Structure of Briefs
Contracted brief/ Negotiated brief (Comparison)
This is a contract that is a very serious matter where both parties are dressed up in a professional manner and communicate formally. The content of the project is discussed between the client and the production company and the whole session is recorded either by a camera or paper to ensure that everything within this brief would be truthful and correct. These type of meetings are quite large due to how large the companies are meaning that the projects are rather important and must be taken seriously, if anything within the contract is broken, one company may have the full potential to sue another.
An Advantage of this is that the contract is very clear and easy to understand and read which is good to look back on it to see what can and can't be done on the project and it allows the job to be completed efficiently. A disadvantage is that creative differences between the two companies means the meeting lasts a longer period of time.
Informal
This is where the client gives out the brief to multiple companies and each company works on the product and after the product has been fully completed, then the client inspects each of them a picks the product that they think is the best and publish it.
An advantage of this is that the client can see how different companies would work on the products and how the game could be different depending on which company actually works on the game. The client can see a wide variety of products made and they will also have the opportunity to choose the product with the highest quality. A disadvantage is that the companies that weren't chosen would have lost a lot of time and money because they haven't won the competition held.
Contracted
This is a contract that is created by the client and passed over to a production company. This brief will force the users into a contract that can not be negotiated or changed meaning that the production company will have to follow the guidelines to the exact of the contract.
An Advantage of this is that the guidelines are very easy to follow thanks to the clear details given and everything is made so that the company doesn't need to stop and keep using the brief in an efficient and effective way. A disadvantage is that the contract itself is not very flexible and cannot be changed due to the contract that has been made, so if the production company found something that was wrong or not very fluent, the production would be unable to change it because the contract has been signed which means that the product may not sell or perform very well which means that the company will lose out on money and reputation. If the contract was broken, the the client has the right to sue them because the company signed the contract but did not follow it.
An Advantage of this is that the guidelines are very easy to follow thanks to the clear details given and everything is made so that the company doesn't need to stop and keep using the brief in an efficient and effective way. A disadvantage is that the contract itself is not very flexible and cannot be changed due to the contract that has been made, so if the production company found something that was wrong or not very fluent, the production would be unable to change it because the contract has been signed which means that the product may not sell or perform very well which means that the company will lose out on money and reputation. If the contract was broken, the the client has the right to sue them because the company signed the contract but did not follow it.
Negotiated
This is a contract that is created and discussed by the negotiation between both parties, the client and the production company. This means that the instructions can be much more flexible as in changing things along the way since both parties will agree on this as soon as the contract is signed. This is sorted through a meeting between both parties where the managers will discuss the project and range of ideas that come up on how the settlement will take place and what will be produced in the process.
An Advantage is that the whole process is much more flexible since both parties can stably agree on the process as everything is negotiated and agreed between both sides meaning that each side should end up happy with the outcome. A disadvantage is that the instructions are as solid compared to the contracted brief which means that the production may end up questioning themselves if they have ended up doing the right thing of what the client actually wanted to happen within the product. Also within the contract negotiations, the parties could find some disagreements which could mean that the contract will not be signed because the production company may not be comfortable with creating the product in a certain way or not feel as confident in the style etc.
An Advantage is that the whole process is much more flexible since both parties can stably agree on the process as everything is negotiated and agreed between both sides meaning that each side should end up happy with the outcome. A disadvantage is that the instructions are as solid compared to the contracted brief which means that the production may end up questioning themselves if they have ended up doing the right thing of what the client actually wanted to happen within the product. Also within the contract negotiations, the parties could find some disagreements which could mean that the contract will not be signed because the production company may not be comfortable with creating the product in a certain way or not feel as confident in the style etc.
To summarise this comparison, The contracted brief is a much more solid and one-sided contract which may lead in failure through creating the product and such while the negotiated brief is much more flexible in a standard that both parties can discuss the details and come to a confirmation of being happy with the final contract and that the product is created in a way that both companies feel comfortable and the product will come out great and by the deadline.
Formal brief/ Informal brief (Comparison)
Formal
This is a contract that is a very serious matter where both parties are dressed up in a professional manner and communicate formally. The content of the project is discussed between the client and the production company and the whole session is recorded either by a camera or paper to ensure that everything within this brief would be truthful and correct. These type of meetings are quite large due to how large the companies are meaning that the projects are rather important and must be taken seriously, if anything within the contract is broken, one company may have the full potential to sue another.
An Advantage of this is that the contract is very clear and easy to understand and read which is good to look back on it to see what can and can't be done on the project and it allows the job to be completed efficiently. A disadvantage is that creative differences between the two companies means the meeting lasts a longer period of time.
