Video Editing
How to Brief a Video Editor (Free Template Inside)
8 October 2026 · 9 min read · By Orion Media Group
Most extra revision rounds don't come from bad editors. They come from a brief that left the important decisions unsaid, so the editor guessed.
A good brief takes ten minutes to write and usually saves days. Here's what we ask clients for, and a template you can reuse.
1. Start with the goal and the viewer
Tell the editor who is watching and what they should do afterwards. 'Founders who've never heard of us, should follow' leads to a different edit from 'existing leads, should book a demo'.
2. Share references, not adjectives
'Punchy' and 'clean' mean different things to different people. Send two or three links to videos with the pacing, captions or style you want, and say what you like about each.
3. Specify the technical details
- Platforms and aspect ratios (9:16, 1:1, 16:9).
- Target length or range.
- Caption style, fonts and brand colours.
- Music preference and whether licensed tracks are required.
- Logo, intro or end-card rules.
4. Mark the must-keep and must-cut moments
Timestamps save the editor from guessing. Note the line that must open the video, any claim that legal needs to approve, and anything that should never appear, such as a client's name or screen.
5. Agree how feedback works
Decide who gives final approval and send one consolidated set of notes per round, ideally with timestamps. Conflicting feedback from three people is the fastest way to blow a deadline.
One reviewer, timestamped notes, agreed number of revision rounds. That alone fixes most editing projects.
Book a callCopy-paste brief template
- Video title / working name:
- Goal and call to action:
- Who is watching:
- Platforms and formats:
- Length:
- Reference videos and what to copy from each:
- Must-keep moments (timestamps):
- Must-cut moments (timestamps):
- Brand assets (fonts, colours, logo):
- Deadline and approver:
Prefer to skip the briefing altogether?
Our clients fill in a brief once. After that we keep a style guide for their brand so every new video starts from the same standard.
Send us your raw footage and we'll show you what a properly briefed edit looks like.
Book a callFrequently asked questions
- How long should a video editing brief be?
- One page is usually enough. The aim is to remove guesswork, not to write a script.
- Should I send raw footage or a rough cut?
- Raw footage is fine with good timestamps. A rough cut helps when the story order is important to you.
- How many revision rounds are normal?
- Two rounds is common. A clear brief often means the first draft is close to final.