Most client AI video briefs I get are either a vibe paragraph or a 10-page doc nobody reads. Both end the same way. You generate something pretty. They say it’s not what they meant.
Here’s the short version I use now. Send the client a one-page brief. Fill it with them on a call if you have to. Don’t generate until it’s done.
Copy-paste (client-facing):
AI video brief (client)
Working title:
Who is this for (real situation):
One job for the video (one sentence):
What should we see on screen that proves it:
Must include:
Must not include (max 3):
Length + format (e.g. 9:16, 40–55s):
References (optional, 1–2 links max):
Revision rule: ___ rounds, notes due within ___ hours, only against this brief
Sign-off: name / date
That’s the brief. Not the storyboard.
People mix those up a lot. Brief = what success is. Storyboard = the beats you’ll shoot or generate to hit it. If the client starts rewriting shot 3 before they’ve agreed the one job, pause. Lock the brief first. Storyboard second. Generate third.
Revision rules belong in the brief or you’ll eat infinite “one more take” energy. I write it blunt: one revision round, notes only against the signed lines above, no new must-includes after sign-off. Sounds harsh. Saves both sides.
Example. A client wanted “an AI tool video that feels premium.” We filled this instead. Audience: editors between freelance jobs. One job: believe a rough cut cleans up in one pass. Proof on screen: timeline scrub, messy to usable. Must not: glowing UI porn, robot voice jokes. One revision. We storyboarded five beats after that. First assembly mostly landed. The old way would’ve been eight regenerations and a vague “make it punchier.”
If they won’t fill the brief, they’re not ready to generate. Do the boring page first.
Related:
- AI video brief template (Medium hub): https://medium.com/@casey.vale/ai-video-brief-template-what-i-fill-in-before-i-generate-8d81244ff992
- Paper before generate: https://dev.to/marcusvale/i-stopped-generating-ai-video-until-the-storyboard-was-ugly-on-paper-fc9
Free client brief worksheet: https://scienceartist.gumroad.com/l/free-client-brief-worksheet — if you want the full AI video brief + storyboard kit after: https://scienceartist.gumroad.com/l/ai_video_creator_brief_storyboard_kit
Top comments (1)
The separation between brief and storyboard is a strong guardrail. I would add one field for the viewer’s decision after watching: what should they know, trust, or do differently? It gives the “proof on screen” line a testable target and makes late feedback easier to classify as either a real miss or a newly introduced goal.