One useful brief.
Every location connected.

A multi-location brief needs a shared direction and room for the details of each setting. Keep the program-wide decisions together, then give each shoot its own working plan. The checklist below is a starting structure to adapt to your project.

Set the shared direction

• Purpose: what should the audience understand, feel or be able to do after watching?
• Audience: who is watching, and where will they encounter the content?
• Story: which questions or themes connect the interviews?
• References: which films, frames or brand assets help communicate the intended treatment?
• Deliverables: what footage or finished work should the production produce?

Keep this section concise enough for the client, producer, crew and editor to use. If a reference is aspirational, explain which feature matters: framing, lighting, pacing, graphics or tone.

Give every shoot a location record

Create a row or short section for each filming location. Include the exact address when known, the space being used and the person who can confirm access.

Agree the creative and technical capture brief

Describe interview framing, eyeline, background and the role of supporting footage. Identify the recording specifications your editorial team needs and who can approve changes when a location calls for a different setup.

Include reference frames with short notes about what should carry across shoots. A reference without explanation can leave different crews solving different problems.

Define the interview responsibilities

Name the person who develops questions, prepares the participant and leads the interview. If someone will join remotely, include that requirement and discuss how it will work before the production is confirmed.

Flywheel Film’s interview guide emphasizes listening, useful context and answers that can work in an edit. Build the interview around topics and follow-ups, with room for the person’s own account.

Plan the editorial handoff

• Media formats and the destination for delivery.
• Folder and file naming by location and subject.
• Camera and sound notes your editor should receive.
• Interview notes, transcript needs and essential supporting shots.
• Client assets, review contacts and the expected approval stages.

For finished films, list the versions and any captions, graphics or language work to include. For footage delivery, ask your editor what will make the material ready for their workflow.

Track decisions as they become confirmed

Keep proposed dates, approved creative and confirmed arrangements distinguishable. Assign an owner to unresolved questions and share the updated brief with the people affected by each change.

Flywheel Film’s Eli Lilly project documents testimonial filming in four cities on both coasts. For a new project, your own location matrix gives that geographic scope a practical production plan.