A strong brief is the difference between a forgettable testimonial and a case study that wins budget. Use this guide to align your stakeholders, reduce back‑and‑forth, and get exactly the footage and outcomes you need.

TL;DR (what we need nailed before filming)

Business goal & KPI: What result defines success? (e.g., 10 qualified leads/month, 25% landing page uplift)
Audience & message: Who is this for, and what’s the one key takeaway?
Story in one sentence: Problem → Solution → Outcome (with proof)
Interviewees: Names, roles, availability, legal approval
Locations: Where filming is allowed + restrictions
Deliverables: Length, formats, captions, graphics
Distribution: Where it will be used + success metrics
Timeline: Milestones + approvals
Budget drivers: Crew, travel, graphics, speed

Want the short version? Jump straight to the Free Brief Template at the end.

When a case study video is the right tool

Use a case study video when you need to:

Move prospects off the fence with credible social proof and tangible results.
Arm Sales with a shareable asset that answers “Will this work for a company like mine?”
Support product or feature launches with real‑world validation.
Retain and excite customers by showcasing success and partnership.
Not ideal when you can’t show outcomes, can’t name the client, or approvals will stall for months. In those cases consider a problem/solution story or industry montage until proof points mature.

Stakeholders & decision-makers

List everyone who can say “yes/no” at each stage:

Client side: Project owner, Legal/Comms approver, Interviewee(s), Brand.
Your team: Marketing lead, Sales lead (for enablement requirements).
Production: Producer (Headroom Films), Director/DoP, Editor, Motion Designer.

Add responsibilities:

You: access, messaging, brand assets, proof approval.
Headroom Films: treatment, schedule, crew, risk assessment, filming, edit, deliverables.

Success metrics (choose 1–2 primary)

Acquisition: form fills, booked demos, qualified leads, pipeline influenced.
Engagement: view‑through rate, % watched at 50/75/100, click‑through to case page.
Sales enablement: usage in calls, cycle length reduction, win‑rate on deals using the video.
PR/brand: sentiment, social shares, earned placements.
Document the baseline and the target (e.g., 1.2% → 2.0% case-page conversion by quarter end).

Story & angle (agree this early)

Write one line: “[Customer] used [your solution] to solve [problem], resulting in [quantified outcome], which mattered because [business impact].”

Then outline 6 beats:

Context & stakes
Problem symptoms
Why other fixes failed
How your solution was implemented
Outcomes with numbers
What’s next / recommendation

Audience & message

Primary audience: industry, job title, seniority, region.
Pain point in their words: the thing they’d Google.
Single‑minded message: one takeaway you’d be happy with even if they forget everything else.
Tone options: confident, pragmatic, human, enterprise‑grade, challenger.

Interviewee plan & prep

Who: Customer sponsor (budget holder), day‑to‑day user, and—optionally—your CSM/SE for context.Criteria: articulate, available, comfortable on camera, authorised by Legal/PR.Prep: 10–15 minutes on purpose and beats; we avoid scripted lines, aim for natural language.

On‑camera prompts (examples):

“What problem were you under pressure to solve?”
“What would have happened if you had done nothing?”
“What alternatives did you consider and why didn’t they fit?”
“What changed after implementation—what can you do now that you couldn’t before?”
“If you were recommending us to a peer, how would you put it?”

We’ll send a gentle do/don’t for clothing, backgrounds, and timing.

Proof & data

List all claims and the evidence we’re allowed to show: metrics, dashboards, reports, screenshots, third‑party studies. Note any redactions or anonymisation rules.

Legal, releases & compliance (UK/EU friendly)

Appearance releases for anyone on camera.
Location permissions where required.
Brand usage approval (logos, product UIs).
Music & stock fully licensed by production.
GDPR: avoid personal data in b‑roll; if captured, ensure lawful basis and retention policy.
Claims substantiated; no confidential info visible in shots.
We’ll supply standard release templates and track signatures.

Locations & b‑roll plan

Choose 1–2 meaningful environments:

Where the problem is visible (before/after moments).
Where the solution is in use (product, team, customers).
Neutral hero space for interviews (quiet, controllable, branded subtly).

B‑roll checklist: establishing exteriors, signage, teams collaborating, product in action, over‑the‑shoulder UI, metrics board, customer scenes, textures for transitions.

