Making an internal case for commissioning a project film

1. Name the communication gap with an example

Start with a situation your team can recognise. Perhaps a proposal team repeatedly explains the same project contribution, or an existing case study shows a finished space without explaining the decisions behind it. Describe the missing information before choosing a medium.

Bring one example of the question or task. A specific request from an internal user is more useful than a broad statement that video would modernise the brand. Keep any confidential correspondence in your approved systems; the memo may only need a short summary.

• Person or team with the communication need:
• Situation in which the question arises:
• What the audience currently struggles to understand:
• Example or evidence that this gap exists:
• Current explanation and its limitation:
• What a clearer resource should help explain:

2. Check the material you already have

List the relevant films, photographs, written case studies, presentation slides and project records already available. Ask the people expected to use the new resource whether a clearer introduction, an updated page or a better-organised existing item would answer the need.

This is not a requirement to use video for every gap. The comparison should make the next decision clearer, including when a smaller change or no new production is a reasonable option.

• Existing resource and current owner:
• What it explains well:
• What it does not explain:
• Known accuracy or permission question:
• Possible improvement without new filming:
• Reason that option would or would not meet the need:

3. State what the proposed film would contribute

Describe the contribution of a film in concrete terms. A proposed production might combine a first-hand account with visible project detail, or show a sequence that is difficult to explain in a single photograph. State the story opportunity rather than assuming a more polished presentation will produce a particular business result.

Separate the useful core from optional additions. If the main need is one project explanation, do not turn it into an annual programme or a long list of versions before the internal users have confirmed those uses.

• Core question the film would answer:
• People or project detail that could support the explanation:
• What the viewer would see or hear:
• Essential proposed output:
• Optional uses requiring a separate decision:
• Why this format appears suitable:

The production-fit worksheet can help identify which service conversation matches the need. It is a starting point for discussion, not confirmation of scope or availability.

4. Make the internal work visible

The production quote is only one part of the decision. Your organisation may need to coordinate people, check facts, obtain the relevant project decisions, consolidate feedback and publish the result. Identify who would do that work and whether they are available.

Do not assign other teams a commitment without asking them. If the intended publisher or approver has not agreed to participate, record that as an unresolved condition.

• Internal sponsor and decision-maker:
• Project information owner:
• People needed for preparation or participation:
• Contact for access and relevant permissions:
• Feedback coordinator and final approver:
• Publishing owner and intended first use:
• Known internal workload or timing conflict:
• Condition that must be resolved before proceeding:

5. Separate known facts from hopes

A proposed use, an expected benefit and a measured result are different things. Record which statements are supported now and which would need checking later. Avoid filling an approval memo with invented enquiry, sales or engagement figures.

For a fictional example, a proposal manager says the team has no concise explanation of a completed project’s coordination approach. That supports investigating a communication gap. It does not establish that a film will win a tender. The memo could name the intended proposal use, the missing explanation and the person who will assess whether the resource answers it. This is an invented decision example, not a Live Images result.

• Statement in the proposal:
• Evidence currently available:
• What is an assumption or expectation?
• What remains unknown?
• Who could assess whether the resource is useful?
• What observation would inform a later decision?

6. Ask for the next decision, not every decision at once

Make clear whether you are asking to investigate, obtain a defined proposal, commission agreed work or defer the idea. An approval to explore options should not be presented as authority to book production.

If you already have a written proposal, identify its version and unresolved items. If you do not, describe the information needed to request one. Keep financial amounts and supplier terms tied to the actual proposal and your organisation’s approval process.

• Decision requested now:
• Recommended next step and reason:
• Alternatives considered:
• Information needed before a commitment:
• Decision owner and date needed:
• Conditions attached to proceeding:
• Where the written decision will be recorded:

Finish with a short memo: the gap, the proposed response, the evidence, the internal responsibilities and the next decision. A colleague should be able to understand why the work is being considered without sitting through the whole planning discussion.