Responding To A Brief - Notes

1. Interpreting the brief

• When you are interpreting a brief that you are given, you as the producer must correctly work out what you need to do to meet the needs of the brief. Once given a brief, you must complete something to satisfy the client, to establish and clarify the user or client for the proposed product in order to inform the design decisions. As the producer, you must find and evaluate information related to the brief that you are given to achieve and develop the best possible results.

2. Developing & refining the design concept

• As the producer of the brief, you must develop the initial ideas, and then brainstorm multiple ideas. After this you must refine the ideas so that they meet the parameters of the brief. Finally in this stage of the development process you must refine these last ideas so that they meet the final requirements of the brief.

3. Liasing with the client

• When liasing with the client, you must agree on the communication process (how often you meet to discuss). Upon each of these meetings you must present concepts for work at appropriate stages during the design process, as required. As the producer you are required to pro-actively seek and act on feedback from the client. During these meetings, both the client and the producer must agree on concept for work that complies with the brief given.

4. Planning the production of the work

• Identify all components required to produce the work
• Assess technical requirements given associated with the production using any guidelines
• Identify and consult with any support services required
• Document the workflow consistency within the concept of the brief

5. Completing the production of the work

• Collect and/or organise required components for work
• Produce and/or monitor the production of work ensuring that all parametres of the brief are met
• Accurately document the work progress in a format appropriately to the nature of the design and requirements to the brief

6. Specifications

• The scope of the work
• The medium required
• It's size
• It's cost
• Target audience
• Time frames
• Quantities
• Siting

7. Constraints

• Cost
• Distribution
• Number of items
• Time frames
• Budget

8. Pertinent information

• Industry standards
• Design standards
• Material characteristics
• Style considerations
• Legal, contractual, ethical and copyright consierations
• Health & Safety
• New technology
• Current trends

9. Formats for concept submission

• DVD/CD/VHS
• Book/Magazine
• Storyboard
• Size ratios
• Scripts

10. Formats for documentation of workflow

• Treatment
• Storyboard
• Script
• Amendments
• Filming schedule
• Shot list
• Take list
• Cast list
• Crew list
• Location list
• Editing log
• Budget
• Risk assessment
• Continuity documentation

11. Agreeing on concept may involve...

• Negotiation
• Formal contract for work
• Disscussion with client
• Viewing of rushes
• Costs
• Multiple presentations

A Guide To Working In The Creative Media Sector 001

Working to a brief:

For working in the creative media sector, you would more than likely often be required to work and respond to a certain style of brief asked of you; be it contractual, negotiational or competition, each brief has it's own requirements.

Contract brief -
 A contract brief is an agreement of two or more parties, signing a contract to agree to the terms and conditions of the contract, all parties must sign this before anything can be done. An advantage of contract agreements to briefs would be that the deal is then a legal document in which neither sides can pull out of. However a disadvantage of this is that if the brief agreed on the contract isn't completed, the contract can become useless or often result in a court case.
Here is an example of a contractual brief.

Trans03 assoc contract

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Formal brief -
A formal brief is the type of brief that may change during the process due to other requirements/inability to complete requirements, this is the brief that may be considerably more 'relaxed' than others. the layout of a formal brief would be more understandable than most , it would allow the client to understand and create the product with more efficiency.
Here is an example of a formal brief in a letter...



Negotiated brief -
A negotiated brief is an agreement initially given, then altered to the needs of all parties. The end result is in effect an evolved idea from the contributed ideas of all parties, but still meets the needs of the original requirements; if one client decides that one of the ideas suggested for the product wouldn't be efficient, they would come to a decision on how to make things work better and still meet the needs of the brief. The brief could come from a discussion in which the idea itself arises.

Recycling Competition Video

Pre-production Script & Response To Brief

The Brief: We received a tender brief in which we had to create a video promoting recycling to a teenaged audience. We responded by deciding to make a competition style recycling video. To this idea we did not receive any queries. The biggest constraint of the brief was trying to come up with something to get a teenaged audience more enthusiastic about recycling as it is a hard-to-please audience with public service related things. The constraints we came across consisted of: new ideas for shots, being able to finish off more complex shots and being able to use objects/areas for a dynamic effect.


