Eight pathways from brief to handover
These methods are written by the site’s editorial team. Adapt them to the project with the people responsible for production. Links to professional families and detailed guides lead to French pages; the planning documents below have English versions.
Corporate film and testimonials
Start with the decision the film should support: understanding an activity, meeting a team or assessing an approach. A testimonial, site visit and brand film call for different production setups. Define a claim that can be supported and identify people who can illustrate it before commissioning footage.
Define the brief
Write down the key message, audience and evidence to film. Separate established facts, claims requiring review and confidential information. Appoint a subject specialist to check facts and a person responsible for final approval.
Prepare production
Visit the location during normal operations. Prepare contributors with topics rather than a script to recite. Confirm time slots for filming tasks, conversations and context without disrupting the business.
Review and deliver
Check every name, job title, figure and graphic in the edited version. Treat the main film and excerpts separately: a sentence taken out of context may change a testimonial’s meaning. Approve the actual exports intended for publication.
Brief the right roles
Consult a production team for the narrative and organisation, then image and sound specialists according to location conditions. A quiet room and suitable microphone may matter more than an extra camera.
Production · Camera and lighting · Sound and music
A useful handover
Approved brief, contributor list, permitted topics, approval schedule and version inventory.
Product demonstration
A demonstration answers a practical question: what does the product do, under which conditions and with what limitations? Choose the operation to show before choosing the set. Attractive footage can create interest, but a clear sequence is needed to understand the action and its result.
Define the brief
List essential operations and the conditions needed for them to work. Identify accessories, consumables, product versions and a qualified demonstrator. The client should approve commercial claims before on-screen text is written.
Prepare production
Test the operation at its normal speed and from the camera position. Allow for resets between takes, spare parts and detail shots. Check that a vertical frame does not hide a control, measurement or important step.
Review and deliver
Review captions, measurements and warnings with the product specialist. Check that the image supports the wording. Cuts and accelerated sequences should remain understandable; provide a fuller version where the intended use requires it.
Brief the right roles
Bring together a director and product specialist. A studio can make settings and repetitions easier; a real usage location can show constraints more clearly. Choose according to the evidence needed and the required control over lighting and sound.
Production · Locations and studios · Camera and lighting
A useful handover
Action script, recorded configuration, approved wording and exports checked in each aspect ratio.
Event recording and live streaming
Separate three possible outputs: live stream, full recording and edited highlights. They may require different cameras, permissions, audio arrangements and deadlines. Start with the running order, audience and failure scenarios the crew needs to handle.
Define the brief
Identify segments, speakers, projected content and moments that cannot be repeated. Define the signals required for the room, platform and recording. Confirm editorial approvals and which material can be broadcast.
Prepare production
Rehearse with the actual microphones, slides and streaming accounts. Measure upload speed from the control position. Test audio monitoring, synchronisation and local recording; assign the decision to switch to a fallback to a named person.
Review and deliver
Review the entire recording before committing to a replay. Document interruptions and segments to replace or remove. Highlights may need separate editing, captions and permissions: define them as a distinct deliverable.
Brief the right roles
Consult production, image, sound and distribution specialists. Clarify responsibilities between the venue’s control team and the supplier; an available audio feed does not guarantee a mix suitable for remote viewers.
Camera and lighting · Sound and music · Distribution and media
A useful handover
Versioned running order, signal plan, fallback procedure and recording and replay inventory.
Video podcast and interview series
Plan beyond the first episode: editorial promise, duration, schedule, sound identity and editing rules should be repeatable. Decide whether the audio-only version needs to stand on its own. A visual reaction or on-screen chart may be unclear to someone listening without the picture.
Define the brief
Define the host’s role, topics and follow-up approach. Build a guest list and shared preparation process. Set the versions needed per episode and appoint the publishing lead so postproduction can be planned accurately.
Prepare production
Test a full conversation with contributors seated. Check table noise, clothing movement, levels and eyelines. Retain separate audio tracks where the setup allows. For a remote guest, test their environment and recording before the interview.
Review and deliver
Listen to the episode without the picture as well. Ensure cuts preserve meaning and names are accurate. Review each excerpt and caption file; keep an inventory of episodes, dates, versions and reusable assets.
Brief the right roles
A studio can stabilise acoustics, lighting and set. For a travelling series, prioritise a repeatable method and sound preparation. Distinguish studio hire from production and episode editing.
