What to Know About Hiring a Chicago Video Production Company

If you’re looking for a video production company, Chicago is a great place to start. It’s one of the nation’s most dynamic cities for video production, offering world-class talent, diverse locations, and creative infrastructure. Whether you’re launching a campaign, producing branded content, or building an ongoing video strategy, choosing the right Chicago video production company can make or break your project’s success.

Understanding Chicago’s Video Production Ecosystem

Chicago is home to over 2.7 million people, with the city and its surrounding metro coming in at over 9 million. It’s the third-largest city behind New York City and Los Angeles, so it's no surprise that, like those two, it's home to a robust video production market.

Aside from having a massive population, there are several other reasons why Chicago stands out in video marketing. It boasts a strong talent pool of actors, directors, cinematographers, editors, and production crews, thanks to institutions like The Second City and Steppenwolf Theatre Company, as well as schools like DePaul University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

As a result of this talent, there’s already an established TV and film infrastructure in the city. Shows like The Bear and Chicago PD film here on soundstages like Cinespace Chicago Film Studios and throughout the city’s diverse locations. The diversity is another element that brings video production to Chicago — you can go from a gritty industrial zone to a historic neighborhood to sleek downtown with just a few minutes’ drive. 

Because of all of this, Chicago is home to state-of-the-art production houses that offer a range of specializations. Some cover the entire production process, while others focus on specific areas, such as pre- or post-production. You’ll also find those that specialize in particular types of video projects, like:

• Commercials and advertising
• Corporate and B2B videos
• Documentaries and non-fiction
• Film and TV
• Music videos
• Digital and social media content
• Education and learning

But why choose a video production company in Chicago over one in NYC or LA? Those in the Midwest will probably find it more convenient, but it ultimately comes down to one key factor: cost. Chicago video production companies offer competitive production costs for the same high standard of work. Plus, Illinois offers film tax credits, which adds an incentive to film in the state.

What to Look for in a Chicago Video Production Partner

Choosing the right Chicago video production company is critical for a smooth production process and a polished final product that meets your marketing campaign needs. You need to understand which aspects of the production process are most important and vet all potential partners by reviewing their portfolios and customer testimonials.

Prioritizing Cinematic Quality and Brand Alignment

Being cinematic doesn’t just refer to footage; you probably don’t need your brand video to look like it comes from the world of Lord of the Rings or Avatar. Cinematic quality also refers to polish, storytelling, and production value.

Look for companies with portfolios that demonstrate strong cinematography, lighting, color correction, and sound design in their projects, as well as the ability to integrate components like motion graphics, VFX, or animation if you need it. Focus on those that prove the creative director has strong storytelling skills and a strong creative strategy.

But even stunningly cinematic videos will fail if they don’t reflect your brand’s tone, values, and goals. When reviewing portfolios, look for companies that reflect the tone, style, and emotion you want. Find companies that can adapt their aesthetic to fit different brands, not just ones that create the same type of video for every client.

Indicators of Professionalism and Reliability

You could find the most creative video production company in the city, but it won’t do you any good if they miss deadlines or can’t communicate. You need a company that maintains professionalism throughout the creative process. Some good indicators of professionalism include:

• They’re responsive and clear in your early conversation.
• They have a well-documented production process that includes things like shot lists and timelines.
• They use contracts, statements of work (SOWs), and production schedules, not just emails or instant messages.
• They have consistent, positive reviews or testimonials from repeat clients — you can search for real reviews online.

Having a producer or project manager on the team who keeps everything running smoothly is a big plus, as these folks are specifically trained to handle bumps in the road.

Managing Budgets, Timelines, and Scope with Confidence

A good video marketing partner works within your budget and timeline and sets reasonable project expectations early. You don’t want a company that pushes your budget or timeframe to expand the scope.

Look for a team that is willing to be honest about what your budget and timeframe allow. It also helps if they can scale production up or down and have experience with managing tight turnarounds without sacrificing the quality of the final product.

Your production company should provide you with a clear understanding of potential production bottlenecks. They also need to provide you with a realistic production schedule as well as a clear breakdown of line items, including creative fees, production equipment rental, editing and revisions, etc.

Defining Your Objectives Before You Hire

Defining your marketing campaign objectives before hiring a video production company is the foundation for successful collaboration, effective storytelling, and measurable results. Without clear direction, even the most talented production team will struggle to meet your expectations.

Aligning Video with Marketing Goals

A video without a clear strategic purpose is nothing but noise. Your goals determine the style, tone, format, and distribution of the video. When creating a strategy, you need to define three key factors: 

• Primary objective: What is the video for? Are you trying to build brand awareness, convert sales, explain a product, or something else?
• Target audience: Who is your video for? It could be potential customers, employees, or executives. What are their goals? What are they looking for in your video?
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) and other success metrics: How will you measure your return on investment? Through views, clicks, conversion, or something else? This will depend a lot on your primary objective and target audience.

These factors will help you determine the right format and what creative elements to include. It gives the video direction beyond simple aesthetics and ties it to your larger marketing campaign.

