Write an entry on working to a brief for a website or textbook guide to working in the creative media sector. (Minimum 500 Words)

Write an entry on working to a brief for a website or textbook guide to working in the creative media sector. (Minimum 500 Words)

Working on a brief for a website, textbook guide or any requirement is not usually a regular responsibility. When you, or the company you are employed by, decide it is time to create, restructure or improve a website, you will need to work out the cost for a solution and what is to be achieved in the end.

You will also need to find and select a supplier who is able to offer you the best value for money, while capable of delivering to your requirements. The most effective way to begin this potentially daunting process is to create a brief.

What is a brief?

To brief someone is to prepare or instruct them by giving a summary of relevant facts. In this situation, your brief is a document that informs the potential supplier your requirements, what you wish to achieve, what market and audience you are targeting, and any other related information. In this case we’re talking about working for a media company in the media sector. When working for that particular sector, most of the work is produced by a client. It doesn’t matter whether it is a small or large media establishment because the work will still be produced for a client. When a company proceeds onto a new project, the project will usually come with a client brief. It could be a set brief with no negotiation or it could be negotiable, depending on what the client consents. The brief could be for a national broadcast television programme with a big budget (roughly around £700,00)  or a smaller television programme meaning that it would have a smaller budget, roughly around £10,000.

Different types of briefs

There are many different types of briefs when working in the media sector, which can be distributed from a client to the person working on the brief.

Contractual

The most secure type of brief in the industry.  A contractual brief is a documentation of a signed agreement that states objectives that the person who is to sign the brief agrees to, if the contract is signed and then breaks the regulations of the contract the contract holder has the ability to take legal actions.

Formal

This type of brief is a written document like a contract containing very accurate details about what needs to be achieved and sometimes how to achieve what the document is presenting, you would never find extra unneeded information on a formal brief.  This type of brief is often aimed a groups of people than an individual for example a university course will explain exactly what the course is about and what is needed in order to be accepted.

Negotiated

This is when two or more companies, individuals or parties generate differing ideas that conflict which one another which has to then be negotiated to ensure that all parties are in an agreement on the topic that the brief is about.

Informal

This brief is often done in person which can result to a better understanding between parties the advantage of an informal brief is that the 2 or more parties can get to understand each other more personally for example job interviews are often informal so then the employer can learn about the person who is seeking the job before they accept them.

Tender

you would often receive a tender brief if you are new to a company and also where you could create ideas for the company that sees you as their client the main disadvantage when it comes to a tender brief is that you’re not always the only client that the company has to deal with at the time and you might not be chosen as the final client.

Co-operative

Co-operative briefs are shared by the producers of the project. Each producer may be in charge of a different section of the project.

Understanding Briefs

When you are given a brief it’s significant that you read through it thoroughly and that you comprehend what the brief is about and what the client wants from you and the brief. Making notes and speaking to the client about problems that you might have with the brief may be useful; it might help you remember the significant parts of the brief. Another important point Is the legal and ethical issues and if you feel that it is essential, you may want to talk to a solicitor with this type of concern.

When meeting with the client, it is a great idea to ask questions you feel you need to answer about the brief and the project. Here are some points you should be asking about:

•      Are there any specific points of the project that they want to highlight?
•      What is the productions time-scale?
•      What is the budget for the project and is the budget realistic?
•      What does the client want?
•      Who is the target audience?

Now you have analysed your brief, you can now contact the client and negotiate about any modifications that you think should be included, such as: changes to technical problems and time scales. If everything is in order then you’re ready to begin coming up with ideas if the brief didn't already have a specific guide.

The most significant thing about a brief is the deadline. You must guarantee that you will be able to meet the deadline. If you don’t think you can then you can rearrange the deadline to a more realistic time. This is significant because if you begin a project and you can’t finish then there is a chance you may not get paid and work in the future.

Once you have completed the brief you should evaluate and review what you’ve done and decide what worked and what didn't. You can use what you have learned in the past for self-development and when it comes to your next brief you should be better than the last.

•