by Levi Smock, Head of Production

When beginning development on a new project, there is a tendency to want to jump in, full throttle. Once certain questions have been answered (see BLOG #1), I’m ready to go. It’s time for my imagination to be let off the leash. I WANT to jump right into scripting… but not yet.

First, I have to create a Creative Brief and then comes the Treatment. Each is important and each has its place in the process. Too many times, I have watched as a creative brief was completely ignored and creatives jump directly into the treatment. So let me take a second and help establish what each document is and its purpose.

What is a Creative Brief and what is it for?

A creative brief is a short document (it’s right in the title after all - brief). It’s generally 1-2 pages, and its purpose is to outline the constraints, purpose and vision of a project. It usually is the first creative document that’s created for a new project. The goal is to get all stakeholders on the same page as the project enters development.

To that end, it’s going to contain all of the information that I ascertained when meeting with the client previously. Objectives, audience, tone, style, message, budget, timelines and deliverables should all be included. If the project is nonfiction or based on source material it should contain references as well.

Finally, it’s going to summarize the general narrative approach or how I am planning to present the ideas the client is looking to get across, creatively. That said, I am not looking to get into details. This is far too early in the process to invest time and energy delving into how the complete project will be laid out. That’s what the treatment is for.

I like to think of the creative brief as walking the line between business and creative. I am considering and listing the information that the client has given me to inform the project, and at the same time letting my imagination start to sculpt the structure of something that interests me about the project. I want to let my imagination develop enough of a skeleton that the client can attach their ideas to it, without being so specific that I would need to start from scratch when those ideas start flying around.

The Treatment, time to dive in.

Once the creative brief has been reviewed and approved by the client, sometimes with major revisions and other times with only minor notes – all part of getting on the same page– I can move to the treatment.

This is where I begin to really flex my creative muscles. A treatment is a multi-page document explaining the storyline, visual style, and emotional arc of a project. It’s this stage that I begin to develop characters, describe settings, and truly develop the story from beginning to end. As a writer and producer it’s my job to transfer the images from my imagination to the client and other stakeholders. After reading the treatment, the full breadth of the project should be clear. Often I will include visual references or storyboards to ensure that the vision for the project is completely understood.

There are any number of formatting options for a treatment, but the following elements should always be clear: An overview of the concept, the tone of the piece, an estimated runtime, the visual style, the characters and settings, and most importantly the structure/detailed summary of the project.

It’s not a script so for the most part dialogue and intricate scene depictions can be left out. The exception is when that dialogue or scene description is key to the messaging or overall understanding of the project. For example, if the joke of a comedic piece relies on a specific punchline or visual reference, or if the messaging is expressed through a line of dialogue, it’s probably best to include those snippets.

sample pages from a Treatment for a short film we shot in Colombia…

Finish with feedback.

One of the most important resources that you have as a creative is your team. If you work at an agency or production company then you likely have creative peers whose success depends on your own. Utilize their imaginations as well as your own. Often, getting a different perspective and another set of eyes on your creative briefs and treatments before you distribute them more widely will solve problems that you aren’t able to see and at the very least it will act as a quality control factor. So get an internal round of notes, before you share anything with a client, and be open to the feedback that you get.

When getting notes on my creative work, I always try to put my personal feelings aside and put real effort into understanding where my reviewer’s notes are coming from. If there is a note I don’t agree with, I try to see the “note behind the note.” Another way to state that is, I try hard not to focus on the specific idea that may be suggested, but try and find the root of the problem that caused my reader to be bumped by my ideas.

So, to quickly summarize…

The creative brief is a document that expresses the concept of the project you want to make. It should be one to two pages and leave room to incorporate the ideas of your fellow stake holders. Its purpose is to communicate the overall idea and set you up for a greenlight on the project.

A treatment is a much more detailed document that goes in depth on the creative of the project. It communicates the full breadth of the project and should present the full story of the piece and its visual style. This document is created after the project has been greenlit and is designed to be the blueprint that the entire team works from through execution and delivery.

One last thought, try and have fun while creating these tools. If it’s part of your daily or weekly tasks to build creative briefs and treatments, don’t take that for granted. If you are like me, then spending your time at work digging through your imagination is the kind of job that you had hoped that you would have since childhood. Don't take it for granted, embrace it, it’s a privilege and most of the time a pretty fun way to make a living.

NEXT UP:

Development Meets Preproduction – Creating a Production Plan

About Motivo Media

Motivo Media is a Seattle-based video production and marketing agency specializing in storytelling for non-profits and growing businesses. With expertise in digital marketing and audience engagement, we create compelling content that connect with audiences and amplifies your mission.

Get in touch by emailing us at hello@motivo.me

Creating The Creative Brief and Treatment • Development Phase: What am I making? Part II