Deliverables & formats

Output	Duration	Aspect	Captions	Graphics	Use case
Master case study	90–150s	16:9	Optional burned + .srt	Light GFX	Web, YouTube, sales decks
Social cut‑downs (x3)	15–30s	1:1 / 9:16	Subtitled	Openers/lower‑thirds	LinkedIn, paid
Quote graphics (x3)	–	PNG	–	Branded	Blog, email
Stills from footage	–	–	–	–	Thumbnails, PR

Add-ons: next‑day edit, multi‑language subs, accessibility versions (open captions, high‑contrast), extended 3–4 min version, portrait master.

Distribution plan (decide now, not after)

Primary home: case-study page with summary, transcript, and schema markup.
Sales enablement: linked in HubSpot/Salesforce; track usage.
Social: LinkedIn + paid retargeting using 15–30s clips.
Email: nurture step + ABM sends from AEs.
YouTube: optimised title/description, end screens to demo/CTA.

Measurement setup: UTM links, events/goals, watch‑time KPI, “used in opportunity” CRM field.

Timeline & approvals (typical)

Week 0: Brief sign‑off, releases sent, schedule locked.
Week 1: Filming (½–1 day on site).
Week 2: First cut (V1) for comments.
Week 3: V2 + final deliverables.

Who reviews what:
Marketing: narrative, brand fit.
Legal/Comms: claims, approvals, naming.
Interviewee: factual accuracy.
We include revisions within the agreed post‑production time; if feedback rounds conflict or expand scope, we’ll flag options before proceeding.

Budget drivers (where cost flexes)

Travel/time on site; crew size (1–3).
Number of locations and interviews.
Motion graphics complexity and animated explainers.
Speed (same‑day/next‑day edit).
Subtitling, translations, extra versions/aspect ratios.
Risk/permits/insurance for certain venues.
We’ll recommend the leanest setup that still achieves your goals.

On‑the‑day essentials

Travel/Quiet space, power, access times, escort/ID if needed.
Room bookings padded by 15 minutes either side.
Brand assets on hand (logo, fonts, colour codes, product UI).
A single point of contact to help with access and sign‑offs.

Handover & file management

Delivery via a review link and a download link.
Master files: ProRes 422 HQ + H.264, 4K or 1080p per brief.
Separate audio stems if requested.
Caption files (.srt) and thumbnail stills included where relevant.

Free Brief Template (copy/paste)

Use this section as your internal or agency brief. Replace placeholders and delete what’s not needed

Project name:
Brand & product:
Project owner (you):
Email / phone:

1) Goal & KPI

Primary goal (pick one): [Leads / Sales enablement / Product adoption / PR / Recruitment]
KPI + target + by when:
Baseline (if known):

2) Audience & message

Audience (industry, role, seniority, region):
Pain point in their words:
Single‑minded message:
Tone (tick): □ pragmatic □ confident □ human □ enterprise‑grade □ challenger

3) Story & proof

One‑sentence story:
Key beats (bullets):
Claims & proof you can share (metrics, reports, screenshots):

4) Interviewees

Names, roles, availability:
Any talking points off‑limits:
Releases required? □ yes □ no (we’ll supply forms)

5) Locations & access

Addresses/rooms and any restrictions:
What we can/can’t show:

6) Deliverables

Master length(s):
Cut‑downs (how many, approx. length):
Aspect ratios: □ 16:9 □ 1:1 □ 9:16
Captions: □ open □ .srt □ none
Graphics: □ light □ medium □ heavy
Thumbnails/quote graphics: □ yes □ no

7) Distribution & measurement

Primary home (URL/page type):
Sales enablement use:
Social/paid plan:
Measurement (events/goals/CRM fields):

8) Timeline & approvals

Key dates: kick‑off, filming, V1, final:
Reviewers at each stage: Marketing / Legal-Comms / Interviewee

9) Budget & constraints

Range or ceiling (optional):
Must‑haves vs nice‑to‑haves:
Risk/permits/insurance notes:

10) Assets to supply

Brand kit (logo, fonts, colour codes)
Product/UI access (demo/staging):
Previous case studies (if any):
Any reference videos you like:

How we can help

Headroom Films can handle the whole process, from treatment and interview planning through to filming, edit, subtitles, and social cut‑downs. We film across the UK & EU and regularly support US teams who need a reliable local crew.

Next step: share the filled brief with us and we’ll turn it into a concrete plan and quote.

THE ULTIMATE CASE STUDY VIDEO BRIEF (FREE TEMPLATE)