Producing in two languages is the defining operational problem of Canadian content, and most brands solve it the expensive way: they make the English campaign, then discover they need French and pay for a second production.

Decision one: same creator or two

If a creator is genuinely bilingual, filming both versions in one session is by far the cheapest route. The set is already built, the product is already there, and the second version costs a fraction. If nobody bilingual fits the brief, hire two creators and film in parallel rather than sequentially.

Decision two: adapt, do not translate

A translated script sounds translated and a Quebec audience hears it in seconds. Give the French creator the intent, the mandatory points and the forbidden claims, then let them write it. You are buying a message that lands, not a word for word equivalence.

Decision three: deliver without burned in subtitles

Ask for the video clean, with the subtitle file separate, in both languages. That one requirement lets the team swap text, fix a term or produce a third version later without going back to the shoot. It costs nothing to ask for and it is almost never asked for.

What to put in the brief

Both languages named explicitly, who writes the French, whether the French is Quebec or international, the mandatory and forbidden sentences in both, and the delivery formats. Five lines that prevent the most expensive surprise in Canadian marketing.

What it actually saves

Planned from the start, the second language typically adds a modest amount to the shoot. Discovered afterwards, it costs a full second production plus the delay of a campaign launching in one market before the other. That gap is the whole argument for planning it.

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Frequently asked questions

One creator or two?

One bilingual creator if the brief allows it.

Translate or adapt?

Adapt, a translation is audible.

What delivery format should I demand?

Clean video with separate subtitle files.

When is the decision made?

In the brief, never after the shoot.