You wouldn’t walk into a tailor’s shop and say, “Just make me something.” So, why do so many businesses do that with video production? 

They want a video, but don’t quite know what for, who it’s for, or what it’s supposed to do. This is bound to lead to endless revisions and a budget that sobs in a corner.

A good production company can shoot a video. A great one will ask the right questions. But it’s your job to have some answers ready. After all, clarity is polite and powerful. 

So, before you even Google “Chicago video production company near me,” you’ve got homework. Real, meaningful homework that will save you time and a possible identity crisis halfway through editing.

Let’s talk about how to define your video production goals, because once you know your “why,” the “how” becomes a lot less painful. 

Why Clear Goals Are the Backbone of a Successful Video Project

Most video projects don’t fail because of bad camera work. They fail because no one knew what the video was supposed to do.

“Make it look cool” cannot be considered a strategy. It’s a rough guess. And guessing is expensive. If you’re going to invest in video, something that takes time, people, planning, and post-production, then you need clear goals that actually guide the process.

Here’s why setting clear goals matters more than most people realize:

It protects you from creative chaos

Without defined goals, everyone brings their own interpretation to the table. For instance, you may notice that your marketing team wants storytelling, your CEO wants metrics, and your videographer just wants it to “feel cinematic.” 

That’s how you end up with a beautiful video that pleases no one. Clear goals keep decisions focused and your creative direction unified.

It tells your video production Chicago company what not to waste time on

When a video team knows what matters - say, showcasing product benefits in the first 30 seconds - they won’t waste half a day filming B-roll of someone sipping coffee in a slow-motion sunrise. 

Goals help creatives prioritize what to shoot, how to structure the narrative, and what moments actually need to land with your audience.

It gives you something to measure against

You can’t improve what you don’t define. Was your video supposed to boost demo signups? Reduce support tickets? Make your brand not feel like it was born in 2004? 

Clear goals give you a target. Post-launch, they let you assess if the content worked, and if not, why. That’s how smart brands get better every time.

Steps to Define Your Video Production Goals Before You Hire

You’ve got a budget and a vague feeling that a video will “help.” So you start calling production companies, tossing around buzzwords like “engagement” and “brand visibility.” But deep down, you’re winging it.

And look, most agencies won’t call you out. They’ll happily take your money and hand you a final cut that looks great… but doesn’t move the needle. Not because they’re bad, but because you weren’t clear.

Harvard Business Review highlights that setting a goal helps you “manage risk, gain employee buy-in, boost team performance, and execute strategy.”

The goal-setting phase is where the real leverage lives. So, before you spend a cent on talent, gear, or scripts, here’s how to get brutally clear on what you need to achieve through your video (and why).

Clarify Your Core Message

If your video had just one sentence to speak to your audience before it vanished forever, what would it say?

That’s your core message. And without it, you’re just stringing visuals together hoping one of them hits. A lot of videos drown in aesthetics because no one ever asked, “What are we actually trying to say here?” Not in 500 words. In one line.

The reason this matters is simple: attention spans are brutal. If people can’t figure out what your video is about in the first few seconds, they scroll or mentally check out, even if they keep watching with their eyes.

So, how do you clarify your core message?

Start here:

• Ask yourself: If someone only remembered one thing after watching, what would you want it to be?
• Challenge your team: Can everyone say the purpose of video out loud in the same way? If not, you’re not clear.
• Write it down: Not a paragraph. A sentence. The simpler, the stronger.

Your core message is the spine. If it’s clear, the rest becomes infinitely easier. If it’s fuzzy, no camera or dolly shot will save you.

Know Your Audience Inside Out

Your video isn’t for you. It’s not for your CEO or your marketing team either. It’s for the person on the other side of the screen who’s already drowning in content and has about three seconds of patience left.

If you don’t know who that person is or what they care about, you’re basically whispering into the void.

Understanding your audience means going way beyond demographics. “18–34, urban, tech-savvy” tells you nothing about what keeps them up at night. 

What do they want? What annoys them? What do they roll their eyes at? What do they crave but won’t admit?

Here’s how to get sharper:

• Listen before you speak. Check forums, reviews, and support tickets. What words do they use?
• Understand their state of mind. Are they researching? Panicking? Just curious? A video for a confused customer looks nothing like one for a ready-to-buy lead.

When you truly understand your audience, the tone, pace, and visuals all fall into place. 

Define the Outcome You Want

Here’s where a lot of videos go sideways: they’re made with hope. Hope that people will “get it.” Hope that it’ll “go viral.” Hope that maybe it’ll do something.

But if you don’t define the outcome you want, your video has nothing to aim for. And if it has nothing to aim for, it’s almost guaranteed to miss.

So ask yourself: What’s the point of this video, really?

• Is it to drive signups?
• Educate confused customers?
• Get investors to stop glazing over during your pitch?
• Or just make people feel something about your brand?

Make sure you’re specific, however. 

“Build awareness” is vague. “Get 1,000 qualified viewers to visit our landing page in two weeks” is a real target.

Once you define your outcome, you gain the ability to reverse-engineer your entire creative strategy. You’ll know what tone to strike, what call to action to include, and whether you need a 90-second explainer or a punchy 15-second teaser.

Choose the Right Format for the Goal

Not every story needs a sweeping, voiceover-heavy brand film with violins and slow zooms. Sometimes, what you really need is a 20-second vertical video that says, “Here’s how it works.”

