A clear brief for your first product video
By Shaan Builds, 3 November 2026
Before the animation starts, write down what the viewer needs to understand and what they should do next. A short brief gives the video maker a way to choose the scenes, pacing and words. You can use the questions below for a physical product, a service or an app. A rough answer is enough to start a discussion.
Choose one thing to explain
Finish this sentence: "After watching, someone should understand how to..."
That might be how to place an order, choose a service or use one feature. Pick the part the film needs to show. Keep other features in a separate list so you can decide whether they belong in this video.
Name the intended viewer as well. A film for someone seeing your business for the first time needs different context from a tutorial for an existing customer.
Describe what happens on screen
Write the action in order. For an app, use the actual screens that show the task. For a physical product, list the views or details a customer needs to see.
An illustrative booking-app brief could say: show a customer choosing a service, selecting an available time and reading the confirmation. This is an example for planning, not a client result.
Share the product material you can supply. Identify which screenshots, photographs or logos are ready for public use. Keep customer details and private account information out of the material. Flag any screen that is still a prototype so it is not presented as a released feature.
Tell the maker where the film will appear
Name the intended placements: a website page, an Instagram Reel, an X post or a Facebook post. Include the version you need for each placement in the agreed scope.
A wide film may need a different arrangement for a tall screen. Read the smallest text on a phone before approving the version intended for social media. Check the captions and the final contact details too.
Pick references for a reason
A reference is more useful when you explain what you like about it. You might want the calm pace, a drawn diagram or the way a feature is demonstrated.
Shaan Builds' published Greater Than Services collection uses illustration, kinetic type, blueprint and whiteboard treatments for the same software product. These are films for Shantanu's own product, showing different ways to explain what it does.
Choose a style that gives the viewer time to follow the action. If a reference depends on assets you do not own, discuss how an original treatment will be made.
Agree on the sound and the final action
Say whether the film needs narration. Choose background music that fits the sequence, then check the mix with the actual voice: the words should remain easy to follow.
Ask which music licence covers the intended commercial use and retain its details. A music reference explains a mood; it does not give permission to use that recording.
Choose one ending: email an enquiry, ask for a demo or take another clear step. Check that the displayed contact route works. Avoid adding several competing instructions to the final few seconds.
Copy this into your brief
Who is the film for? What should the viewer understand? Which product action needs to be shown? What public-use assets can you supply? Where will the film appear? What length and versions are needed? Is narration needed? What should the music feel like? What should someone do at the end? When do you need the finished files? Who approves the script and final version?
Agree on the deliverables, revision process and final scope before production. Send the brief while there is still time to discuss what can fit the intended length.
Shantanu Sahay runs Shaan Builds, making websites, apps and product videos for small brands. For a project discussion, email hello@shaanbuilds.com with what you want to explain, where the film will appear and your intended launch date.