A Practical Pre-Production Checklist for Chicago Business Video Projects

A successful business video usually begins well before anyone turns on a camera.

Companies sometimes focus first on cameras, locations, graphics, or how long the finished video should be. Those things matter, but the most useful decisions usually come earlier: What are you trying to accomplish? Who needs to see the video? What should they understand or do after watching it? And what footage will you need in order to tell that story?

Whether you are planning an executive interview, marketing piece, training program, conference video, nonprofit story, healthcare project, or corporate event, organizing those questions in advance can make production more efficient and reduce unnecessary revisions later.

If you are considering professional video production in Chicago, the following checklist will help you prepare before the shoot is scheduled.

Start With What the Video Needs to Accomplish

The first question should not be, “What should the video look like?”

It should be, “What do we need this video to accomplish?”

A marketing department may want prospects to understand a complicated service. Human resources may need to train employees. An association may want to extend the value of a conference. A healthcare organization may need to educate patients or document a procedure. A nonprofit might want donors to understand the impact of its work.

Try to identify one primary objective.

For example:

  • Explain a product or service.
  • Generate inquiries or sales.
  • Train employees.
  • Introduce company leadership.
  • Capture customer testimonials.
  • Document an event or presentation.
  • Recruit employees.
  • Educate patients or customers.
  • Provide sales representatives with supporting content.
  • Create material for social media.

You can certainly accomplish more than one thing with the footage, but identifying the main purpose helps determine everything that follows.

Define the Audience Before Writing the Message

A video aimed at existing employees should probably sound different from one intended for potential customers.

Likewise, a physician speaking to other physicians may use terminology that would be inappropriate in a patient education video.

Before scripting or creating interview questions, define the primary audience.

Ask:

  • What does the viewer already know?
  • What does the viewer need to know?
  • What matters most to this audience?
  • What questions or objections might they have?
  • What action should they take after watching?

The clearer you are about the audience, the easier it becomes to decide what belongs in the video—and what does not.

Decide What You Actually Need Delivered

A surprisingly common mistake is planning one finished video when the same shoot could produce several useful pieces of content.

Before production, decide where the footage will ultimately be used.

You may want:

  • A two- or three-minute main website video.
  • Several short social media clips.
  • A 15- or 30-second advertisement.
  • Individual customer testimonials.
  • An internal employee version.
  • A sales presentation version.
  • A recruiting edit.
  • A complete presentation or keynote.
  • Vertical versions for social platforms.
  • A longer archival edit.

Thinking about deliverables before filming can change the way the crew approaches the shoot.

For example, if you know you will want six short social clips, the interviews can be structured to generate concise standalone answers instead of discovering during editing that every answer depends upon the question that came before it.

Marketing projects in particular can benefit from thinking beyond a single finished piece. Video One’s promotional and marketing video services page shows several ways one production can support websites, campaigns, social media, advertising, and sales efforts.

Establish Your Approval Process Early

Many production delays have nothing to do with production.

They happen because nobody knows who has final approval.

Before work begins, determine who needs to approve:

  • The concept.
  • Script or talking points.
  • Interview questions.
  • People appearing on camera.
  • Locations.
  • Brand language.
  • Claims about products or services.
  • Rough edits.
  • Final edits.

If six people will eventually review the video, it is usually better to know that before filming than after the first edit has been completed.

For larger organizations, designate one person to gather feedback. Receiving one consolidated set of revisions is generally much more efficient than receiving separate and occasionally contradictory comments from several departments.

Choose the Location With Production in Mind

A beautiful conference room is not automatically a good filming location.

Look and listen carefully.

Is there construction outside? Does the HVAC system make a constant humming sound? Are employees walking through the background? Is sunlight pouring through a window and changing throughout the day? Will the production interfere with normal business?

Before choosing the location, consider:

  • Background noise.
  • Room size.
  • Available electrical power.
  • Window light.
  • Foot traffic.
  • Elevators and building access.
  • Loading areas.
  • Parking.
  • Security procedures.
  • Freight elevators.
  • Insurance requirements.
  • Confidential information visible in the room.
  • Whether furniture can be moved.
  • How long the room is available.

Chicago adds another layer of logistics. Downtown office towers, hotels, hospitals, universities, industrial facilities, conference centers, and suburban corporate campuses can each have different loading, security, parking, and access procedures.

