Operations
Part of Running video marketing agencies operations without the guesswork
Video Marketing Agencies Operating Workflow: From Brief to Handover
A practical workflow for video marketing agencies, from an agreed brief and production plan to copyright, accessible formats, approval and a documented handover.
An operating workflow gives the client and agency a shared route from brief to approved video and handover. Treat the sequence as a proposed project method: agree an owner, a record and an approval point for each stage, then adjust the plan to the deliverables and accessibility formats.
Key takeaways
Keep the brief, production plan, approval route and rights position connected. Assign owners before work starts, plan accessible formats as part of delivery, and make the final handover match the written scope and approvals. Use this record to resolve open questions before delivery.
- Record the objective, audience, deliverables and approver.
- Agree a schedule, review route and scope-change process.
- Put copyright ownership and transfers in writing.
- Check accessible formats and final files before handover.
Agree the brief and scope
Start by recording the objective, audience, intended channels, deliverables and timing. Name the client approver and identify any accessibility formats or rights questions that affect planning. A planning template can keep these decisions together and give the production team one agreed starting point.
Write down the scope, approval route, feedback method and process for changes. The commercial contracts can help frame the terms to agree. Keep the brief and contract consistent, so the team can see what is included, who can approve creative work and how a change affects the project plan.
- The account lead records the brief, scope and client approver.
- The producer turns the brief into a schedule, script and production plan.
- The client approver confirms the plan before filming proceeds.
Plan, produce and edit
Assign the producer responsibility for the schedule and production plan. Name who leads the shoot and edit. Record scenes, contributors, locations and required materials in working documents. Give the production team the current approved version, and log decisions when the client changes the brief.
Plan accessibility alongside creative and production work. Use the operations and delivery guide as a workflow prompt, then identify the person responsible for each project task. Include format requirements, approvals and delivery records in the schedule instead of leaving them for the final review.
GOV.UK guidance on accessible communication formats calls captioning audiovisual content where possible best practice and prefers closed, viewer-controlled captions. Build time for alternative formats into project timings. Give the supplier final, approved text before work starts, since later text changes can cause delays and extra costs.
| Stage | Suggested owner | Record or output |
|---|---|---|
| Intake | Account lead | Brief and agreed scope |
| Planning | Producer | Schedule, script and shot list |
| Production | Director or producer | Footage and production log |
| Edit | Editor | Review cut and caption plan |
| Approval | Client approver | Consolidated notes and approved cut |
| Handover | Producer | Master, agreed exports and rights record |
Use the team roles as a prompt for assigning responsibility, then name the actual owner in the project plan. Treat these allocations as suggestions, not fixed job titles. If one person holds several responsibilities, record each one and keep the client approval role clear.
Confirm rights and handover
Set the feedback route before sharing the first cut. Ask the client to send consolidated comments through the agreed channel, and have the editor work from a versioned record. The service standards can help frame written expectations for approvals, timing and scope changes.
The Intellectual Property Office's copyright guidance says that when a copyright work is commissioned, its creator is first legal owner unless otherwise agreed in writing; for a film, the principal director and film producer are joint authors and first owners.
A person working under a contract for services will usually retain copyright in works they produce unless there is a contractual agreement to the contrary. Copyright ownership can be transferred through appropriate transfers, allowing material contributed by multiple people to be owned by one person. Record the agreed position for the footage, final edit and other contributed material.
Name the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 in the rights review. Copyright protection is automatic for film and television recordings, and there is no register of copyright works in the UK. Keep the written agreement and any appropriate transfers with the project record so the ownership position is clear at handover.
Prepare the delivery record around the agreed scope. List the master file, agreed channel exports, caption materials and the location of final approved files. Confirm who can access the files and which items are covered by the written agreement. A quality checklist can provide a final prompt for checking that the agreed items are present.
Check accessibility and close the project
For public-sector work, include an accessibility review in the approval plan and identify who signs it off. Name the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 in the compliance record. Public-sector websites and apps must meet accessibility standards and publish an accessibility statement.
Check the planned web experience for accessibility before approving delivery. Where a video is part of a website or app, include the agreed accessibility materials and any required statement in the handover record. Keep the client approver and production owner clear about who checks each item.
The Equality Act 2010 also belongs in the compliance record. Even if an organisation is exempt from the accessibility regulations or considers meeting them a disproportionate burden, it is still legally required under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people when they are needed.
Questions to settle before handover
Use the final review to resolve any open decisions rather than leaving them implicit. Check that the approved cut, rights record and accessibility materials correspond to the agreed scope. Record any remaining action, who owns it and how the client will confirm that the handover is complete.
Who approves the final cut?
Name the client approver in the brief and state how feedback will be consolidated. The editor can then work from one agreed set of comments and keep a versioned record of changes. Before handover, record which cut received approval and make sure the delivered file matches that version.
What should the handover include?
Use the written scope to decide which files and records belong in the handover. A project record might include the approved master, agreed exports, caption materials, the rights position and the location of final files. List only deliverables that the client and agency agreed, and record any outstanding action separately.
When should accessible formats be planned?
Include them in the schedule before production and allow time for their creation. Provide the supplier with final, approved text before accessible-format work starts. If text changes later, the work can face delays and extra costs, so record the approved version used for delivery.
