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Briefs Jeremy Webb
No, not your underwear, I'm talking about instructions from clients who want their photography carried-out to their exacting (or otherwise!) standards. In theory, a well-delivered brief should set out clearly and precisely exactly what is required of you, the commercial photographer. In practice however, this may be delivered to you in the form of a one-to-one meeting, a phone call, a sketch on a restaurant napkin, a garbled fax message, letter, or email. I've never yet had a commission brief delivered by carrier pigeon, but you never know...one day. A quick trawl through the Oxford Dictionary supplies the definition of 'brief (noun) ...3. instructions and information given in advance' and the key ingredients of any good brief are: 1. the What What is required. The subject to be photographed. This could be as specific as 'Our Chairman requires a new head & shoulders portrait for the boardroom' or as vague as 'We require a set of between 3 and 8 images which impart to our target audience a strong sense of trust, security and confidence in our teams ability to fully meet their customers needs'.
Most photographers would be perfectly happy with the first one, whereas the second one is more like the result of an advertising agency's creative departments meeting - the statement sets out an idea or concept to sell but has yet to specify the strategy (i.e. how that concept will be carried-out in real, specific terms). This is the most important element of the brief to get clear if there is any ambiguity or wooliness in your instructions. Misunderstandings are bound to be your fault and don't expect to work for that client again if you get it wrong by not bothering to clarify any doubts at an early stage. 2. the How Simply dumping your clients beautiful new ceramic product on a plain backdrop and hoping for the best just will not cut the mustard. Even if they ask for a simple studio shot for a catalogue or website shot, you should be pushing your client to think more creatively if you feel that your talents are being under-used, or more importantly, if you feel that their products are being under-sold. Within the brief should be clear guidelines on how the images should look, how lighting, additional props, sympathetic settings and colours etc could be used to enhance 'the What' element of the shot. Some clients can be very poor at communicating the 'How' element of the brief, and more annoyingly leave that to you to decide. Be very careful 'though to communicate back to your client how you intend to proceed with this aspect of the commission if they decide to leave creative decisions to you. By covering your back in situations like this, they cannot complain if you have communicated your intentions prior to any film being wasted, and they give you the green light to do so. Visuals from the art director of an agency, or direct from the client can play a vital part in the communication process here. Why attempt with words what can be more clearly communicated in images?
3. the Why This aspect of the briefs information is often the least well-communicated of all, but it may also be the most useful information in terms of background knowledge to the brief. Most commission briefs are perfectly straightforward in their purpose i.e. Norfolk Widgets Ltd want pictures to place with the trade press which show off their wonderful new widget range to create interest and sales. However, if Norfolk Widgets Ltd are trying to interest export markets, or are in the process of re-branding, the 'How' element of your commission changes due to the 'Why' factor. Without pestering your client unnecessarily, you have every right to establish useful information such as:
a) The context in which this particular job will be used (is it a one-off, or one of a number of advertisements) b) The Target audience (this will help determine the 'How' factor if it has not been specified) c) If an advertisement image, what is the purpose of the advertisement (generate awareness, increase sales, win new customers etc) d) Competitors promotional activity e) The variety and type of media which will carry your images (matchbox sleeves will require different considerations to 48 sheet posters) As well as improving your overall knowledge of the client/product/purpose of your task, you'll also be showing an interest and enthusiasm in your client above and beyond what might be expected from other, less talented photographers. Such interest always seems to go down well with those in the business community who require photographers that can show a bit more business awareness than merely competent photographers who get the job done, no questions asked.
The brief is likely to be very specific on this one. 'Prints
to be delivered by ....', 'Contact sheets ready to present at meeting
by...' and so on. If your client is in a hurry, and you find yourself
with every chance of completing work before the expected date, this will
earn you extra brownie points. In a similar fashion, it is not unknown
for commercial photographers (and plenty of other traders for that matter)
to negotiate a few extra days to complete work in the full and certain
knowledge that the work will be done well before the due date - thereby
surprising your beaming client with a job delivered unexpectedly early,
and slaps on the back all round.
Studio, or location? or both? On one particular commission I was hired by an advertising agency to photograph the industrial products of a local manufacturing business. Initially, it was agreed that my studio would be all that would be required to photograph the valves and other components which would be delivered to me by courier or in the back of the art directors Volvo. Now I'm no good with art directors and agency people breathing down the back of my neck at the best of times. It goes with the territory and at times is essential, but on this occasion, I felt certain that the shoot would be enhanced by relocating with the bare essentials of a small studio, to the factory premises where sympathetic surroundings would generate extra 'oomph' to the images which would be hard to generate away from their usual environment. Without doubt, by returning to home studio territory, It would be all too tempting to resort to clichéd backgrounds and tried & tested lighting by the book. I was after some fresh inspiration which I felt would come from the business premises as the ideal context within which to proceed with the shoot.
Once the necessary bureaucratic hurdles of insurance and health & safety had been overcome, we were given a small corner of the factory floor to set up. Here were opportunities for blurred industrial backgrounds, shafts of misty light through skylight windows, rugged hand models, and technical assistance all on standby. In the end we experimented with suspending the products by nylon thread and underlighting - ideas which I would probably never have considered in my home studio, and (let joy be unconfined) more importantly, NO COLOURED GELS!
Simply addressing the question 'Who is the client?' does not go far enough. It pays to consider the following information as background knowledge useful to your overall approach to a commission: Who initiated this commission? Other personnel issues which should feature as an important feature of any briefing process are: Who am I answerable to? A Good Brief A good brief grows from a clients good planning and strategy development. It is a statement of intention with key ingredients such as budget, visuals, timetable, and also some background information as context within which to place these valuable pieces of information. Briefs (and underwear generally) come in all shapes and sizes. It is not pushiness or a need to impress which drives a photographer to press for a more detailed brief if none is forthcoming. Its common sense, since only by doing so will the photographer protect him/herself against accusations of 'going off at the deep end' or going 'off message'. Visuals from the art director or even sketches direct from the client are intended to show HOW someone or something is to be photographed, and a good brief which sets out plenty of background information is as asset which any photographer should welcome. A Good brief is like a script shared between a group of actors. It forms the basis of proceedings from the outset and allows for common knowledge to be shared by those that need to know.
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