The Ultimate Pre-Production Checklist for Chicago Shoots

A Chicago shoot takes shape in small commitments: a room reserved, a camera package held, a crew member booked. Use this pre-production checklist to connect those commitments to the script approvals, location access and permit decisions they depend on. Give each task an owner and a deadline, then revisit the plan when the scope changes.

Timeline Management

Key timeline elements include:

• Initial client meetings
• Location scouting dates
• Permit application deadlines
• Equipment rental confirmations
• Crew booking deadlines

Confirm current lead times through the Chicago Film Office permit process, including any city-service arrangements. Put application, review, notification and issued-permit checkpoints into the schedule. Allow room for revisions instead of assuming one deadline covers every shoot.

Location Scouting

Useful scouting tools include light and sound meters, a sun-position tool, a measuring tape and a camera for reference stills. Assess the location at the intended shoot time and have department heads confirm the measurements relevant to their work. Check:

• Parking availability
• Power sources
• Noise levels
• Natural light patterns
• Loading dock access
• Restroom facilities
• Cell signal and WiFi availability

Chicago Permit Requirements

The Film Office guidelines set out an online application and payment, city-services form, insurance certificate and community-notification leaflet. Confirm the requirements and charges for your footprint. For park property, check the Park District's separate process, including whether the chosen site is independently managed.

Equipment Planning

Plan camera, lighting and audio packages around the shot list and location test. Ask department heads to assess wind protection, power, rigging and equipment operating limits using conditions at the actual site. A citywide wind average is not a safe setup limit.

Crew Assembly

Assign the production, direction, camera, lighting, sound and location responsibilities the shoot needs. Identify where dedicated department heads or assistants are necessary, then confirm availability, employment terms and any applicable union agreements. Avoid combining roles that must be performed simultaneously.

Budget Allocation

Build an itemized estimate and assign a contingency to the risks you can identify:

• Location fees: include access hours, prep, restoration and any required staffing.
• Equipment rental: include tests, pickup, returns and any expendables or delivery charges.
• Crew costs: confirm workday terms, overtime, kit, travel and payroll costs.
• Permits and insurance: confirm authority charges and broker quotes for the planned activity.
• Contingency: price weather-cover choices and unresolved scope items instead of assuming a standard percentage.

Emergency Planning

Prepare emergency contacts, the site address and access instructions, the nearest appropriate medical facility, and a named person responsible for safety coordination. Review Chicago weather alerts, shelter options and stop-work decisions for exterior scenes. Keep the Film Office contact and permit documents with the production plan, but do not treat permit coordination as the emergency response procedure.

Agency decision worksheet: what is ready to commit?

Copy these fields into the working production plan so the next person opening it can see what is settled and what still needs an answer. This is an illustrative planning aid for agency producers and production partners. Adapt it to the job, agree the responsibilities and replace role labels with named people; it describes no particular company's procedure.

For each decision, record: decision needed | person gathering the answer | person authorized to approve | dependency or evidence | decision deadline and time zone | current status | commitment held until resolved. Use open, awaiting confirmation or confirmed; add the approval record when something becomes confirmed.

• Creative scope: Which script and shot list are approved for planning? Suggested owner: agency producer, with the agency’s named creative/client approver. Dependency: agreed deliverables and feedback. Hold affected staffing or equipment commitments while a material scene remains undecided.
• Location and access: Which rooms, exterior areas, prep hours and load-in route are available? Suggested owner: production lead or location manager, with the property representative confirming access. Dependency: scout findings and written terms. Record public-space and permitting questions separately; property permission does not settle them.
• Production footprint: Which crew roles, equipment and vehicles does the confirmed shot list require? Suggested owner: production lead, with relevant department heads checking feasibility. Dependency: access and technical findings. Keep unresolved needs visible in the estimate instead of treating them as included.
• Budget and commitments: Who can approve the scoped estimate and authorize bookings? Suggested owner: agency producer, with the designated budget approver. Dependency: scope, supplier terms and priced alternatives. Record hold expirations and cancellation terms before authorizing a commitment.
• Weather alternative: What changes if an exterior cannot proceed? Suggested owner: production lead, with the agency’s designated approver deciding creative changes. Dependency: an assessed alternative, access and revised scope. Record who communicates the decision; qualified personnel still determine safe working conditions.

Fictional worked example: the unresolved loading route

In this fictional production, an agency is planning an office interview and a brief exterior sequence. The interview room is confirmed. Freight-elevator access is still an unanswered email. Follow that open item through the equipment plan before the reservation becomes binding. This is a planning example, not a completed Bada production.

Decision: can the planned equipment reach the room during the proposed load-in? Answer owner: location manager. Confirming party: building representative. Dependency: elevator dimensions, access hours and equipment list checked by the relevant department heads. Deadline: before the affected equipment reservation becomes binding. Status: awaiting confirmation. Held commitment: the equipment reservation that depends on that route.

If the elevator access cannot be confirmed, ask the production lead to assess another route or a revised equipment plan. Bring any scope change back to the agency's authorized approver, then reopen the linked schedule and estimate decisions. Keep the equipment commitment tied to a route the team has actually checked.

Open the planning review with the unanswered decisions. Give each one a next action and a deadline, and identify the commitments that can proceed independently. Keep the confirmation beside the decision so someone joining the job can follow how the plan took shape.

For an agency-led production, agree which decisions stay with the agency and which sit with the production partner. Bring the current brief and unresolved decisions to the production conversation.

Use Bada's pre-production services to discuss the open planning tasks. If the scope is set but departments are still unfilled, review crew staffing with the dates and responsibilities in hand.