So you’re looking for someone who can handle your Chicago video production.  Maybe you’re looking for someone who can shoot video in both the city and the surrounding suburbs. The Chicago area is full of iconic locations that have made their way into the collective visual consciousness through movies and television.

One of our favorite quintessential Chicago films of all time, is The Blues Brothers. Think of all the location shots they worked with. They ran cars off into a lagoon. They shot in City Hall. In diners. Even in a mall! While Jake and Elwood’s madcap shenanigans made them beloved characters of the city, we bet they created headaches in production.

We’re about 30 miles from Chicago, we’ve got a car full of video production gear, and we know better than to shoot video (or drive to locations) in the dark while wearing sunglasses. While we sometimes feel a little bummed that we don’t get to drive cars off bridges as part of our shoots, we have worked with a variety of locations both in the city and in the surrounding suburbs. Best of all, we’ve never attracted the attention of local law enforcement or the ire of Mother Superior.

Being a lean video production and video marketing company gives us some physical and budgetary advantages over a large company. We’re agile, and can get our gear into just about anywhere. Even iconic Chicago locations like the Merchandise Mart and Water Tower Place.

Filming in a doctor’s office in Water Tower Place for IT Cosmetics meant transporting gear from the parking lot to the building, cutting across the lobby and taking two different elevators up to the corner office. Because the doctor was still seeing patients, it was critical that we only bring in the gear we needed, maintain a safe environment for foot traffic,and work deftly around the on-going hubbub of the office. Oh, and all the while ensuring that the videos looked “big budget”.

At Merchandise Mart, we set up a multi-day time-lapse shoot to capture footage showing the construction of a client’s new furniture display space. Using natural light from a huge bank of windows and a guarded Go-Pro on a heavy-duty light stand, we were able to get the shot they needed. We didn’t need a grip truck or a 20 man crew. We parked, got in, crossed the lobby, up an elevator and set it up and tested the timelapse for accuracy. We literally worked in the reverse when the third shoot day was done – all in and out without needing expensive, special, city permits.

Part of what endeared The Blues Brothers to a tough city like Chicago was the use of locations off the beaten path. Seeing places that locals would recognize on screen gave the film a genuine quality. While we haven’t filmed in abandoned tunnels, we have worked in a northside factory for Accurate Perforating and Metal Fabrication. Shooting in a working factory means adapting to working factory conditions. Machines are running at full capacity. There are safety considerations for ourselves, the machine operators, and the machines they operate. While the scale of some of Accurate’s metal perforating equipment is dramatic, we pride ourselves on drama-free shoot days.

Fun fact: The “script” for the Blues Brothers film was over a hundred pages too long (and not written in script form–Oh Akroyd!). The director managed to pare it down and shape it into something that is memorable even today. But it was way over budget and was a messy production. (We would never do that to you.)

As you know, Jake and Elwood didn’t just hang out in the city. Their “mission from God” took them beyond the city limits like when Jake and Elwood drove the bluesmobile through the village of Wauconda to promote their gig. We’ve never been inside the bluesmobile, but we have had our share of interesting vehicle shots, like filming in a mobile medical diagnostic truck in Streamwood. We didn’t need to shut down traffic.

In fact, we didn’t even shut down the MRI (it’s a giant magnet) so we had to keep all of our metal gear a safe distance away! Our mission on this shoot was to direct enthusiastic employee actors while working within the restrictions of that unique, narrow space full of delicate medical equipment. And, we had to get it done in less than an hour.

We like Jake and Elwood because they get away with over-the-top behavior. But in real life, we work hard to maintain good working relationships with clients and locations. When The Blues Brothers needed a location where the bluesmobile could drive through some windows and smash up some glass, they found a perfect location in the Dixie Square Shopping mall. Movie crews dressed up the abandoned mall to make it appear open and vibrant, so Jake and Elwood could drive through it and gleefully smash it up. No problem, the mall wasn’t operational anyway, but they didn’t clean up after themselves. A lawsuit was filed, but was eventually tossed out.

But, when the city of Crystal Lake needed footage for their campaign to encourage residents and attract other communities to visit its shopping, dining and recreation, we didn’t need to build sets or create fake storefronts or get sued. We did need to shoot all of the video we were tasked with while also acting as producers. We coordinated with real, working restaurants, bars, museums, and store owners. We made the phone calls, and sent the emails, and got permission to film during business hours to show active, vibrant community spaces. We were able to spread out, with full access to the real and vibrant outdoor public spaces as well as retail and dining interiors. And we didn’t smash a thing.

From Chicago to the far northwest suburbs, we’ve shot in lots of unique spaces from offices, to factories to wide open spaces. With an experienced team, working on-location can be fun and exciting. It’s also a lot of hard work – for us, not for you.

We believe that the better prepared we are, the more likely we’ll be able to create video that’ll make you happy. That means scripts will be written and approved prior to production. We’ll give you a clear picture of what the editing process will be like and we’ll deliver on a deadline that you help set.

Our mission is to help you get the most from your next Chicago (or suburban) video production.

Some things to consider & comment on:

What’s your video mission?

What sort of challenges would there be in shooting in your business?

What would be the most exciting part?