How to Write the Final Briefing Deck That Survives Clients and Informs Crew

The purpose of the final briefing meeting with clients is two fold: it is your final opportunity to get them to sign off on everything you need for the shoot, and is your final guide for the shoot. It must tell clients what they’re buying and tell crew how to execute.

So we're going to show you how to write that final powerpoint, based on our experience navigating hundreds of commercial shoots.

What is that final briefing deck?

Typically, this is the last meeting before you actually go shoot, happening a week to just a day before the actual shoot. It is the final checkpoint/checkin before the shoot, is the final accumulation of feedback before the shoot, and is the final opportunity to sign off or write off anything for the shoot. The deck consists of three main parts, plus one important (but sometimes optional) part:

1. Creative Walkthrough: One final look at the creative being captured or the a walkthrough of the storyboards if there are any
2. Shoot Plan: The capture approach, lighting look & feel you're going for, and any shoot callouts
3. Schedule: What the day looks like
4. Deliverables (optional): Everything you are making from this capture
   1. We list this as optional because sometimes you are hired to just do one thing; but if the goal of the capture is to get ten 1:1, five 9:16, and eight 16:9 pieces of 15s content, it's good to get the final confirmation here.

Here's how to write it.

Open with a one-page decision summary

Put this as slide 2 and make everyone signoff in the first five minutes.

• Overview: Log-line of what we are doing; i.e. capturing athletic content with celebrity A for brand's campaign name campaign.
• Deliverables: e.g., one :30, three :06s; 16:9 master + 9:16 + 1:1; captions on/off.
• Creative: Topline names of creative being captured
• Constraints & Assumptions: one company move; 2 principals; prelight evening.

This is typically the easiest slide to go through, or one that raises red flags, which is why you do it early.

Rule: If this page changes later, time and cost change with it. State that.

Creative Walkthrough

This is typically a rehash of everything you've already told the client, but the goal of this walkthrough is to get eyes on anything that needed feedback, and to get final sign off / confirmation that this is what you are capturing.

If you're a production company, this is typically given to you by the agency. If you're a hybrid production company/agency or a one man band, this is typically a collection of slides that starts with an overview of the creative, and then dives into specifics (like a shot list or list of actions to capture).

Take as many slides as you need, because eventually, you'll share this with the crew. And it's good to be able to brief the crew based off of this to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Key tip: Translate brand copy into camera language

Adjectives stall crews and are devoid of actionable meaning. Convert soft words to measurable cues clients can approve. Lots of things are moody. But a dark world that spotlights & heroes our athlete gives a world a gaffer can build to.

Some examples:

• “A dynamic feel” → Utilize dollies and orbits to create a dynamic world.
• “Modern look” → Build a warm morning look with neutral colors to make the brand stand out
• “Like they are there” → Use handheld shots for 50% of action captured, moving with athlete to simulate a defender.

Words should have meaning, and people aren't dumb. Adjectives are only useful as an out if you need to be intentionally vague.

Capture Approach

In this one, we typically go very top-line without getting too technical for the clients. We're really using this section to prep the client for what they will see on set, so they aren't surprised when B-cam uses special filters or shot 12 is super slow motion.

We typically break down the slides into the following:

1. Capture approach overview: We are capturing _____ using ____. For ____, we will be using ____.
   1. We are capturing all action on two RED cameras at 60fps for speed ramp options in post. For the hero shot, we are using an Ember Freefly for super slow motion. Everything will be framed 16:9 and protected for 9:16.
2. Look & Feel: This is your mood board slide where you can wax poetically about just how moody you are going to be, or how bright the bright world is.
   1. Have your DP do this, but don't have them explain how they are going to do this. Sometimes clients will question lights, and then you're in for a really fun time discussing the technicalities of an Arri M18.
3. Macro Shot List: If you have boards, you don't really need this slide, but if all you have is some loose creative, the shot list is a great time to dive into the nitty gritty and showcase everything you'll be capturing that day.
   1. One of the things we typically do is give a big picture shot list, but with additional columns that help set up what drives the schedule for the day: location & wardrobe/product. This helps clarify everything that the client needs to sign off on.

Key Tip: Use measurable vocabulary (that crew can act on)

Write specs the way departments read them. Hide this slide if it isn't needed for the client.

• Lighting Ratio: ratios (e.g., 2:1 key:fill) or stop deltas (background –1 stop).
• Lensing/DOF: focal bands (28–50mm mids, 65mm CUs); target T-stops per setup.
• Movement: List out key shots with movement so people know how to plan the day.
• Color pipeline: camera profile/IDT; show LUT owner; ODT/monitoring space.
• Frame safety: 16:9 master with 9:16/1:1 protect boxes
• Sound: VO/MOS; required Foley (footsteps, handles, cloth)

The Schedule:

The Schedule is the best part of the day! This is how you are going to capture EVERYTHING they want you to capture, with a time breakdown.

1. This is also the best spot to call out things and ask for sign off early. "If we are running late, what is your priority?" is the best question to ask and get an answer to, especially if your shoot relies on external factors outside of your control, like special talent prone to showing up late.
2. Here is also the opportunity to showcase what your ideal day looks like, and to call out things that would derail you as well. Any changes or last minute additions could wreck the client's "perfect day", so it's important to lay the ground work for things you need to happen in a timely manner—i.e. approvals.

Closing Remarks

Look, we all have been in these meetings wondering why we are there, waiting for decisions to be made that eventually are never made.

The whole point of gathering people together is to sign off on an actionable plan. And your goal as the people presenting this information is to make sure that the plan gets signed off on, with all decisions made before you get to set.

Remember, we plan our future success. How can we plan if we don't know?

Closing Tip: Suggested slide order from experience

1. Intro & Overview
2. Decision summary (sign-off slide)
3. Creative
4. Capture Approach Overview
5. Look & Feel
6. Schedule
7. Wardrobe & Props Sign Off
8. Location Instructions
9. Questions & Discussion