What to send your video editor before a project starts (a checklist)

Most revision rounds don’t come from bad editing. They come from information that arrived late: the logo in the wrong format, a deadline nobody mentioned, a reference video that only lived in someone’s head.

A good brief fixes that. It takes about half an hour to put together and saves days later. Here is what to send before the project starts, in the order an editor or animator will need it.

1. The goal

Write one or two sentences about what the video must achieve. “Explain our scheduling app to small clinic owners so they start a free trial” is far more useful than “a cool promo video”.

Then name the one action you want viewers to take when it ends. If there are three actions, pick the most important one.

2. The audience

Who is watching, and what do they already know? A video for existing customers can skip the basics. A video for strangers on social media has to start from zero. If you can, add what your audience worries about or objects to, because a good video answers those worries before they are spoken.

3. Where it will be published

This one decides a lot of technical details, so be specific:

• Platforms: website, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, ads, sales decks, a trade-show screen.
• Shape: 16:9 for websites and YouTube, 9:16 for Reels, Shorts and TikTok, 1:1 or 4:5 for some feed placements. Say if you need more than one.
• Length: a target or a maximum for each version.
• Captions: burned into the video, a separate subtitle file, or both.

4. The script and the voice

Do you have a script, key messages, or just an idea? Any of these is fine, but say which. If there’s a voiceover, note who will record it, the language and the accent, and whether you need help finding a voice artist. If someone on your team is speaking on camera, send the recordings and mark the best takes.

5. Brand files

Send everything in one folder:

• Logo as a vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF), plus a version for dark backgrounds.
• Colours as hex codes.
• Fonts as files or exact names, with any licence notes.
• Brand guidelines, if you have them.
• Product material: high-resolution screenshots, screen recordings, design files (for example from Figma) and product photos.

For software products, clean screen recordings make a big difference. Use a large screen size, a tidy demo account with realistic sample data, and no personal information or notifications on screen.

6. Footage and rights

If the video uses filmed footage, organise it into folders, keep the original files (not copies downloaded from chat apps) and add short notes on which clips matter. Make sure you have the rights to use everything you send, including music, stock footage and anything filmed by a third party.

7. Music and sound

Share the mood you want, with one or two example tracks. Decide who licenses the music: the editor through a stock library, or you. Mention any sounds that must be included, such as a product sound or a sonic logo.

8. References

Send two or three videos you like and say what you like about each: the pace, the colours, the typography, the humour. Videos you don’t like are just as useful. “Not this” saves a whole round of guessing.

9. Timeline

Share the final deadline and the reason for it, like a launch date, a campaign or an event. Leave room for feedback. A realistic plan has milestones such as script, storyboard or first cut, second cut and final delivery, each with a day for your review.

10. Feedback and approval

Decide who approves the video before work begins. Then agree on how feedback will arrive:

• One combined list per round, not separate messages from five people.
• Timecodes for every note (“0:42, the logo is too small”).
• A shared tool if you have one, or a simple document.

Clear feedback is the fastest way to a great video.

11. Deliverables

List exactly what you need at the end: file formats, resolutions, versions with and without captions, cutdowns for social media, thumbnails, and whether you want the project files.

A brief you can copy

• Project: name and one-line description
• Goal: what the video must achieve
• Call to action: the one thing viewers should do
• Audience: who they are and what they already know
• Platforms and shapes: where it goes, 16:9 / 9:16 / 1:1 / 4:5
• Length: target for each version
• Script and voice: ready / key points only / needs writing
• Brand files: link to the folder
• Footage or screen recordings: link and notes
• Music: mood, example tracks, who licenses
• References: links, and what you like or dislike in each
• Deadline: date and reason
• Approver: name
• Deliverables: formats, versions, captions, cutdowns

Send this before the first call and the call can be about ideas instead of logistics. When you’re ready, you can paste it straight into our contact form.