Uncover the hidden pitfalls in pre-production—and learn how a simple video brief can save your team time, money, and frustration.
The Problem Isn’t the Creative—It’s the Chaos Before It
You’ve got a great idea. Your team is excited. But somehow the video project still falls apart. Deadlines slip, budgets balloon, and no one is really sure who signed off on what.
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. At Ballad Pictures, we’ve worked with dozens of brands struggling to launch video campaigns—not because they lack talent, but because they didn’t align early. And the cost of that misalignment? Missed deadlines, miscommunication, and mediocre output.
Let’s break down why video projects stall before they even begin—and how you can fix it.
1. There’s No Shared Vision
If your team doesn’t agree on the purpose of the video, the project will suffer. Without clear goals, even the most talented production team is just guessing.
Warning signs:
Vague phrases like “We just need something cool”
Creative feedback that contradicts previous direction
Disagreements over priorities after production has started
Fix: Align on your goals before you brief the team. What’s the video for? Who’s it speaking to? What action should it drive?
2. The Timeline Is Unrealistic (or Nonexistent)
Video production includes many moving parts—from scripting and approvals to filming and editing. If the timeline isn’t clear and realistic, bottlenecks are inevitable.
Fix: Establish your timeline in phases. Include internal review periods, key decision points, and production lead times. And don’t forget to factor in executive approvals.
3. No One Owns the Messaging
If multiple teams are chiming in—product, brand, legal, comms—you need a shared messaging framework. Otherwise, you’ll be making revisions until launch day.
Fix: Decide on your core messages and tone upfront. Clarify what’s negotiable and what isn’t. Put it in writing.
4. There’s No Central Brief
This is the biggest culprit. A strong brief doesn’t just outline logistics—it creates clarity. Without one, every phase of your project becomes a guessing game.
How to Prevent All of This? Start With the Right Tool
We created the Video Campaign Brief Builder to help marketing leaders, brand directors, and creative leads take control of their pre-production process.
It’s a guided, fillable PDF that walks you through:
Campaign goals and KPIs
Audience and tone
Messaging, budget, and timeline
Internal and external coordination needs
It’s simple. It’s effective. And it’s designed to get your project off the ground with alignment from day one.
Stop Wasting Time in Pre-Production
You don’t need more meetings. You need more clarity.
The Video Campaign Brief Builder is free to download and easy to use. Whether you’re launching your first campaign or your fiftieth, it’s the tool that keeps your project from stalling before it starts.
