Turn existing footage into a clear short-video brief

Select one message

Review the available material with a specific question: which single statement can be understood without a long introduction? Record suitable passages with the filename and timestamp. An interesting sentence is not yet a complete clip if its context is missing. Check the section before and after it before selecting the excerpt for the brief.

Describe the material and purpose

State whom the clip is for and which question it should answer. List the available files and known limitations in image or sound quality. Also flag material whose intended use still needs checking. An editing brief should not contain unsupported assumptions about which footage exists or has been approved for the proposed purpose.

Outline the opening and sequence

Describe an understandable opening, the central statement and a suitable ending. The opening does not need to be artificially dramatic; it should make the subject clear. Check whether all planned parts can be produced from the available footage. Missing shots belong in the brief as open production tasks, rather than appearing in the edit list as if they already existed.

Prepare captions and styling

Record specialist terms, names and preferred spellings. Identify the visual guidelines already agreed. Captions need checking against the actual speech because an automated or prepared transcript may contain mistakes. During later review, check that the framing and on-screen text work together. A written brief alone does not establish whether the finished text will be readable.

Define review and handover

Choose who reviews the first edit and where corrections are collected. The local workbench creates a timed outline from your inputs but does not edit a video file. Export, actual captions and publication are separate production steps. A useful brief makes those remaining actions visible and gives the editor enough context to carry out the work coherently.