# How to Write an AI Video Brief (Template Included)

**TL;DR:** A brief is a one-page project document, not a prompt. Eight parts matter: purpose, length and format, fixed character attributes, setting and mood, a numbered shot list, must-not-haves, deadline and deliverables. Fifteen minutes on the brief saves about a week of revisions.

## Brief and prompt are different documents

A prompt is a single line of instruction to a model. A brief is the project document that decides what happens when the prompt is ambiguous, which it always is. Hobbyist tools only ask for the first one, which is why so much commissioned work starts with a mismatch: the client wrote a paragraph of mood, the studio needed a shot list.

Adjectives are cheap and unverifiable. "Glamorous, high-end, cinematic" cannot be checked against a frame, so feedback degrades into "it just doesn't feel right." A shot list can be checked: either she crosses the room left to right in shot three or she does not. Replace one adjective with one concrete visual and the first pass becomes reviewable.

## The eight parts of a usable brief

Purpose decides pacing and framing; length and format fix runtime, aspect ratio and captions before anything is generated; the character block lists fixed attributes once and never gets reworded, because rewording is how drift starts; setting and mood pair every mood word with one concrete visual; the shot list numbers what must happen in order; must-not-haves are the cheapest quality control available; the deadline belongs up front so it can be confirmed; and the deliverables line says exactly which files you expect back.

The most expensive revision notes all trace back to the same five problems: scenes added after the first cut, a character description changed mid-project, an undecided aspect ratio, mood-only feedback with no visual anchor, and reference images sent after generation already started. Every one of them is preventable at the brief stage.

## What to do if you are not sure what you want

Say so in the brief and ask for a discovery pass. A short conversation plus a reference board is a legitimate first step and is far cheaper than commissioning a video against an unstated idea. Whatever you learn there should be written back into the brief before generation, so the document stays the single source of truth for the project.

## Related guides

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## Frequently asked questions

### How long should an AI video brief be?

One page, or about 150–300 words. Long enough to specify purpose, length and ratio, character, setting, shots, exclusions, deadline and deliverables — short enough that a studio will actually read all of it.

### Do I need to write prompts myself?

No. The brief is a project document, not a prompt. A studio translates it into prompts, shot lists and reference frames. If you already have prompts you like, include them as reference — they are useful signals about the look you want.

### What is the most important section?

The shot list. It converts subjective feedback into something checkable, and it is the section that prevents late scope additions, which are the most expensive kind of revision.

### Can I change the character description later?

You can, but it is the costliest change available: every shot the character appears in has to be regenerated. Lock attributes before generation starts and change them only if something is genuinely wrong.

### Should I send reference images?

Yes, if you have them. References of the character, the setting or the visual style are the highest-value input you can provide, and they are most useful at the beginning of the project rather than during revisions.

### What if I do not know what I want yet?

Say so in the brief and ask for a discovery pass. A short conversation plus a reference board is a legitimate first step — it is far cheaper than commissioning a video against an unstated idea.