If filming will affect public streets or public areas, check requirements ahead of time. The Illinois Film Office notes that filming permits are issued by the municipality and directs productions within Chicago to the Chicago Film Office.

A few phone calls beforehand can prevent a crew from spending the first hour of production looking for a loading dock or waiting for building security.

Do Not Treat Audio as an Afterthought

Viewers may forgive an imperfect background.

They are much less forgiving when they cannot understand what someone is saying.

Before filming interviews, presentations, meetings, or events, identify anything that could interfere with clean audio.

That can include:

  • HVAC systems.
  • Nearby elevators.
  • Restaurants or kitchens.
  • Traffic.
  • Machinery.
  • Music playing in the facility.
  • Open office conversations.
  • Hotel ballrooms separated by movable walls.
  • Trade show floor noise.

For live presentations or conferences, determine whether the production crew can receive an audio feed from the venue’s sound system and whether independent microphones should also be used as backup.

Audio planning is especially important for presentations and keynote recordings, where the speaker’s message is often more important than any individual shot.

Prepare People Who Will Appear on Camera

Most executives, employees, doctors, customers, and nonprofit volunteers are not professional television presenters.

They do not have to be.

A little preparation can make people considerably more comfortable.

Before the shoot, tell participants:

  • Why they are being interviewed.
  • Who will watch the finished video.
  • Approximately how long the interview will take.
  • Whether they should look at the interviewer or directly into the camera.
  • What topics will be covered.
  • What clothing works best.
  • Whether multiple takes are expected.

Avoid asking people to memorize paragraphs unless the project specifically calls for scripted delivery.

For testimonial and executive interviews, conversational answers generally sound more natural. Video One’s interview and testimonial production page discusses subject preparation, on-camera direction, lighting, audio, and capturing supporting footage during the same shoot.

Plan the B-Roll Before Production Day

“B-roll” is the supporting footage shown while someone is speaking.

If an executive says, “Our laboratory team works closely with physicians,” showing the executive continuously for the entire sentence is less interesting than showing the laboratory team doing exactly that.

Useful b-roll may include:

  • Employees working.
  • Customers interacting with staff.
  • Products being manufactured.
  • Equipment in operation.
  • Exterior building shots.
  • Office activity.
  • Meetings.
  • Demonstrations.
  • Conference attendees networking.
  • Physicians or researchers working where appropriate.
  • Volunteers interacting with the people they serve.
  • Close-ups of products and details.

Make a preliminary list before the crew arrives.

One of the easiest ways to improve a video without making the production extravagant is simply to capture enough relevant supporting footage.

Build a Realistic Production Schedule

It is tempting to schedule interviews every 20 minutes because each interview itself may take only 15 minutes.

Production usually requires more breathing room.

People arrive late. Rooms need to be adjusted. Microphones need to be placed. Lighting may change. Someone gets interrupted by a phone call. A delivery truck suddenly begins backing up outside.

Allow time for:

  • Equipment setup.
  • Sound checks.
  • Lighting adjustments.
  • Participant preparation.
  • Breaks.
  • Moving between locations.
  • B-roll.
  • Room changes.
  • Unexpected delays.

If several executives are involved, schedule the hardest-to-replace people first whenever possible.

The schedule should make production efficient without turning the day into a race.

Gather Brand Materials Before Editing Begins

Editors often lose time waiting for assets that could have been collected before the shoot.

Create a folder containing:

  • Current logo files.
  • Brand guidelines.
  • Approved fonts.
  • Approved colors.
  • Product images.
  • Existing photography.
  • Presentation slides.
  • Legal disclaimers.
  • Correct names and job titles.
  • Website addresses.
  • Call-to-action wording.
  • Music requirements, if applicable.

Also confirm the spelling of every person’s name and title.

That sounds obvious until an executive’s title changes two days before the final edit.

Think About Permissions, Privacy, and Confidentiality

Different organizations face different concerns.

A manufacturing company may not want proprietary equipment shown. A law firm may have confidential information visible on monitors. A healthcare facility may have patient information that cannot appear in the background. A corporate office may require employee releases.

Healthcare and life-sciences projects can require particularly careful planning around locations, subjects, proprietary information, and sensitive material. Organizations working in that area may want to review Video One’s healthcare and life sciences video production information before production.

