The production brief
One page that everyone signs off on: purpose, audiences, channels, people on camera, locations, brand notes, deliverables and dates. It keeps stakeholders aligned and the shoot focused.
The Trestles Method
A repeatable approach to creating organized, purposeful visual content. Five stages, the same on every engagement, so you always know what happens next.
Built on a project-management discipline: clear inputs, an agreed plan, and a defined hand-off at the end.
Five Stages
How a production comes together
Select a stage to see what happens, what we ask of you, and what you receive.
Evolve feeds the next Discover, so each production builds on the last.
Discover
We get to know the business before we talk about cameras: goals, priorities, visual standards, target audiences, the stakeholders who need to sign off, and the content needs coming up over the next few months.
- What happens
- A consultation call, a look at your current website and channels, and a short list of what’s missing or out of date.
- What we ask of you
- A point person, brand guidelines if you have them, and the dates you’re working toward.
- You receive
- A clear recommendation: single project, content day or ongoing production.
Plan
We turn priorities into a production brief: shot priorities, people, locations, schedule, equipment and crew, and how each asset will be used. Executives get time slots instead of open-ended requests.
- What happens
- Brief and shot list drafted, schedule built around your calendar, location needs confirmed.
- What we ask of you
- Review of the brief, confirmed participants, and building or venue access.
- You receive
- A written scope, production brief and run of show.
Produce
We capture polished photography and video while respecting your operation, executive schedules and brand guidelines. Set-ups are built and tested before people arrive, so their time on camera is short.
- What happens
- Load-in, set-ups lit and tested, sessions run to the schedule, media backed up on site.
- What we ask of you
- An on-site contact and participants who arrive at their scheduled time.
- You receive
- A calm, efficient production that stays on schedule.
Deliver
We edit and organize approved assets for practical use across the channels in the brief: the right crops, lengths and file formats, grouped so each team can find its material.
- What happens
- Selection, color correction and retouching; video edited to agreed lengths; files organized by person, team and use.
- What we ask of you
- Feedback on selects or edits within the agreed review rounds.
- You receive
- Finished files in a private online gallery, ready to publish.
Evolve
Businesses change. We review upcoming needs, identify gaps in the library, and plan the next production when it makes sense, so you are never starting from scratch.
- What happens
- A short review of what’s being used, what’s changed and what’s coming next.
- What we ask of you
- Your upcoming launches, hires, events and announcements.
- You receive
- A plan for the next production, if and when you want one.
Planning Tools
Production planning, up close
Three tools from the Plan stage that keep corporate productions efficient.
Shot priorities
Every shot is ranked must-have, important or opportunistic. If a meeting runs long or a room isn’t available, the must-haves are already protected.
The run of show
A timed schedule for the day, built around executive calendars. Interviews usually go first, headshots run in blocks, and workplace imagery fills the gaps.
Sample Plan
A sample annual content plan
What the Evolve stage can look like for a hypothetical 120-person professional services firm in Irvine. Every plan is built around a company’s own calendar.
Illustrative example: a fictional company, not a client| Quarter | Business moment | Production | Content captured | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Website refresh | Content day at headquarters | Leadership portraits, team headshots, workplace imagery, founder interview | New website, LinkedIn, proposals |
| Q2 | Spring hiring push | Half-day culture session | Candid team photography, short employee clips, new-hire headshots | Careers page, job posts, recruiting social |
| Q3 | Client conference | Event coverage + on-site interviews | Keynote and panel coverage, sponsor photos, client testimonials | Event recap, sales follow-up, next year’s promotion |
| Q4 | Year-end leadership message | Executive message recording | CEO video message, updated portraits for new partners | Internal comms, annual report, press |
Questions
Questions about the method
Does every project go through all five stages?
Every project gets the same structure, scaled to its size. A single executive portrait might need a ten-minute planning call; a multi-team content day gets a full production brief. The Evolve stage applies when a company wants to keep building its library.
What do you need from us during planning?
Usually a point person, your brand guidelines if you have them, a list of the people and places involved, and an idea of where the content will be used. We turn that into the production brief and schedule.
Are all services included in every project?
No. The method describes how we work, not a bundle. What is produced is defined by the written scope for each engagement.
Get in Touch
Start with Discover.
A consultation is the first stage of the method. Bring what you know about your upcoming needs and we’ll help shape the rest.