Clarifying Budget Expectations and Creative Ambitions

Your budget and the plausible scope of your ambitions are directly linked. Unrealistic expectations can lead to friction in the production team, production delays, and disappointing results. To prevent this from happening, you need to define:

• Your working budget or range, even if it's still flexible
• Non-negotiable items — what do you have to have in the video, such as actors, graphics, or a specific filming location
• Where are you willing to cut back to stay on budget?

Determining your budgets and wants beforehand lets you filter out vendors early and helps companies understand your project's restrictions. If you’re not sure what your budget should be, try asking for estimates based on your project goals.

Setting a Timeline That Supports Quality

Unrealistic deadlines lead to rushed decisions, limited creativity, and increased costs. Before choosing a vendor, you’ll need to consider:

• Hard deadlines: Does the project need to be completed by a specific date, like a product launch?
• Ideal production window: When would you prefer to start and finish?
• Internal approvals: Does anyone higher up need to review and approve the work? If so, how long does this take?

When you establish a timeline in advance, you can look specifically for vendors that can meet your desired schedule. It also allows the pre-production team to properly schedule tasks like location scouting or script writing, as well as allocate time to post-production touch-ups and feedback during the editing process.

Building a Clear, Effective RFP

A request for proposal (RFP) is going to be your most powerful tool for finding the right Chicago video production company, especially if you’re investing heavily in your marketing campaign.

An RFP is a document that outlines your project’s requirements and invites potential vendors to submit proposals outlining their project ideas and an estimate of costs. It clarifies your expectations for both creative and logistical deliverables and prevents miscommunication. It also allows you to compare different vendors side-by-side.

There are multiple components you’ll need to include in your RFP. Some of the most important include:

• Project overview: This is a summary of the project that explains the type of video services you’re looking for and why you’re making the video.
• Goals and objectives: This part of the RFP explains what you’re trying to achieve with this video and the metrics you plan to use to assess your success.
• Target audience: Here, you’ll break down who your video is for, specifically, as well as demographics, behaviors, and pain points for this audience.
• Distribution channels: Where will you be distributing this video? Social media, email, and websites all have different requirements for things like length and format, so distribution is important for vendors to know.
• Creative direction: In this section, you’ll talk about the tone and vibes of your project. This is also a good place to link to information about your brand voice or your style guide.
• Scope of work and deliverables: Here, you’ll break down the specifics of how many videos you’re looking for, how long they need to be, any requirements for formatting, and what services you need.
• Timeline: This section informs vendors of when you want to start and finish, what your hard deadlines are, and how much flexibility you have in the schedule.
• Budget: By knowing what you’re able to spend on the project, vendors can design a proposal that fits your constraints.
• Submission requirements: This tells vendors when proposals are due, what their proposal should include, and who to contact for questions.
• Additional info: This isn’t required, but can be helpful. Here, you would include information about your company, who your competitors are, and what has and hasn’t worked for you in past video campaigns.

Your RFP should be concise but thorough. Leave some room for creativity so the production companies can showcase their ideas.

Partnering for Long-Term Video Success

Partnering with a Chicago company that offers video production and video marketing services is a strategic move that sets you up for future successes. The best relationships are collaborative, efficient, and creatively aligned. They should evolve alongside your brand and deliver consistent value.

What to Expect from Discovery and Consultation

Discovery and consultation are where your partnership first begins. This phase ensures that you’re aligned on goals, values, and the production process.

Expect a strategic discussion that goes over your business goals, target audience, and brand voice. You’ll also need to find out if the company is compatible with your budget and timeline, the scope of services they offer, and what sort of experience they have in your industry or with the type of content you want to create.

Think of this step like a creative interview. They’ll need information about your project, and you’ll need information about how they can best meet your video production needs.

Key Factors When Comparing Production Companies

Knowing whether a company can handle your timeline, budget, and overall needs is key to finding a vendor. However, if you’re looking for a partnership, you’ll also want to consider:

• Creative vision: Do their videos include both style and substance?
• Strategic thinking: Do they understand your marketing funnel, audience, and objectives?
• Technical capabilities: How strong is their camera work, editing, color grading, sound design, etc.?
• Project management: Are they clear and proactive communicators who can stick to your timeline and budget?
• Scalability: Can they handle one-off videos as well as full ad campaigns?
• Creative fit: Do they feel like a part of your company, or do they feel like outsiders?

Sometimes, you won’t know the answers to these questions until you’ve worked with a company. If you feel that the relationship isn’t working, it’s okay to move on to another vendor.

Building a Creative Relationship That Evolves With Your Brand

Long-term success isn’t just about the execution of your video project; it’s about a creative partnership and brand stewardship.

To foster a long-term partnership, focus on consistent collaboration. Set regular strategy check-ins, share information about upcoming campaigns early, and ask for creative insight. Establish post-project reviews so you can evaluate their creative impact and the efficiency of production. Once a partnership is established, you can also review past videos together to see what’s working and what needs a refresh.

A trusted partner, like Charter & Co, can often find blind spots that you might miss. Our award-winning videos have led us to partner with many businesses and help them launch successful video marketing campaigns. Contact us today to see how our Chicago-area video expertise can help you reach your marketing goals.