Write a brief Rush can shoot
Turn an impression into specific people, actions and outcomes.
2 min read
In this lesson
- Describe visible action
- Set priorities without overloading the brief
Make the idea observable
Words such as cinematic, premium or emotional describe your ambition but do not tell an actor what to do. Translate the feeling into behaviour, objects, space and sound. A person who folds a letter twice before answering gives the scene something to show.
Start with the premise, then add the characters, setting, key action and ending. Distinguish essential facts from flexible choices. If the red coat identifies someone across scenes, say it stays red; if the wall colour is unimportant, leave room for a coherent production design.
Give the action a beginning and an end
For movement, say where a character starts, which route they take and where they stop. For a reaction, identify the event that causes it. Use plausible timing and a small number of actions per shot. “She moves around nervously” can mean almost anything; a defined route can be staged and understood.
Avoid contradictory instructions such as a locked camera that circles the actor, or a silent scene full of spoken exposition. Read the brief once as a filmmaker and once as a performer. Remove any requirement that cannot fit the requested length.
Mina starts beside the kitchen sink. After the doorbell, she places the cup on the counter, walks through the doorway on frame right and stops at the closed front door. Hold there before she reaches for the latch.
Put it into practice
Rewrite an abstract idea as a brief with a visible goal, a route or action and a final image. Underline only the facts that must remain consistent.
- A viewer could identify the action without reading your brief
- No camera or timing instruction contradicts another