How to brief a video editor so the first cut is usable (template)

Answer six questions before the editor opens your footage: who is watching, what they should do next, where the video runs, how it ends, what good looks like, and who signs it off. A brief that answers those on one page gets a first cut you can fix with notes instead of one you have to restart.

The template

Copy it, fill it in, and send it with the footage. Download it as a text file.

VIDEO EDITOR BRIEF
From worththeretainer.com/guides/how-to-brief-a-video-editor/

Project name:
First cut due:                    Final due:
Feedback from (one person):

1. WHO IS WATCHING
   One sentence: who they are and what they already know about you.

2. THE ONE ACTION
   What should a viewer do after watching? (install, book a demo, sign up, buy)

3. WHERE IT RUNS
   Platform:       (TikTok / Reels / Shorts / YouTube / App Store preview / landing page / paid ad)
   Aspect ratio:   (9:16 / 1:1 / 16:9)
   Length:         (hard maximum, in seconds)
   Sound:          (must work muted? captions burned in?)

4. THE STORY, IN ORDER
   Hook (first 2 seconds):
   Middle:
   Ending and call to action (exact words):

5. FOOTAGE AND ASSETS
   Raw footage (link, and what each file is):
   Screen recordings (device, resolution):
   Logo, fonts, colours (link):
   Music (licensed track or library to use):

6. EXAMPLES
   Like this (2 or 3 links, and what you like in each):
   Not like this (1 link, and why):

7. MUST AND MUST NOT
   Must include (product name spelling, approved claims, price, legal line):
   Must not include (competitors, unapproved claims, faces without a release):

8. REVISIONS
   Rounds included in the contract:
   How feedback is given (timestamped comments, one list per round):

9. DELIVERY
   Files (format, resolution, caption file):
   Where to deliver (folder link):

What goes in each section

1. Who is watching. One sentence, specific enough to picture: “iPhone users who already track their spending and hate spreadsheets.” An editor makes different choices for people who’ve never heard of you than for people comparing you with a competitor.

2. The one action. One video, one job. If the viewer should install the app, everything in the cut points at the install. Two calls to action means the editor has to pick, and they’ll pick differently than you would.

3. Where it runs. Platform, aspect ratio, maximum length and whether it plays muted. These decide the framing, the pace and whether text carries the message. Finding out after the first cut that it’s 9:16 and not 16:9 is a restart, not a revision.

4. The story, in order. The hook, the middle and the ending, even in rough words. The hook matters most for short-form: say what should be on screen in the first two seconds. Write the call to action word for word.

5. Footage and assets. Link everything and say what each file is. “Raw footage” with forty unnamed clips costs the editor hours before they cut a frame. Include the screen recordings at the device’s full resolution, the brand kit, and the music you have a licence for.

6. Examples. Two or three videos you’d be happy to get, and what you like in each: the pacing, the captions, the transitions. One example of what you don’t want saves an argument later. Examples beat adjectives: “punchy” means something different to everyone.

7. Must and must not. The product name spelled right, approved claims, prices, legal lines. Also what can’t appear: competitor names, claims legal hasn’t cleared, people who haven’t signed a release.

8. Revisions. Write down how many rounds the contract includes, and give feedback as timestamped notes, one consolidated list per round. Feedback that arrives in pieces is how one round turns into three.

9. Delivery. File format, resolution, caption files and where to put them. Say it now so the final export doesn’t need a second pass.

Gaps that cost a revision round

• No hard length. “Short” gets you 45 seconds when you needed 15.
• Feedback from three people. The editor gets contradicting notes and has to guess whose notes win.
• The script changes after the cut starts. That’s a new brief, not a revision. Lock the words first.
• “Make it pop.” Point to an example instead, and say which part of it you mean.
• Footage arrives in batches. The editor builds the story twice. Send everything at once, or say what’s still coming and where it goes.
• No call to action in writing. Editors end on whatever they think fits. Give them the exact line and the end card.