The format you choose should never be based on what looks impressive in a pitch deck. It should be based on what serves the goal. 

Trying to convert leads? You might need a short, CTA-driven product demo. 

Want to build trust? A behind-the-scenes or testimonial series might hit harder. 

Launching a new product? Think teaser + explainer combo.

Different goals, different tools.

Here’s what to consider:

• Where will this live? A YouTube pre-roll isn’t the same as a LinkedIn scroll-stopper or a homepage hero video.
• What’s the attention span? The more interruptive the platform, the quicker you need to hook.
• What’s the call to action? The format should support it. You can’t expect someone to click a link at the end of a cinema-style video with no voiceover.

Choosing the right format will help you remove the friction between your message and the result you want.

Identify Your Success Metrics Early

If you wait until the video is live to decide how you’ll measure success, it’s already too late.

Most teams fall into the same trap. They focus so hard on making the video that they forget to define what “success” even looks like. Then post-launch, it’s all vibes and guesswork. 

Likes feel nice. Views look shiny. But were they the right views? From the right people? Did anyone actually do what you hoped they would?

This is why you need to define your metrics before you hit record.

Are you after clicks? Conversions? A drop in support tickets? Brand recall? Newsletter signups? Define it, and make sure your creative choices are working toward that outcome.

And yes, you can mix qualitative and quantitative metrics. Not everything has to be cold data. Sometimes success looks like a shift in perception, or a client saying, “That video finally explained it perfectly.”

Set Constraints: Budget, Timeline, Distribution

“We’ll figure it out later” is the fastest way to blow your budget and wonder why your masterpiece only got 17 views.

Constraints tell your team what’s possible, what’s off-limits, and where to focus. And the earlier you set them, the more intentional (and cost-effective) your video becomes.

Let’s break it down:

• Budget: You don’t need Netflix money to make a powerful video. But you do need to be honest. Will you afford custom animation, or are you working with stock assets? Budget defines production value, location, talent, and even the number of edits.
• Timeline: Tight turnarounds kill creativity unless everyone knows the clock’s ticking from day one. Are you launching a product in two weeks or building a slow-burn campaign over two months? Timeline shapes the entire production plan and how ambitious your concept can be.
• Distribution: Where will this video actually live? Instagram? Email? On a tradeshow screen? Knowing this changes everything, from dimensions and format to pacing and voiceover style. If you don’t plan distribution early, you end up reformatting a horizontal video into a vertical post... with subtitles added on at the last minute.

Document Everything and Share It Clearly 

You’ve clarified the message. You know your audience, the outcome, the format, the budget, and the deadline. Great. But if all of that is living inside a scattered Notion doc, someone’s inbox, and a half-remembered meeting from last Tuesday... it’s going to fall apart.

Even the best Chicago video production company can’t execute what they don’t fully understand. If your vision isn’t documented clearly, expect misalignment and painful do-overs.

Here’s what to do:

• Centralize it all. Create one living brief and make it accessible. Avoid the “check the Slack from last week” chaos.
• Be painfully specific. If you want a playful tone, define what kind of playful. If you hate stock footage, say it upfront.
• Invite conversation. Let the team ask questions early. Misunderstandings caught in pre-production cost $0 to fix.

The clearer your brief, the better your video. 

What to Share With the Production Team to Set the Project Up for Success

Your video team needs the kind of materials that cut through the vague and give them something to work with fast. 

Here’s what to actually put in front of them:

A “What This Video Is Not” Memo. Forget generic “objectives.” Tell them what this video isn’t. “This isn’t another tech explainer with robotic narration.” Constraints clarify faster than aspirations. The team gets your vision way quicker when they know what to steer away from.

A Moodboard That Offers Something Beyond the Aesthetics. Yes, you can throw in visuals, but also drop clips, tempo, energy levels, and sound references. Think: “This Apple spot - clean visuals, but we don’t want that level of polish. We prefer more raw and real.” Or “We love the playfulness of this Dropbox ad, but with more edge.” This gives the editor, director, and even the sound designer something to vibe with.

Real-Life Use Case Scenarios. Don’t just say, “It’s for Instagram.” Say: “It’s going to run as a retargeting ad for people who’ve visited our pricing page and bounced. We’re trying to win them back with a softer, ‘we get your pain’ tone.” Now, everyone on the crew understands the context they’re building toward.

Key Brand Nuances No One Knows Unless You Tell Them. Do you never use humor? Are you allergic to stock footage? Is your CEO very particular about how the logo animates? Tell them now. Creative teams don’t care if you’re picky; they just don’t want to find out in round four of revisions. Save everyone the pain. Be up front.

You Bring the Vision. INDIRAP Will Bring the Crew That Gets It

There’s a funny thing about video projects: all the parts that feel boring up front (strategy, messaging, logistics) are the ones that save you when everything’s on fire two weeks before launch. 

Defining your goals before you hire a production team is how you avoid the edits that break your soul and the budgets that drift off-course without warning. 

A clear plan makes room for creativity without the confusion or the awkward “this isn’t quite what we imagined” conversations.

And when you’re ready to hand off your goals to a team that knows how to turn vision into video without losing the plot? INDIRAP’s got you. We go above and beyond to translate business objectives into visuals that work. 

Book a free, no-obligation Discovery Call today to make something that actually hits.