Edit brief
Also known as: brief, edit instructions
The short statement of what an edit is for, who it is for and how long it should be, written before any footage is opened.
Updated
What it means
A brief answers three questions. What is this for, who watches it, and how long does it run. Everything else follows from those answers, and taste matters less than people assume.
Without one the work drifts. A session edit becomes a Demo reel becomes a vertical clip, and the result serves none of the three properly. Each audience wanted a different film.
It is also what makes feedback usable. A reviewer judging against a stated purpose is useful; a reviewer judging against their own assumption is not. The brief turns an opinion into a note.
How it works in practice
Useful briefs are short and specific. Purpose, platform, duration, the music direction and any moment that must appear, which fits in a few lines rather than a document. Longer briefs get skipped.
Naming the must-have clip is the most valuable line in it. Shot scoring has no way to know which moment the day was actually about, and saying so removes the guesswork.
Platform decides shape. A Vertical video (9:16) version has different framing and a different Edit length from a widescreen one, and deciding that first avoids reworking it afterwards.
What to watch out for
Briefs written after the fact are rationalisation. The purpose has to be chosen before selection, because selection is where it takes effect. Deciding later means living with what was kept.
Vague language produces vague edits. Asking for something cinematic says nothing actionable, while asking for longer shots and a restrained grade describes the same wish usefully, and an editor can act on the second one.
Too much detail is the opposite failure. A shot-by-shot instruction removes the judgement that makes an edit work, and a brief that reads like an Edit decision list has stopped being a brief and become a set of instructions to follow.
How RawClip handles it
A short brief is the main lever a person has over an automatic result. Purpose, length, music direction and any moment that has to appear are what shape the selection, and the difference between a stated brief and none is visible in the first version.