Notlith · Chicago
AI video production in Chicago: a studio that slots into the agency process
Chicago has a long advertising tradition, and its agencies and brand teams know what a finished spot should feel like. Notlith fits into that workflow as a production partner. We create commercials with AI, working remotely from the real product photography, packaging and boards you already have, and we deliver the craft around it: script polish, generation, edit, grade, music and mix. A hybrid film, held to the standard of the room it will be presented in.
Remote production · From your photos
Working from your board, not around it
Many projects reach us with the idea already sold: an agency in River North has a client-approved storyboard and needs it produced without the cost and logistics of a live shoot. We respect that. Our first step is to read the board for what it promises, flag the frames AI can build convincingly, and propose alternatives for the ones it cannot, before anyone commits to a schedule.
When a brand comes to us directly, we start one step earlier. We write the single idea with you, draft a script of a few tight shots, and define the look: palette, lens character, pace, typography. That treatment goes back to your team for sign-off. A clear look agreed on paper is what keeps a generated film coherent from the first frame to the logo.
Food and packaged goods: the label is sacred
The Chicago area is home to a broad food and beverage industry, from candy and snacks to coffee, sauces and craft brewing. For those brands, the package on screen must match the package on the shelf in every detail. We rebuild it from your photography and dielines and inspect each frame for typography, color, closures and proportions, correcting any drift by hand.
For restaurants in the West Loop or Pilsen, the same rule applies to plates. We never generate a dish you do not serve or make a portion look larger than it is. Your real food photographs are the source; AI supplies the room, the light and the movement around them, whether that is steam on a January night or a patio in late June.
Seasons, events and the cutdown plan
Chicago advertising swings with its weather. Summer brings Lollapalooza to Grant Park and crowded lakefront weekends; winter brings holiday windows on the Magnificent Mile and long commutes on the L. We plan the master film and its versions around the moment: a widescreen spot for streaming and web, vertical edits for Stories and TikTok, a square cut, and short hooks for paid tests.
Spanish-language versions for Pilsen and Little Village, or Chinese for Chinatown, are realistic options here, each voiced by a native speaker and reviewed for idiom rather than translated word for word. We will not stage fake crowds at a real festival or imply sponsorship of an event your brand has no agreement with. Where generated scenes might be taken for real footage, we add a clear disclosure.
Where a Chicago shoot still wins
The city has seasoned production companies and crews, and some ideas belong with them. A spot that rests on a real performance, a recognizable athlete, a family business with three generations behind the counter, or a specific corner of Wicker Park in real snow should be filmed by people standing in that place. Generated people cannot carry that weight honestly.
Our method is strongest when the product or the concept is the hero, the schedule is tight, and the photo library is already good. Agencies sometimes use us for animatics that become finished films, or for social versions alongside a live-action master. We will tell you at the outset which role makes sense for your project.
Fictional concept created with AI
In pictures
Catalog demonstration
See the production approach
English, adaptable to your language
Plan the details
Do you work with agencies as well as brands?
Yes. We can act as a production partner under your agency's creative lead, follow your review chain, and deliver to your specifications. Communication with the end client goes through whoever you designate.
What files do you need?
High-resolution product photos, packaging dielines, logo and font files, the storyboard or reference films, and any approved claims. For food, real photos of dishes as served.
Who owns the delivered film?
Ownership and usage rights, including paid media and duration, are set out in the quote, so agency and client can confirm them before production begins.
How many review rounds are included?
We review at the treatment or board stage, at the first cut, and at the final grade and mix. The number of revision rounds is fixed in the quote.
Start with your images
Send us your storyboard or brief, product photography and brand files, and we will reply with a production approach and a first look.