If the first thing a supplier hears is "we want a brand film, roughly how much?", the only possible answer is "it depends". That isn't evasion. There is nothing to assess. A one-page brief gets both sides to the point in the first conversation, and you can send the same document to several suppliers so the quotes that come back can be compared.
A template to copy
1. Company and contact: name, industry, contact person and role.
2. Type of video: brand film / product video / advertisement / event video / other.
3. Purpose: what viewers should know or do afterwards.
4. Audience: who will watch (overseas buyers, consumers, candidates).
5. Where it will be shown: website, trade show, launch, social media, paid placements, internal event.
6. Specifications and versions: length, ratio (landscape / vertical / special), languages.
7. Existing material: video, photos, 3D renders, slides; who made them; whether originals exist.
8. Content: script or outline; text, figures and shots that must appear.
9. Style references: two or three videos, and what you like about each.
10. Schedule and process: the date needed, why that date, and who reviews internally.
Add anything else that should be known early: what paperwork quoting and invoicing require, and any budget range.
Field by field
Purpose and audience (3 and 4)
These two decide the whole video. "Improve brand image" is too vague; write a concrete situation, such as "on a first sales visit, show in two minutes that we own our factory and hold three certifications". See brand film, product video or ad.
Specifications and versions (6)
The field most often left out, and the one that most affects the workload. One 60-second landscape video is a different scale from "60, 30 and 15 seconds, each landscape and vertical, in two languages". See cutting 6, 15 and 30-second ads and ad videos in multiple aspect ratios.
Existing material (7)
Chipscat does post-production only and doesn't film, so this field matters to us in particular. Be specific: "about 40 minutes of footage from last year's show, originals available" is far more useful than "some material". If there is none, say so; AI video production or motion graphics may be an option. See the corporate video materials checklist.
Content (8)
A script is best. Without one, list the three to five points the video must make and the things that must appear: certification marks, model numbers, the tagline. Have figures and claims confirmed internally first. See how to prepare a video script.
Style references (9)
Give links, and say whether it's the pace, colour, typography or music you like. "Something with quality" means something different to everyone; see describing the editing style you want.
Schedule and process (10)
Give the real deadline and the reason, such as "the show opens on 20 October and files must reach the venue a week earlier for testing". Say how many people and departments will review, and count that time in; see getting a corporate video through internal approval.
Agree internally before writing
- Who makes the final decision. Their expectations should be known before production starts, not on first sight of the finished video.
- Who the contact is. One person, who gathers everyone's comments.
- What gives way. When quality, schedule and scope conflict, which matters most.
About budget
Many companies prefer not to state a budget, fearing the quote will rise to meet it. In practice, a range lets the supplier propose what is achievable within it; without one, the quote may land far below or above expectations and both sides lose time. We quote each project on its contents; see what affects video editing pricing.
After sending
Paste the brief into our request form, or send the file by LINE or email. We reply within 48 hours to tell you whether we can take it on; if we can, we write up a quote so you can decide whether to go ahead. Business video types are listed in commercial video editing for businesses.
FAQ
Some fields aren't decided yet. Can we still enquire?
Yes. Write what is settled and mark the rest "undecided".
How long should a brief be?
One page. Specific matters more than detailed.
We have a standard procurement or RFQ document. Can we use that?
Yes, as long as it covers purpose, versions, material and schedule.
