Chicago video production company
Click Play Films is a Chicago video production company producing corporate, commercial, and brand video to a broadcast standard. Local crews, an office in River North, and a producer on every project.
Broadcast-grade production in Chicago
National standard. Local crew. One accountable team.
Click Play Films brings a national production standard to the Chicago market. Our producers came up making feature work, national advertising campaigns, and unscripted television, and that is the rigour we bring to every corporate film, commercial, and brand video we shoot here. From concept and creative direction through full-service post, your project is handled by one producer accountable from the first call to final delivery.
Working locally matters more on the budget line than most clients expect. Because we staff Chicago crews out of our own office rather than flying a team in, travel, per diem, and freight stay off your invoice entirely. On a two-day shoot that difference is usually larger than any rate you could negotiate.
Work that has run, for brands you know
From national commercials to brand films and unscripted series, a sample of what our team produces.
Chicago video production services
Corporate Video
Brand films, executive messages, and culture pieces produced to a broadcast standard.
What the city actually requires
Producing here has a handful of specifics worth knowing before you budget, and crews who work the market regularly plan around them rather than discovering them on the day.
Permits and Locations
City filming permits run through the Chicago Film Office, and lead times vary with location and scale. We handle the application and build the wait into the schedule rather than treating it as a surprise.
Weather Is a Line Item
Exterior work between November and March needs a genuine contingency plan, not optimism. We scout covered alternatives and schedule interiors as fallbacks so a cold snap does not cost you the shoot day.
Local Crew, No Travel
Chicago crews booked out of our River North office. Travel, per diem, and freight stay off the budget, which on a multi-day shoot is usually the single largest saving available.
Loop and River North Logistics
Loading, freight elevators, building access, and security clearance in downtown towers take longer than anyone expects. We confirm access before the day rather than negotiating it at 7am.
Full Production, Not Just a Crew
Casting, locations, art, and post handled in-house. You brief one producer rather than assembling a Chicago shoot from separate vendors.
Multi-Market Campaigns
Offices in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, and Houston, with coverage in 48 markets. A campaign shooting in three cities is one team rather than three.
What video production costs in Chicago
Most production companies will not put numbers on a page. Here are ours.
Cost is driven by crew size, shoot days, locations, and how much post the project needs. These are the ranges most Chicago projects fall into. Broadcast commercial production sits higher and is quoted separately.
$3,000 to $10,000
Single video. One location, one shoot day, a compact local crew. Executive messages, customer stories, single explainers. Includes production, edit, color, sound, captions, and versioning.
$5,000 to $20,000
Brand film or multi-location project. Several locations or shoot days, larger crew, motion graphics, licensed music, and more involved post.
$10,000 and up
Campaign or series. Multiple deliverables produced together, which lowers cost per video substantially. Broadcast commercial work quoted separately.
A production partner, not just a camera crew
Most Chicago video shops have never produced anything that aired nationally. We have. That means tighter planning, better direction, and content built to perform whether it runs on broadcast, a trade-show screen, or a social feed. You get a dedicated producer, transparent budgets, and one accountable team.
Chicago video production questions
How much does video production cost in Chicago?
A single video typically runs $3,000 to $10,000. A brand film or multi-location project runs $5,000 to $20,000. Campaigns and series start around $10,000 and drop in cost per video as volume rises. Because we crew locally, Chicago projects avoid the travel and per diem that out-of-town companies add.
Where in Chicago are you based?
Our Chicago office is at 321 N. Clark Street, Suite 500, in River North, a few minutes from the Loop and central to most downtown locations. You can reach the Chicago office directly on 773-260-0217.
Do you use local Chicago crews?
Yes. Crews are booked here rather than flown in, which keeps travel, per diem, and equipment freight off the budget. It also means people who know the venues, the parking, and which downtown buildings need a week’s notice for freight elevator access.
Do we need a permit to film in Chicago?
For most public locations, yes, through the Chicago Film Office. Requirements and lead times vary with the location, the size of the crew, and whether you need parking or street control. We handle applications and factor the timeline into the schedule. Private property and most interiors need the owner’s permission rather than a city permit.
Can you shoot outdoors in winter?
Yes, with a real plan. Winter exteriors need shorter setups, warming arrangements for talent and crew, and gear rated for the conditions. We always scout a covered alternative and schedule interior work as a fallback, because losing a shoot day to weather costs more than planning for it.
How long does a project take?
Two to four weeks from kickoff to final delivery for a standard project. Two to eight weeks for larger films, series, and campaigns. Broadcast commercials run four to eight weeks. If you have a fixed date, we build the schedule backwards from it.
Can you handle multi-city campaigns?
Yes, and it is one of the clearer reasons to use us. With offices in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, and Houston, a campaign shooting in several cities is one production team with consistent direction rather than three local vendors producing three different-looking films.
What is included in the price?
Pre-production planning, scripting support, crew and equipment, direction, all quoted shoot days, editing, color grading, sound mix, licensed music, captions, and delivery in every format you need. Permits, paid talent, stage rental, and specialist equipment are quoted separately and itemized up front.
Do you work with agencies?
Both agencies and direct clients, roughly evenly. Agencies bring us in as the production partner on work they have already sold. Brands without an agency use us from creative through delivery. We are comfortable executing someone else’s boards and equally comfortable developing the concept.
Who owns the footage?
You do. You receive the finished deliverables and, on request, the camera originals. We archive projects so future work can reuse existing material rather than reshooting it.
Ready to produce in Chicago?
Tell us about your project and we will come back with an approach and a quote, fast.