Do not wait until editing to discover that important footage cannot be used.

Chicago Events and Trade Shows Require Extra Logistics

Convention and event filming deserves special attention.

If your production will take place at McCormick Place or another large Chicago venue, find out in advance:

  • When crews can enter.
  • Where equipment can be unloaded.
  • Whether credentials are required.
  • Whether the show organizer has its own filming policy.
  • What electrical or staging restrictions apply.
  • Whether other exhibitors can be filmed.
  • How crowded the aisles will become.
  • When interviews can be conducted without excessive noise.

McCormick Place publishes exhibitor service information covering venue procedures and labor responsibilities, and individual trade shows may impose additional photography and recording rules.

If your project involves a conference, fundraiser, convention, or corporate gathering, Video One’s guide to developing an event video production plan offers a more detailed event-specific checklist.

Plan the Editing Before You Finish Planning the Shoot

Production and editing should not be treated as completely separate activities.

The way a video will eventually be edited determines what needs to be filmed.

Before the shoot, discuss:

  • Approximate finished length.
  • Graphics.
  • Titles.
  • Music.
  • Captions.
  • Logos.
  • Voice-over.
  • Animation.
  • Multiple versions.
  • Vertical and horizontal formats.
  • Translation.
  • Social media clips.
  • Review and revision procedures.

If you know you will need a 30-second version, a two-minute website version, and six social clips, the production can be designed with those requirements in mind.

That is much easier than trying to manufacture all of them from footage that was captured for one purpose only.

Different Organizations Should Ask Different Questions

Not every production requires the same checklist.

Marketing teams should think carefully about audience, platform, call to action, campaign timing, and alternate edits.

Event planners should concentrate on schedules, venue logistics, audio feeds, speaker access, credentials, and important moments that cannot be recreated.

Corporate communications teams should clarify approval chains, executive availability, messaging, brand standards, and distribution.

Healthcare organizations should address privacy, permissions, sensitive information, clinical environments, and internal approvals.

Nonprofits should determine whose stories will be featured, whether releases are required, and how the finished footage can support fundraising, awareness, volunteer recruitment, and future events.

Business owners should start with the simplest question of all: What business problem is this video supposed to help solve?

Experience and Reputation Matter

Good production involves more than owning professional cameras.

A crew has to communicate well, arrive prepared, adapt when conditions change, keep people comfortable on camera, capture clean audio, and recognize problems before they become expensive problems.

That is one reason it is worth reviewing relevant samples, confirming what is included in the proposal, and looking at client feedback before choosing a production partner.

Video One Productions has been producing business video since 1987 and works with corporations, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, associations, government agencies, and other organizations.

You can also read our Google reviews to see what clients say about communication, professionalism, responsiveness, and the experience of working with the company.

A Simple Pre-Production Checklist

Before production day, try to answer these questions:

  • What is the primary goal of the video?
  • Who is the audience?
  • What should viewers know, feel, or do afterward?
  • Where will the video be used?
  • What finished versions will we need?
  • Who approves the message?
  • Who has final approval of the edit?
  • Who will appear on camera?
  • Have participants been prepared?
  • Is the location suitable for filming?
  • Is the location quiet enough?
  • Are building access and parking arranged?
  • Are permits or venue permissions required?
  • What b-roll should be captured?
  • What graphics or brand assets are needed?
  • Are releases required?
  • Is confidential information protected?
  • Do we need captions or translations?
  • What is the deadline?
  • Who will consolidate feedback on the edits?

You do not necessarily need every answer before your first conversation with a production company.

In fact, part of a producer’s job is helping you work through them.

But the more of these issues you address before production day, the easier it becomes to spend production time capturing useful footage instead of solving preventable problems.

Final Thoughts

A polished video does not require making the production unnecessarily complicated.

It requires knowing what you are trying to accomplish and making sensible decisions before the cameras arrive.

Define the audience. Decide what content you need. Prepare your people. Think about the location. Plan the footage. Establish who approves the work. And consider how the finished material will actually be used.

Those steps can make the shoot smoother, the editing more efficient, and the final video considerably more useful.

If you are planning an upcoming project, learn more about Video One’s Chicago video production services or contact Video One Productions to discuss your goals, audience, location, schedule, and the simplest production approach that will accomplish what you need.