What to Prepare Before You Hire Rights Clearance

“Please check the music and the faces” often comes too late to guide a production. Imagine a neighborhood bakery commissioning a short video for a new pastry. The permissions and files will differ depending on whether it will appear only on Instagram Reels or also on YouTube Shorts and the bakery’s website. Describe the intended use before production so the team does not have to remove a track or reshoot a scene at the last minute.

Start with where and why it will run

Put the purpose and audience in the first line of the brief. For example: “Show the cross-section and takeaway packaging in a 20-second Reel so nearby office workers notice the new lunch item.” Then list each channel, the video length, whether it may be reused in paid ads, and the planned posting period. Music that is cleared for one platform is not automatically cleared for another. Record the source, permitted channels, commercial-use terms, and any credit line for each track.

Check the people and the footage separately

If an employee appears, explain where the video will be published, for how long, and whether the footage may be reused in paid ads. The permission to use the footage from the person who filmed it is a separate matter. An employee might agree to appear in an organic Reel but not in a website ad; in that case, leave that shot out of the website version. If a customer or passerby is recognizable in the background, remove identifying details or obtain the permission needed before publishing.

Do not choose a track based only on the phrase “commercial use allowed.” Check the license or agreement for the account, channels, advertising use, term, and credit requirements. Keep a note of the track and the section used in the final edit. If the file will run on another platform, verify that the permission covers that use too.

Give the designer the logo master and font terms

Provide the original logo files and explain what must not change. If a wide logo needs to fit a square layout, say whether cropping, stretching, or reducing its clear space is allowed. Before sending a font file, confirm that its license covers video and image production. If the designer needs a substitute font, include a reference that shows the tone the brand should keep.

Review the first cut and the final files

In the first cut, check that the scenes match the brief and that every song and recognizable person is within the permitted scope. At delivery, confirm that each channel has the right dimensions and captions and that the source notes and usage terms were included. If you need a vertical Reel, a silent website version, and a thumbnail, list all three before production starts. Separate changes that require a reshoot or rerecording from fixes such as a caption typo, so everyone knows what the next revision involves.

A useful brief does not need pages of legal language. State where, how long, and why you plan to use the work, then connect each song, person, and brand asset to the permission that covers it. The producer can edit with suitable materials, and the business has a clear basis for its final review.