Locations and studios · Sound and music · Postproduction
A useful handover
Series guidelines, episode running order, labelled tracks, audio and video exports and publishing schedule.
Documentary and field reporting
A topic is not yet an angle. State the question the shoot will explore, accessible situations and sources needed to avoid a story based only on a few interviews. Planning should allow for the unexpected while protecting participants and collected media.
Define the brief
Separate documented facts, hypotheses and testimony. Identify confirmed access and remaining uncertainty. List observable scenes and a way to trace the origin of every archive, document or claim used in the story.
Prepare production
Adapt the crew and equipment to field conditions and the relationship with participants. Log each day, contributors and agreed restrictions. Organise copies and handovers; a valuable scene is usable only if its media are retained and identifiable.
Review and deliver
Check facts and the context of statements during editing. Track missing elements before locking the story. Connect each archive and audio asset to its provenance and usage conditions to confirm; prepare the versions requested by the recipient.
Brief the right roles
Choose a crew suited to the terrain and required autonomy. Production prepares access and organisation; involve postproduction early in planning media volumes, transcripts and archive research.
Production · Camera and lighting · Postproduction
A useful handover
Angle statement, field log, media register, sources and outstanding confirmation list.
Motion design and animation
An animation brief should state what needs designing and what already exists: text, illustrations, brand guidelines, characters or models. Late decisions about the message or duration can affect many scenes. Make approval stages explicit before detailed production begins.
Define the brief
Define the information viewers should understand, priorities and audience. Inventory usable assets and elements to create. Approve the text and a sample visual direction; brand guidelines alone do not describe the desired movement.
Prepare production
Approve a storyboard, then an animatic showing duration and rhythm before finishing. Separate feedback on content, graphics and movement. Decide which stages constitute approval and how changes after approval will be quoted.
Review and deliver
Check wording, voice, synchronisation and readability in the final format. A vertical version may require recomposition. Define exports and any source elements to be handed over, including resources needed to resume the project later.
Brief the right roles
Consult a creative or postproduction studio according to the design scope. State whether illustration, animation, voice and music belong to one commission or are handled by different contacts.
Production · Postproduction · Sound and music
A useful handover
Approved text, visual references, storyboard, approved animatic and agreed export and source inventory.
Fiction and staged scenes
For a short fiction or staged commercial scene, turn the script into practical requirements: people, locations, props, costumes, effects and continuity. Creative preparation and organisation come together in a workable schedule that accounts for difficult scenes and the people needed.
Define the brief
Break down scenes and identify dependencies: cast, set, lighting, props and effects. Flag sequences requiring specialist preparation. Compare creative choices with budget and access conditions before confirming bookings.
Prepare production
Coordinate technical scouts, tests, rehearsals and set preparation. Circulate a versioned call sheet with calls, access and contacts. Send changes to affected departments; a different prop or costume can affect continuity between shots.
Review and deliver
Organise the handover of rushes, reports and continuity references. Check that editing has the necessary elements before sets are dismantled or costumes returned. Decide pickups and finishing needs from the film’s requirements and keep a delivery version inventory.
Brief the right roles
Consult production, casting, image and set or costume departments according to the script. Special effects and scenes involving risks require specific preparation with competent specialists.
Production · Sets and costumes · Camera and lighting
A useful handover
Script breakdown, shooting schedule, current call sheet, continuity references and media reports.
Finish, translate and deliver an existing film
A finishing job starts with the available assets: edited film, editing project, rushes, audio tracks, graphics and subtitles. Receiving a video file does not mean a voice can be changed, music isolated or a title embedded in the picture translated. Inventory assets before agreeing a deadline.
Define the brief
List final versions and destinations. Examine received assets, links and gaps. Separate technical repair, re-editing, mixing, translation and graphic recreation; each may depend on different resources and its own approval.
Prepare production
Test a representative sequence: opening the project, relinking media, extracting wording and exporting. Arrange language approval with a competent reviewer. Lock the reference edit and organise feedback by version, filename and timecode.
Review and deliver
Check delivered files in their intended player or distribution chain. Review picture, sound, captions, naming and version associations. Keep a log of issues and corrections; prepare an archive with an inventory identifying the version actually accepted.
Brief the right roles
Consult postproduction and sound specialists, then translators and reviewers. Describe existing files and the expected outcome instead of requesting only a format conversion.
Postproduction · Sound and music · Distribution and media
A useful handover
Input inventory, approved reference, feedback log, delivery matrix and documented archive.
