Construction project video: showing what does not exist yet

A video for a project under construction shows a place that does not exist yet, based on architectural renders and real construction footage. With AI, those renders become scenes with light, people and movement. That is how the OH! Buenos Aires piece was built before its opening, when nothing was finished to film.

What a video for a project under construction is and who it is for

A development under construction needs to communicate long before it opens. It has to convince brands and public bodies that cannot visit the place yet. All those people have to picture the place up and running, and all that is available is a plan, a render and a half-finished building site.

OH! Buenos Aires is the development on the site of the former Buenos Aires Design, in Recoleta. When its corporate piece was produced, the shopping center was under construction, with no finished stores and nothing to film. The piece was aimed at the brands and public bodies that had to commit before seeing it.

The idea was to show the kind of life the place offers, more than its stores: somewhere to meet, eat and wander, as well as shop. It is a typical case of corporate video with AI, with one extra condition: the protagonist does not exist yet.

How a render becomes an image that feels real

An architectural render shows volumes, materials and light. It is precise, but it is empty and still. For someone to picture the place up and running, it needs finished spaces, people, movement and the light of different times of day.

At OH! Buenos Aires the starting point was renders, plans and real construction footage, and AI video production was used to resolve everything a render does not provide: finished spaces, light, movement, atmosphere and people. There was not a single shot filmed on site.

For the result not to look like a scale model, the art direction has to be as demanding as on a shoot. People have to behave like people, the light has to be consistent between shots and the architecture has to be the project's, not an improved version. If the render and the video do not match, the piece loses credibility with anyone who knows the project.

There was also a rule from the outset: no identifiable brand on screen without written authorization. That restriction shaped the art direction from the start. When it makes sense to add real footage to a piece like this is covered in the article on shoot, AI or both.

What real construction footage contributes

Construction footage serves another purpose: it proves the project is moving forward. A piece made only with generated images can look like a promise. Adding real footage of the place, the works and the surroundings anchors that promise in something that is already happening.

It also works as a reference for production. Photos and videos of the works show the scale, orientation, surroundings and real light of the place, and that makes the generated scenes resemble the site where the project will be.

How to tell a renovation without closing the place: the history of the Abasto

Not every project under construction is a new building. Sometimes the place stays open while it is renovated, and the works change its image for a while.

The renovation of Abasto Shopping's facade was going to add scaffolding and change the building's image. To accompany that stage, the shopping center went out with a piece about the history of the Abasto, which uses the works as a reason to tell the building's past, from the old market to today's shopping center.

Here AI did not show what is coming but what already happened: the historical reconstruction connected earlier eras of the building in a single story. With that, the scaffolding stopped being read only as a physical intervention and became part of a story of care. For pieces presented to the industry, the article on video for conferences adds another perspective, and the general step-by-step of a production is in from brief to final video. Pieces of this kind are part of the corporate and B2B videos service.

Frequently asked questions

Can a video be made with architectural renders?

Yes. Renders are the starting point, and AI video production adds what they lack: finished spaces, light, movement, atmosphere and people. The corporate piece for OH! Buenos Aires was made this way, from renders, plans and real construction footage, without a single shot filmed on site. The art direction makes sure the architecture is the project's own.

What material is needed to start?

Architectural renders, plans and all the real construction material that exists: photos, videos, footage of the surroundings. The renders define what the place will be like, and the construction material contributes scale, orientation and real light, as well as showing that the project is moving forward. It is also worth knowing from the start which brands can appear on screen and with what authorization.

How do you keep it from looking like a scale model?

With the same art direction standards as on a shoot. People have to move like people, the light has to be consistent between shots and the architecture has to be the project's, without improved versions. Adding real footage of the works and the surroundings also helps, because it anchors the generated scenes in a place that exists.

Can the video be updated as construction progresses?

It can, and it is worth planning it that way from the start. Since the piece is built from renders and construction footage, as the place progresses generated scenes can be replaced with real shots or new stages can be added. If the structure of the piece is designed for that, an update does not mean redoing the whole story.

The OH! Buenos Aires piece, made before the place existed, is in the OH! Buenos Aires projects.