A case study: The art of briefing

Background:

Qawwali is a heritage art form widely used and popular among Muslims in India. Its content is part poetry, part Q&A, debate and light banter. Usually a contest featuring male- and female-led teams, where the classic form sees the male wooing his love interest and the lady verbally thwarts his proposal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5VRx6eZnvo

This art form has been successfully used Bollywood movies since the fifties. Some popular songs include,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36NsUgr5Heg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjRgw1naMsc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVuxB3GKBYY

Case:

It’s 2004, the film is ‘Main Hoon Na?’ (loosely translated to ‘I am here, no?’). The young film director, Farah Khan had just one line in her brief to the music composer, and I quote, “Dude, I want qawwali on acid.”

Conclusion:

This was the end result. This song was a huge hit that year cementing Shah Rukh Khan’s status as the #1 star in Bollywood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXb_XPXA2zw

Point I am trying to make here is that a good brief can play a key role in determining the creative outcome. Brevity usually holds key but it’s seldom the case. While reading Ken Seagall’s “Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success”, it underlines this. I realize that keeping it simple is also about keeping the matter small, relevant and brief.