Informal
This is a very casual type of brief that is usually used between smaller companies that create indie products or a small group of friends discussing the topic of how they will get around with creating the product whilst focusing on the main objectives with very small detail. In an informal brief, there is no contract which means that the companies are not able to sue each-other and they will most likely know each-other and put their trust in themselves to get the job done.
An Advantage is that the discussion itself will be quite calm and relaxing since you probably wouldnt be surrounded in a room full of business men with all eyes on you and the whole process is much more casual and easy to deal with in a fast amount of time. However, this means that the promises that are made are not 100% believable meaning that someone could slack off and not follow the task but not be able to be sued since there was no contract to sign and it may mean that the whole workflow pace will be slow because it seems that the projects using this method will be small and indie including a few friends.
An Advantage is that the discussion itself will be quite calm and relaxing since you probably wouldnt be surrounded in a room full of business men with all eyes on you and the whole process is much more casual and easy to deal with in a fast amount of time. However, this means that the promises that are made are not 100% believable meaning that someone could slack off and not follow the task but not be able to be sued since there was no contract to sign and it may mean that the whole workflow pace will be slow because it seems that the projects using this method will be small and indie including a few friends.
Commission brief
This is a brief where a large company employs the services of another independent media company to create a produce work for the large company. When the large company has received the money from the project, the money will be split to pay the independent company that was hired or they are given rights to a portion of the royalties for the product.
The advantage of this is that the large company has less work to actually complete as it's split between different independent companies to be completed. This means that the large is able to work on more projects at the same time which will end up with the larger company earning more money but the independent company also earns a sum of the amount they completed. A disadvantage is that the brief is not negotiated which means that the end product may not be produced in the best quality as the independent company may work in a different manner compared to the large company.
Activision is a great example for using this method as they are know for outsourcing game development to other independent companies. This means that they end up avoiding the majority of the game development using this process which means they end up with much less work to complete.
This is a brief where a large company employs the services of another independent media company to create a produce work for the large company. When the large company has received the money from the project, the money will be split to pay the independent company that was hired or they are given rights to a portion of the royalties for the product.
The advantage of this is that the large company has less work to actually complete as it's split between different independent companies to be completed. This means that the large is able to work on more projects at the same time which will end up with the larger company earning more money but the independent company also earns a sum of the amount they completed. A disadvantage is that the brief is not negotiated which means that the end product may not be produced in the best quality as the independent company may work in a different manner compared to the large company.
Activision is a great example for using this method as they are know for outsourcing game development to other independent companies. This means that they end up avoiding the majority of the game development using this process which means they end up with much less work to complete.
Tender brief
This is where the client creates a brief and then advertises it to multiple companies. Eventually, a developer will bring together a proposal that they will pitch to the publisher to see if the client is interested. The client can choose out of all of the proposals made, once they have chosen the best suited one, they will offer the job to the chosen developer.
An advantage of this is that the client is able to view many different ideas, and then that means that the product developed to high standard of one of the pitched ideas stands out above all others. A disadvantage of this is that a developer could get turned down and that sets them back to business.
Co-operative brief
This is when the client employs 2 companies to work on the product. Both companies will receive the brief and then the work that needs to be completed will be divided between each of them.
An advantage of this is that there are a higher number of individuals working on the project which means the people working in those specific areas in the game will have higher quality and better work produced which will go towards the final product. A disadvantage is that the companies may not want to work with another company or have many conflicts over what side of the project each company wants to work on because they feel more confident about that side. This could result in the project failing and losing lots of money since the idea was never carried through to the end.
Competition briefThis is where the client creates a brief and then advertises it to multiple companies. Eventually, a developer will bring together a proposal that they will pitch to the publisher to see if the client is interested. The client can choose out of all of the proposals made, once they have chosen the best suited one, they will offer the job to the chosen developer.
An advantage of this is that the client is able to view many different ideas, and then that means that the product developed to high standard of one of the pitched ideas stands out above all others. A disadvantage of this is that a developer could get turned down and that sets them back to business.
Co-operative brief
This is when the client employs 2 companies to work on the product. Both companies will receive the brief and then the work that needs to be completed will be divided between each of them.
An advantage of this is that there are a higher number of individuals working on the project which means the people working in those specific areas in the game will have higher quality and better work produced which will go towards the final product. A disadvantage is that the companies may not want to work with another company or have many conflicts over what side of the project each company wants to work on because they feel more confident about that side. This could result in the project failing and losing lots of money since the idea was never carried through to the end.
