Corporate Video Production in Chicago
Corporate films and client testimonials filmed throughout Chicagoland by trusted local crews. A member of our team is on set, and the creative work, the production plan and the edit come from São Paulo. One contract, in US dollars.
Filming across Chicagoland
Chicago crews you can rely on, with someone from our team at every shoot.
City permits, insurance certificates and building access settled before the shoot day.
What we produce for Chicago companies
Companies looking for corporate video production in Chicago usually start with one of two formats. A corporate film shows how an organization works: a headquarters in the Loop, a plant or a distribution hub in the suburbs, a hospital, a leadership message, an anniversary. A client testimonial puts a customer on camera to explain, plainly, the problem they had and the result they got. A partner crew from Chicago films both at your site, a member of our team is on set, and our team in São Paulo writes, directs and edits. See how we approach corporate film production and client testimonial videos.
Some projects need no crew in Illinois. Animation, videos made with AI-generated imagery, stock footage edits and new cuts of footage you already own are produced entirely in São Paulo and delivered in the same formats and languages.
Ask one question first: does the message depend on a real person, a real place or a real customer? Then it needs a Chicago shoot. If it explains a process, a safety rule or a product, animation can carry it without stopping a production line. Many projects combine both: a short interview filmed on site and animated sections produced in São Paulo.
Corporate films
Client testimonials
Leadership and interview films
Animated videos
AI-assisted videos
Videos from your existing footage
Corporate films
Client testimonials
Leadership and interview films
Animated videos
AI-assisted videos
Videos from your existing footage
How a Chicago shoot is organized
The six stages of a Chicago project, and who is responsible for each.
01.
Creative direction
In São Paulo, our creative team turns the brief into a concept, a script or interview guide and a shot list, and you approve each step before we book the shoot.
02.
Planning and city permits
Our production managers book the crew, confirm access and safety rules with each site and apply for a City of Chicago film permit when the shoot uses streets, sidewalks or other public property. One person on our side stays your contact.
03.
Filming in Chicago
A crew from our trusted production partners in the Chicago area films at your location. The crew is local, so there are no flights to book and no travel days to pay for.
04.
Our team on set
A member of our team attends every Chicago shoot, keeps the day aligned with the approved plan, coaches the people on camera and confirms that every scene is covered before wrap.
05.
Editing and post-production
Editing, color, sound, motion graphics, captions and versions are handled by our post-production team in São Paulo. Chicago is two or three hours behind São Paulo, depending on the season, so reviews fit inside the same working day.
06.
Contract and billing
You contract Olive Tree Films, LLC, our US company in Miami, and pay in US dollars. We engage and coordinate the Chicago crew, so procurement deals with one vendor.
Included in every Chicago project
English, Spanish and Portuguese from brief to delivery, voice-over in more than 50 languages, two revision rounds in each package and a team that has worked for more than 400 clients.
Permits, buildings and Chicago winters
Inside a building, permission comes from the owner or the property manager, not the city. A headquarters in the Loop, a plant, a warehouse or a hospital will often ask for a certificate of insurance, loading dock times, escorts or safety training for the crew. Ask early and share the rules with us, so they shape the plan. Olive Tree Films, LLC carries general liability insurance in the United States and issues certificates of insurance.
The City of Chicago issues film permits for streets, sidewalks, alleys and other public property, according to the city’s permit guidelines, published by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Low-impact shoots that do not interfere with traffic, such as B-roll, typically need no permit. Permits cost $250 per day per location and need at least four full business days of review, five when traffic control or drones are involved, and ten for street closures, stunts or special effects. The certificate of insurance must name the City of Chicago as additional insured, with at least $1,000,000 in general liability per occurrence, and neighbors must receive a filming notice at least 48 hours ahead.
Some places issue their own permits: the Chicago Park District, Navy Pier, Millennium Park and the Chicago Transit Authority. Suburban locations such as Evanston, Oak Brook or Schaumburg follow their own municipality’s rules.
