A good project can support a film, a written case study or both. Choosing the medium first can leave you funding the wrong kind of explanation: a film that makes a technical reader hunt for a figure, or a page of prose that struggles to convey a spatial relationship.
Start with what the prospective client needs to understand or do. Then compare how each medium could answer that need using the evidence you can actually supply. There is no need to treat video as an automatic upgrade from writing.
Describe the reader's or viewer's task
“Learn about our project” is too broad to guide the purchase. A buyer might need to locate the contract scope, understand a difficult coordination decision, compare two delivery approaches or see how an altered space works.
Those tasks make different demands. A written resource can place dates, scope descriptions and source references under headings that the reader can return to. A film can combine a participant's explanation with movement, changing viewpoints and visible project detail. Neither advantage helps if it is unrelated to the question being asked.
Also consider the setting. Someone preparing an internal briefing may need a concise written summary they can cite. Someone being introduced to unfamiliar work during a conversation may benefit from seeing it. Ask an actual intended user rather than imagining that everyone consumes information in the same way.
Inspect the evidence before choosing the format
List what you have: approved project facts, available contributors, photographs, drawings, existing footage and access to the finished site. Then identify what is missing for each proposed format.
A film built around a participant's explanation needs someone able and willing to provide that account. A written case study still needs reliable facts and review; it cannot responsibly fill evidence gaps with polished claims. If the critical work is no longer visible, ask whether authorised existing material can explain it in either medium.
Be cautious about replacing a clear diagram with filming simply because a video is being considered. Equally, do not assume a photograph can show a sequence of events. The evidence should determine which comparisons are worth asking a supplier to assess.
Complete a question-to-medium card
Use one card for the main buyer question. If several questions require different resources, keep them separate instead of making one format carry everything.
| Planning field | Written case study | Filmed case study |
|---|---|---|
| Required understanding | What can headings, explanations and still images establish? | What can voices, sequences and moving images add? |
| Exact detail | Which facts need to be easy to find again? | Which facts belong on screen or in supporting material? |
| Available evidence | What is ready to write and verify? | What is ready to record and show? |
| Missing work | Interviews, writing, images or review still needed | Preparation, access, filming or edit inputs still needed |
| Change exposure | Which passages or images might need revision? | Which recorded statements or sequences might date? |
| Intended use | Where will the written resource be used? | Where will someone reasonably watch the film? |
Below the comparison, write one decision: written first, film first, complementary resources, or resolve evidence before either. Give the reason in terms of the audience's task. Avoid points systems that disguise an uncertain preference as a measured result.
Worked example: one refurbishment, two information needs
This is an illustrative scenario, not a client result or a claim about production prices.
A contractor has completed an office refurbishment. A prospective client's procurement team wants a concise record of the contractor's scope, the project context and the completed work. Its operations representative wants to understand how the changed layout separates visitors from working areas.
The comparison card suggests a written case study for the procurement summary. Before commissioning a film, the marketing manager tests whether an approved plan and photographs can also explain the layout. If they do, a written resource may meet the immediate need without filming.
If the relationship between spaces remains hard to follow, a film could combine a participant's explanation with a clear sequence through those areas. The written summary would still hold the exact scope details. The team can then request a production discussion about that specific contribution, rather than buying a video merely because the project is complete.
The decision could reasonably go either way. The card makes the choice depend on an observed explanation problem and suitable evidence.
If you commission both, give each a separate job
A complementary pair should not require the audience to consume the same account twice. Decide which resource offers the overview and where the precise detail belongs. Make both accurate and useful in their intended setting.
Plan accessible alternatives as part of the brief. W3C's transcript guidance explains that a descriptive transcript includes important visual information as well as audio content. A transcript therefore serves a different purpose from a marketing case study; do not assume that commissioning one automatically supplies the other, or that a written summary meets every access need.
Ask who will create, check and maintain each output. If facts change, the website text, film and supporting materials need identifiable owners. Obtain scope-specific estimates for the actual work rather than assuming writing is always inexpensive or a filmed interview automatically produces a finished article.
Commission the part that adds something useful
Keep the decision short enough to explain internally: the audience needs this understanding, the chosen medium adds this value, these inputs are available and these gaps remain. That gives an approver something more useful than a preference for “more video”.
Live Images offers project case-study films for builders and construction teams. If your comparison identifies a useful filmed explanation, enquire with the project, audience and required date. Include the written material you already have and the part a film needs to add. Discuss written-content work separately rather than assuming it is included in the production service.
Prepared with AI assistance for Live Images. Planning guidance is general; suitability and production scope must be agreed for your project.