There are 8 types of briefs when working in the creative media industries. The first type is a Contractual brief. A contractual brief is given to a media company employed by a client to complete a project which has specific guidelines and the media company is told exactly what the client says. If the media company goes beyond the contract, they could face legal action. In this brief, a large sum of money is involved and given to the media company, but are forced to all terms. This is otherwise known as a contract. This is a very simple brief as the media company knows exactly what they're doing and is very specific so that no questions need to be asked. However, the media company HAS to do what the client says, if they reject these terms, they could face action in court and force a bad reputation upon the media company. An example of a contractual brief could be an actor signing on to a project, or a computer graphic company signing on to a project for a particular film.
The next type of brief is a Negotiated brief. A negotiated brief is very open-minded but given not that much information but enough for the client to understand what they need to do. The client AND the company have to agree on what they need to do so negotiations would occur between the two until they get an agreement. It gives more lee way for the media company to produce a product that would satisfy a client's need. However, a client might argue that they are not given enough information and this can cause, almost like aggressive negotiations. There could also be problems such as money issues or a breech or contract.
Another type of brief is a Formal brief. A formal brief is a detailed brief which outlines specifications of a finished product. It is well set out and structured to suit a company's needs. It is throughly explained, therefore the company or employee knows exactly what they are doing. With this brief, the client is open to ideas or issued can be raised by the company. However, there might not be enough information for a client to understand what they need to do and therefore produce a wrong product. There could also be financial issues which might need to be sorted out if a case like this ever happens.
One other type of brief is opposite to a formal brief called an Informal brief. An informal brief can be a short piece of text or a verbal agreement but not official. It can range from a simple question to do a project to helping somebody out. It is not documented, therefore NOT official. It is more verbal communication than a paper contract, which makes it simpler and easier to understand. However, with this type of agreement, there might be confusion between a client and a company as to what needs to be done. The time requirements can range from the day after to a week ahead, which also makes it simpler.
Another type of brief is a Commission brief. This type of brief involves a client commissioning another company to fulfil a brief. This is also important because it can save time looking for potential employees because you can rely one person to get the job done. However, negotiating the brief with the client can waste time on unnecessary issues that are brought up in the brief. This can also delay making the product and its time it has been allocated.
Another type of brief is a Competition brief. A competition brief is given out to different companies to create a product for a competition. The client then judges which company has made the best product and the media company is awarded, whether in money or being published. The client only has to pay the winning company, which is an advantage, but might not pay all of the other participating companies. However, the companies that don't win may become angered by not winning so they have missed out on work for the client and its payment.
One other type of brief is called a Tender brief. A tender brief is similar to a competition brief as it requires the brief be posted to other companies. The best companies will get chosen the brief that suits them the most. Companies would get to look at different ideas of their project and produce them to the highest quality. If a pitch to a client gets turned down however, the client can then release them and they won't get work from that client again. This would be difficult as it is very hard to find work now because more and more production companies are in business.
Lastly, there is a Co-operative brief. This is a brief given to two or more companies contracted to work on the same assignment. This is a brief which requires multi-skilling from different employees from different companies. However, one of the only troubles that can affect definitely both media companies: TIGHT DEADLINES. This can not only rush the product but also make it a bad product. With this brief, along with the skills, there can be different perspectives when negotiating with this brief, which makes the brief somewhat easier. However, whilst negotiating, there would be plenty of disagreements and may take a while to get to a final brief overview.
Whilst working in the creative media industries, you have to be aware of the above briefs and what they illustrate, so you have to thoroughly read the brief. You must pay attention to what the brief is, first of all, to make sure what you're doing and what you need to talk with the client. You need to then look at the deadlines, when are your deadlines? They can defer from one week to one month, but it has to be the right product and suits the client. You might need to negotiate with the client if there is an extension needed. Following on from extensions, how long do you have to complete the brief and if you need an extension or not. Finally, and probably most important, what is required from you. This is normally noted in a brief as a task, you can also negotiate any special requirements from the client that is needed for your project.
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