Idea: A small competition around Henley in which we compete to get waste such as bottles or paper into bins, getting more challenging with each shot. Once I had suggested the idea of a competition in this way we decided that it was an interesting idea to follow. Our idea didn't necessarily change, we developed it as we went on as it was mostly spontaneous work with our ideas. Our planning and production were more at the same time so there wasn't any variation between the times, we planned as we produced.


Extended Idea: Hayley and Ed will take turns in doing an epic recycling competition around Henley, with each shot\turn getting mroe difficult, and more challenging. the final shot will consist of them working together to achieve the most ridiculous and impressive shot. We will involve locations for shots such as: from te top of stairs, parks, ziplines, balconies and more. Editorial decisions made included the cropping of clips, use of music, edited clips down to fit with the next clip.


Conclusion:
The first scene we did in the college campus, we attempted to gain shots into a bin from a balcony, over stairs and across a hallway using paper.
The second scene we did just outside of the college, we used a can, attempting to get it into a bin at a height difficult to reach by foot, we then moved onto asking construction workers on scaffolding to simply drop a piece of paper to us so that we could use it in our planning for the next shot.
The next shot follows on from the scaffolding, the paper is dropped by a construction worker then skips to the next scene where it falls down to Ed and he kicks it to Hayley pushing a trolley, she then puts it into a skip.
The next scene is outside Waitrose, using multiple cuts we created the effect of this shot being long and more difficult to normally achieve.
The next scene is of a piece of paper being thrown by Ed from a staircase to a car, rolling down the car and going into a cardboard box.
The next scenes are around the park by the river, using a zipline, slide and hedges we created more dynamic shots towards a bin with both Hayley and Ed working together.
I am very happy with the final outcome as it shows the creativity and fast paced editing we wanted as the end result. If I were to change anything it would be to create even more dynamic, impossible seeming, shots such as using boats in the river or in shops, however we weren't able to actually do this to begin with as we were not able to use a boat or any shops we would go in would ask us to leave from seeing the camera.
Lessons I've learned about interperating briefs for the future is that you can use many methods to suit the brief, be it video, audio or text, you can create multiple ways to suit different tasks given.

My storyboard for Recycling Project

My storyboard for Recycling Project

In this recycling project I worked in a group of three with Hayley and Ed. We had the idea to create a recycling competition. Obviously this as a subject was hard to storyboard as it was trial and error. Our basic outline was by using tricks we would recycle waste and in doing so would create ideas on the scene, this was spontaneous work.  Deanfield College, Henley town centre, By the river, in the park. Ideas streamed from messing with recyclable waste. We used paper balls, cans and plastic bottles and at the same time had fun. We needed to prove that recycling is not boring it can sometimes be fun. We used Hayley and Ed in the scenes creating a competition to get the waste in the bin. Then by chucking paper from person to person we created stronger scenes where it showed us having a laugh on such an important subject. We first filmed in Deanfield chucking paper from different levels and then with peoples permission we added the public into this competition using construction workers and people's cars. We then went outside Waitrose and filmed the paper going in and out of fencing and went on to complete.

2 minute clip of 'Scrubs'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTGv8xTByio

The camera sequencing in this is unique as it contains long shots, medium shots, low and high angles.
The long shots are used in great effect when looking at the windows of the hospital from a low angle. Medium shots are used to emphasise the closeness of the two friends towards the end of the clip.

Homework, formats of Briefs

If a company asks you to create something for them, they give you a design brief, this can be given to you in a variety of forms, such as via contract or negotiation.
An advantage of contract agreements to briefs would be that the deal is then a legal document in which neither sides can pull out of. However a disadvantage of this is that if the brief agreed on the contract isn't completed, the contract can become useless or often result in a court case.
An advantage of negotiated briefs would be that they are often simpler tasks or quicker to make - often resulting in the brief being completed swiftly. However a severe disadvantage to negotiated briefs would be if a client's work is not completed on the agreed time, there is rarely any evidence to support one of the sides should they try to take legal action.
Regardless of the format of a brief, there is one thing in common that each format has, this would be the name of both sides or at least the client, the task required and often the payment/reward agreed upon.