Task 1

This report shall attempt to understand the requirements of working to a brief. To do this I will analyse the structure of a brief, negotiating a brief and opportunities created by a brief. It is hoped that this will future my understanding of working to a brief within the creative industries.

Brief Types

A contractual brief is a kind of brief or contract where a media organization is utilized by the customer so as to finish an undertaking inside the concise which is set to particular rules which the media organization must take after. It will be essential for the media organization to take after these rules and do precisely what the customer states inside the brief, in the event that they neglect to do as such this can result in a breech of agreement and the organization could confront legitimate activities. Having a contractual brief will be good for the media company involved as they will know exactly what the project is and what they are being asked to do as the brief will be very detailed and go into specifics that are not to be negotiated. The disadvantage if this type of contract would be that if the media company think that there are issues within the brief and they produce the product to their own standards this would not be producing the product to the standards set by the client and they could decide to take legal action and this could result in your company having a bad reputation for not completing projects to a set brief.

Formal brief, this brief is given by the client which outlines the product which they are wanting to be made. This brief is very open and only gives enough information to be able to produce the product, any issues or information that the media company would like to go over can be discussed during the negotiations with the client. Both the client and the company employed by them will formally agree on the project and the brief but it can not always be legally binding. The advantage of this brief is that the client is open to any ideas or issues. If there are any that could be raised by the media company that is employed, it makes the work quite creative for the media company and there is room for negotiation. The disadvantages of this type of brief is that the media company may feel that the client has not offered enough information for them to complete the product to the standard that the client wishes.

An informal brief is not documented and is usually of the verbal kind. It is where the client and the company simply discusses the requirements for the product they will make and ultimately agree upon the project. The advantages to this type of brief is that there is more verbal communication between the client and the company which could mean that the media company will fully understand what the client is asking for. The fact that there is no written documentation or contract to prove the employment of the company could mean that at the end of the project, the client could easily fail to pay their employees. Also this could mean that certain things like deadlines are not completely clear and this can cause confusion for both parties.

Within the co-oprative brief there are usually two or more companies that are hired by the client to work to the brief. After both companies have received the brief they can then proceed to work together to produce the product. If there is a disagreement, there can be a negotiated brief in order to resolve these issues. Having this type of brief means that there can be more perspectives to creating the product needed by the client. The brief can be more understood if there were only one company working on the project. This type of brief can be more prone to disagreements and conflict in the ideas being given by each of the different media companies.

A commission brief is when a larger company outsources to a smaller independent company and gets them to create a product for them, usually the independent company will be paid for this. … A commission brief will usually be given to a company along with a negotiated budget. Having this type of brief means that the larger company do not have to do all of the hard work. They can sub-contract the work that is set in the brief out to another company and each company will both receive money for the work contributed to making the product. This type of brief could mean that two different companies working on the same product could have some conflicts, but because the brief is not negotiated with the client, the product made may not be to the client’s standards.

Tender brief is where a client will advertise their brief. A production company will bring together a proposal to pitch for the client. There could be multiple pitches to the client from many different companies, so the client will then get the chance to choose the proposal which best suits their brief and offer the job to that production company. The advantages of this brief is that the client will be able to look at many different ideas for their product from different companies perspectives and in effect will be able to produce their product to a very high standard. The disadvantage of this type of brief is that if a company’s pitch is turned down by the client this can set them back in business as it is very hard to gain work again.

The competition brief is a document that includes all instructions to competitors for participating in a competition. The advantage is that the client only has to pay the one winning production company, but sometimes will not have to pay them at all. A disadvantage of this is the same as the disadvantage of a tender brief; the companies that are turned down by the client may become disheartened as they have missed out on potential work and money.

Negotiating a brief

When you meet your client you will be able to discuss the brief with them, this is a good opportunity for you to be able to raise any issues that you have noticed with the project and also offer any ideas that you will have to add to the project. You can then begin to ‘green light’ any ideas that you think can enhance the product further with your client, your client may take your ideas on board or they may decline them if they do not fit within the brief. If you complete the product with your own idea and haven’t negotiated with the client. You may not get paid if you have not spoken to them about it first.

Reading a brief (Annotation)

• By analysing this brief, you can notice this is a competition brief. The way you can tell is by the language techniques used in the text.
• This brief also has a short description on what the client wants. The client gives a deadline, a starting date, and an award winning prize for the winner.
• The advantages of this brief is that it is an open entry system, which means anyone can enter. The disadvantages of the brief is that even with an excellent proposal, the job might not be chosen.
• The competition brief is quite typical from larger companies – they can essentially scour the best applications and choose the best one with little or not negotiation or sourcing proposals elsewhere.