Winters are long and cold, with snow and strong wind off Lake Michigan, and summer can bring heat and storms. Exterior scenes get an indoor alternative and a buffer in the schedule; interviews filmed indoors are not affected.
We film across Chicago and its suburbs. List every location in your request: drive time between them sets how many fit in one shooting day.
For AkzoNobel’s international Colorvation campaign, we produced two customer testimonials, each filmed inside the customer’s own business, in cities more than a thousand kilometers apart. Filmed in Rio de Janeiro and Pelotas, Brazil. Chicago companies with customers spread across the Midwest can work the same way: several sites, one plan and a consistent result. Read the AkzoNobel case.
The trailer is public. The full film is available on request.
Relevant work
Comparable projects, and where they were filmed
These projects were made in Brazil by the team that plans, directs and edits our Chicago work. JLL, headquartered in Chicago, is on our client list.
Industrial, in one day
Rossetti
An industrial brand film for Rossetti, a maker of tipper bodies and semitrailers, written by our team and filmed in one day at the plant with aerial and ground cameras, plus a customer case for Comlink at the same site. Filmed in Guarulhos, Brazil. Read the Rossetti case.
Training in three languages
UN Global Compact
An eight-part animated anti-corruption series for the UN Global Compact Network Brazil, delivered in Portuguese, Spanish and English, with the English version shown in Paris at a side event of the OECD Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum. Produced in São Paulo, with no filming. Read the case.
Explainers with an agency
Way-262
Five short animated explainers showing drivers how barrier-free tolling works and how to pay, made with Gaudí Creative Thinking, the agency behind the campaign. Produced in São Paulo, with no filming. Read the Way-262 case.
Verified reviews
Verified on Clutch.
300%
more new-user visits to its website, Tuvis wrote in a verified review of our work on Clutch.
6M
campaign impressions and 27,000 clicks, both reported in that review.
Source: verified reviews on Clutch. The figures cover the full Tuvis campaign, not the video alone.
About the corporate b-roll we filmed for OpenText, the Canadian information management company, videographer Greg Johns wrote: “Everyone I interact with is incredibly friendly.” About a project that ran from planning and casting through post-production, Tuvis Product Marketing Coordinator Vittoria Tatavitto wrote: “The whole journey with them was exceptional.”
Languages
English, Spanish and Portuguese
In Chicago, 35.4% of residents aged five and older speak a language other than English at home, according to US Census Bureau QuickFacts. Our team works in English, Spanish and Portuguese, from briefing to final review.
Briefing and reviews
Approvals in three languages
We prepare scripts, interview guides and review notes in English, Spanish or Portuguese, so every stakeholder approves in their working language.
On set
Comfortable interviews
Interviewees can answer in English, Spanish or Portuguese, and our team member on set follows the answers in all three.
Post-production
Captions and 50+ voices
Captions are included in every package, and voice-over is available in more than 50 languages for teams outside the US.
One Chicago shoot, versions for each market
Illinois is home to 29 Fortune 500 companies, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and Chicago hosts the headquarters of names such as United Airlines, McDonald’s, Mondelez and JLL. Films made for those headquarters usually reach teams in other countries, so decide the versions before the shoot: subtitles or voice-over per interview, on-screen text per market, vertical cuts where needed. Planned in advance, a version is an edit; planned late, it can mean another shoot day.
From our base in São Paulo, we can add Portuguese for Brazil and Spanish for Latin America within the same project. See how we work on multi-market video production.
Every package includes
These six items come with each corporate video package. Anything beyond them is spelled out in the proposal before production.
01.
Long and short versions
Two long versions and two short ones, edited from the same footage for meetings, events and social posts.
02.
Horizontal and vertical
Horizontal and vertical files, ready for presentations and mobile screens.
03.
Captions
Captions on every version, for accessibility and for feeds watched without sound.
04.
Two revision rounds
Two rounds of revisions after the first cut, ideally with one person consolidating feedback.
05.
