What to prepare before a website or video project

You do not need a finished script or page outline before approaching a creative partner. You do need enough shared context to decide what the work should accomplish. A short brief with the following information is a useful start.

Describe the decision you want to help someone make

Name the audience and what they need to understand. “We need a new website” describes a deliverable. “Prospective customers cannot tell which service is relevant to them” describes the problem the website needs to solve.

For a film, explain what a viewer cannot see or understand today. Collective Elevation's facility tour introduces greenhouses and their setting. The Kestrel's walkthrough helps viewers inspect apartments and shared spaces. Those assignments call for different choices from a recruiting interview or an event recap.

Bring the material you already have

Collect the current website, brand files, useful photographs or footage and examples of work you like. Explain what you like about each example: its pacing, clarity, framing or treatment of the subject. A reference is easier to use when its purpose is clear.

Include factual material the project must get right, such as service details, product information, role requirements or property features. Identify who can verify those facts. Flag material that is private, licensed for limited use or awaiting permission before it enters a public draft.

List the placements and next steps

A website hero, a vertical social film and an advertisement have different viewing contexts. Specify where the work will appear and whether people are likely to encounter it with sound. For a campaign, identify the destination after a viewer clicks.

For a website, list the pages and integrations that already matter. Include forms, booking, downloads, purchases and existing pages people find through search. Keeping those functions working belongs in the project plan, even if they do not appear in a design reference.

Identify access, decisions and constraints

For filming, discuss locations, participants, access windows, travel and permissions. For a website, identify who controls the domain, hosting, existing content and connected services. Share access through the agreed secure process when needed, rather than adding credentials to a brief.

Name one person who can consolidate feedback and the people who must approve important facts or final work. Distinguish a real deadline, such as an event or campaign launch, from a preferred date. Give a budget range if you have one so recommendations can reflect it.

Agree on review and delivery

Before work begins, confirm what will be delivered, the intended formats, the review process and what happens after delivery. A website needs a publishing and maintenance arrangement. A film needs agreed versions and usage. If priorities change, discuss the effect on the work and cost before treating the new request as part of the original brief.

You can bring an incomplete brief to the first conversation. Our website work and video production both start with understanding the purpose. Talk with William about the audience, what you want them to understand and what is already in place.