rarely skill. It is a gap between what the client pictured and what the editor was told. The editor fills that gap with guesses, and each guess becomes a note on the first cut. Closing the gap before editing starts is the cheapest way to save time and money on any video project.
It also protects the budget. Revisions are where fixed-price projects quietly turn into longer ones, and where hourly projects become expensive. A clear brief turns the first cut into something you refine, not something you rebuild.
The six things every video brief needs
- Purpose – what the video has to achieve.
- Audience – who will watch it and what they already know.
- Platform – where it will be published, which decides length, aspect ratio and pacing.
- Action – what the viewer should do after watching.
- Reference – one example of a style you like, or one you dislike.
- Deadline and budget – both, stated plainly.
Start with the purpose. Not “edit this webinar” but “cut this webinar into something a prospect will finish before a sales call”. The second version tells the editor what to protect and what to cut. Then say who it is for, where it will be published, and what the viewer should do after watching.
Next, give a reference. One link to a video whose style you like will save more back-and-forth than a page of adjectives. If you do not have one, say what you dislike instead – that is nearly as useful.
Finally, say your deadline and your budget. Both. An editor who knows the budget can shape the scope to fit it. An editor who does not will either overquote and lose the work, or underquote and cut corners you will notice later.
What to send along with the brief
The brief explains the intent. The files make it possible. Sending everything at the start avoids the most common delay of all: an editor waiting for a logo, a font or the one clip that was left on a camera card.
- All raw footage, including any second camera or screen recording.
- Separate audio files if you recorded with an external microphone.
- Brand assets: logo files, fonts, colour codes and any lower-third or intro templates.
- Slides, a script or an outline if the video follows one.
- Music you have a licence for, or a note that the editor should source it.
- Any sections you already know should be cut, with rough timestamps.
Organise files so nothing gets lost
Use one shared folder with a simple structure: footage, audio, assets and documents. Name files so their order is obvious, for example “module-02-lesson-03-camA”. Shared links from Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer all work well. What matters is that everything lives in one place and the editor does not have to piece a project together from email attachments.
A simple brief template you can copy
- Project: what is being edited and how much footage there is.
- Goal: one sentence on what the video must achieve.
- Viewer: who is watching and what they need from it.
- Where it goes: platform, length and format.
- Style: a reference link, or what to avoid.
- Must include / must cut: anything non-negotiable.
- Deadline and budget: the date you need it and what you can spend.
That is usually half a page. It takes ten minutes to write and routinely saves a full round of revisions.
How to give feedback on the first cut
The brief sets up the first cut. Good feedback finishes the job. Give all your notes in one batch rather than a stream of messages, attach a timestamp to each one, and say whether a note is a must-change or a preference. If several people need to approve the video, collect their comments first and resolve any conflicts before sending them on. One consolidated list from one person is the fastest route to a final version.
We review every edit on a timestamped link for exactly this reason: comments land on the exact frame they refer to, and nothing gets lost in an email thread.
Common brief mistakes to avoid
- Describing the style in adjectives only. “Modern and clean” means something different to everyone; a reference link does not.
- Leaving the audience out. A lesson for complete beginners and one for experienced professionals need different pacing, even with the same footage.
- Sending footage in several batches over several days. Editors plan the structure from the full picture, so late clips often mean re-cutting.
- Hiding the budget. It does not weaken your position – it lets the editor propose the best result for the money instead of guessing.
Getting started
If you would rather hand the whole thing over, send us your brief and budget. You get a written scope, a fixed price and a delivery date within one business day. See the full list of video editing services we offer.