Video vs CGI for off-plan and pre-let
When you're marketing space that isn't finished, you've got two tools: CGI to show what it'll become, and film to prove what's already real. They're not rivals — they do different jobs. Here's how to use each.
What CGI does well
CGI's superpower is showing the unbuilt. A future reception, a fitted-out floor, a public realm that's still a building site — CGI lets a buyer stand in a space that doesn't exist yet. It's flexible (change the finishes, restage the room) and it's essential for off-plan where there's simply nothing to film. For aspiration and the final look, nothing beats it.
What film does well
Film's superpower is proof. It shows what's real — the actual location, the actual progress, the actual craft going into the building. That's trust you can't render: a CGI tells someone what you intend; a film shows them you're delivering. It also carries place, atmosphere and emotion in a way a static visual can't, and it captures the one thing CGI never will — the building genuinely taking shape.
CGI tells a buyer what you intend. Film shows them you're delivering.
The off-plan and pre-let problem
Selling space that doesn't exist yet is a trust problem as much as a design one. Buyers and occupiers are being asked to commit to something they can't walk through. CGI answers "what will it look like?" — but it leaves "is this actually happening, and can I trust this team?" wide open. That second question is exactly where film earns its place.
The strongest answer: use both
The best off-plan and pre-let campaigns don't choose — they layer. Film the real context, the location and the progress to build credibility; use CGI to show the finished vision. A pre-launch campaign is the natural home for this: real progress footage over the months of the build establishes trust and momentum, with CGI carrying the final reveal. Together they say both "this is really happening" and "this is what it becomes."
For a leasing or pre-let campaign, that combination is often what tips an occupier from interested to committed — they believe in the delivery and they can picture themselves in the space.
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