This is where the client gives out the brief to multiple companies and each company works on the product and after the product has been fully completed, then the client inspects each of them a picks the product that they think is the best and publish it.
An advantage of this is that the client can see how different companies would work on the products and how the game could be different depending on which company actually works on the game. The client can see a wide variety of products made and they will also have the opportunity to choose the product with the highest quality. A disadvantage is that the companies that weren't chosen would have lost a lot of time and money because they haven't won the competition held.
Reading a Brief
When a company receives a brief, it is crucial that it is read very carefully so that each action is fully understand along with all of this information included. If the brief isn't understood, then the product may end up being created badly or which would have costed both parties a lot of money and it would end up being wasted. Keep in mind that the different factors that are relevent in the brief such as:
- Demographics,
- Geographics,
- Market Competition,
- Use of Product (Market/ Advertising),
- Style of Product,
- Technical Specifications (FPS, Aspect Ratio)
- Timescales,
- Resources,
- Locations,
- Crew and Post Production
Negotiating a Brief
Consultation with the clientIn the consultation between the client and a production company, the production company targeted will be given a brief from the client describing how they want the product to be made and what rules they can and can't break. During the consultation, the production company will have a degree of discretion that happens when the ideas are processed and they are interpreted in a technological sense. This means that you have to think of how to create the production, how to distribute the production throughout the company and how the client wants the final outcome to look. The brief will be discussed between both of the parties and if the brief needs to be negotiated anyway, then the negotiation will take place here.
Constraints: Legal, ethical, regulatory
Companies have to look out to not involve content that may offend or upset a variety of people who may end up playing the game both physically and emotionally. This can involve things such as sex, race, religion and much more. These are mostly ethical constraints as they are offensive to certain types of people which may make fun of their sex, race or religion and these could potentially become legal issues if they become to be so severe.
Legal
Copyright is a big legal issue that is extremely hard to avoid if the claim is true as the user has stolen or used something from another company meaning that it didn't belong to them. There is also the Data Protection Art which protects personal data from being exploited and stolen.
Ethical
The Ethical constraints are easier to avoid due to the fact that content can be removed without altering the game-play function and mechanisms too much. For example, in Modern Warfare 2, there was a certain mission which was about being on the side of a terrorist when a terminal was attacked and you walk in the line with the terrorists killing innocent people which obviously offended many people of certain religions and races. They added in a feature afterwards where the player could choose whether they wanted to play the mission because the content within it was very offensive in some ways. I believe that professional companies will want to avoid all acts like this because it can lead people away from the game or even the sequels of the game which can lead is less income from the franchise.
Regulatory
Regulatory constraints are there to tell the audience what content should be expected in a game and how graphical that content is due to the age ratings on the game. This is important as it sets a guideline of who will be able to play the game and not due to the actions in the game whether it be blood, gore, violence, sex, nudity etc.
Amendments to a budget
If something breaks, then a contract has to be created so that the hardware or object can be replaced and continue working on the project. For example, items such as a mouse, drawing tablet or a PC could break and need to be replaced. The current budget will not be disobeyed and a new one will be created so the costs are separate from the current costs for the actual project. This is because it could go over the current budget for the project and then the product will end up being a much lower quality because there were not enough sufficient funds.
Amendments to conditions
Conditions can be changed which will lead to a altered final version of the end product. An example of this is if the client were to change the demographic, then certain aspects would also have to change. This will affect the company as they need to work extra hours because of the change on the project.
Negotiating the fees
Negotiating the fees is critical to be discussed because the product needs enough sufficient fees to actually be produced to the degree that the client wants it to be created to. This will begin with the client running through all of the costs that they are paying for the project to each individual working on the product and then the production company will receive a detailed list of all the costs that are needed to be paid.
Conditions can be changed which will lead to a altered final version of the end product. An example of this is if the client were to change the demographic, then certain aspects would also have to change. This will affect the company as they need to work extra hours because of the change on the project.
Negotiating the fees
Negotiating the fees is critical to be discussed because the product needs enough sufficient fees to actually be produced to the degree that the client wants it to be created to. This will begin with the client running through all of the costs that they are paying for the project to each individual working on the product and then the production company will receive a detailed list of all the costs that are needed to be paid.
Opportunities
Many opportunities will come by whilst working on multiple briefs at a time as you are able to increase your skills at multi tasking like working on an animation brief and a programming brief. Other skills that you might improve on could include things such as communication, technical, development, time management etc. Multi-tasking is a very important skill as in the media industry, there is no shortage of work that needs to be completed such as working on multiple projects or units at the same time. You could also improve yourself at specific areas in that you have been working on such as using new software and the tools you use to create certain things for the product.
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