Usage rights
Usage with no expiry when no actors appear, and a one-year term when the film features actors.
06.
Music
Royalty-free licensed music is included; original music is quoted on request.
Corporate video packages from $5,000
Chicago projects are quoted in US dollars, and corporate videos start at $5,000. Scope, schedule and price come in the proposal, before a shoot date is reserved.
What shapes the price and the timeline
A Chicago quote depends on shooting days, locations and the drive between them, crew size, any city permit and the city services it calls for, actors, interviews, languages, versions, animation and music. Site rules matter too: safety inductions, protective equipment or limited hours at a plant or hospital can change the crew call and the cost.
Plan on 20 to 30 calendar days from briefing to first cut when the project includes a Chicago shoot or actors, and 15 to 20 when it relies on existing footage, stock or animation. A shoot needs at least 15 calendar days of notice. The two revision rounds then depend on how fast feedback comes back.
What tends to move Chicago schedules: executive calendars, winter weather for exterior scenes, access to operational sites and the number of approvers. With a fixed date, such as a sales meeting or a launch, we start there and plan backward.
For the first call, it helps to have the goal and audience, possible people on camera, the locations and their rules, the approvers and your brand guidelines. None of it is required to send a request.
Brands that have worked with us
After you inquire
From request to shoot day
Five steps from your first message to the shoot, with the same team throughout.
One team.
One contract.
Filmed in Chicago.
Edited in São Paulo.
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Reply
We review your request and usually reply within 24 hours on business days.
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20-minute call
A Google Meet call to answer your questions and understand the goal, the audience and the locations.
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Proposal
Scope, schedule, deliverables and price in US dollars, based on what we learned in the call.
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Pre-production
Script or interview guide, shoot plan and the local crew confirmed for your date, with at least 15 calendar days of notice.
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Shoot and edit
Filming at your location, then editing in São Paulo, first cut, two revision rounds and delivery.
Related pages and cases
What we film in Chicago, and the cases this page draws on.
Practical questions about filming in Chicago
The questions Chicago teams ask most often before a shoot.
Do you have a crew in Chicago?
Yes. We film with trusted local partner crews, and a member of our team is on set at every shoot. Creative direction, production management and post-production are done by our team in São Paulo, and you contract Olive Tree Films, LLC, our US company in Miami. Reach us at +1 (786) 936-6428 or hello@olivetreefilms.com.
Does filming inside our building need a city permit?
Generally not. City permits cover streets, sidewalks, alleys and other public property. Inside your building, the owner or property manager gives permission and may ask for a certificate of insurance and site rules for the crew.
How long does a City of Chicago film permit take, and what does it cost?
At least four full business days, five when the shoot needs traffic control or drones, and ten for street closures, stunts or special effects. The permit costs $250 per day per location, and the certificate of insurance must name the City of Chicago, with at least $1,000,000 in general liability per occurrence.
Which Chicago locations need a separate permit?
The Chicago Park District, Navy Pier, Millennium Park and the Chicago Transit Authority issue their own permits, and the Chicago Riverwalk needs at least 10 days. Suburban locations follow their own municipality’s rules. Send every address and we confirm what each one requires.
Can interviews be in Spanish or Portuguese?
Yes. People on camera can speak English, Spanish or Portuguese, captions come with every package, and voice-over is available in more than 50 languages.
How far ahead should we book a Chicago shoot?
At least 15 calendar days before the shoot date. Allow more for street closures or special effects, which need ten business days of permit review, for winter exterior scenes, or when several executives must appear.
Request a proposal
Filmed in Chicago. One team from script to final cut.
Request a proposal
Tell us about your Chicago project.
Six fields get the conversation going: who you are, what you need, where and when. Budget range and project details are optional.
What happens next. We usually answer within 24 hours on business days and book a 20-minute Google Meet call. Afterward, you receive a proposal in US dollars with scope, schedule and deliverables.
Would you rather talk first? Call or WhatsApp us at +1 (786) 936-6428, or email hello@olivetreefilms.com.