| name | concept-brief |
| description | Turn a vague idea into a defensible creative brief with one truthful promise, a signature visual device, and an explicit audience. Trigger - /concept-brief, first creative step after film-setup. |
Concept Brief
Most weak films fail here, not in production. A beautifully rendered film with no argument is still a weak film.
1. The promise — one sentence
What must the viewer believe after watching that they did not believe before? If it takes more than one sentence, the film is not ready.
It must be truthful. Never build a concept on a capability the product does not have.
2. The audience — specifically
Not "students" but "Egyptian postgraduate business students in their late twenties". Region, age, professional context. This drives casting, and getting it wrong means reshoots — generic prompts default to a Western cast.
3. The signature visual device
The one recurring image that carries the argument without narration. Find it early; it shapes every keyframe.
Strong devices share a property: they make the abstract claim physically visible. An assistant that works alongside people becomes two figures sharing a frame in two colour temperatures. The absence of that device in specific scenes then carries meaning too.
Decide deliberately where the device is absent. Absence is what gives presence its weight.
4. The recurring character
If the film has one, lock it now. Prefer a character that already exists in the product — the film should match what users see.
5. Constraints as creative input
Surface these before concepting further, because each closes off options:
- Real assets available (logos, photography, product captures)
- Regulatory or institutional claims that need sign-off
- Languages and their runtime consequences
- Credit budget
Output
{
"promise": "one sentence",
"audience": "specific, with region",
"signature_device": "described",
"device_absent_in": ["the problem act", "the handoff", "the payoff"],
"recurring_character": "source asset path or null",
"claims_needing_signoff": []
}
Present this and get agreement before writing the script. Concept changes are free; picture changes are not.
