When hiring a CGI agency, check five things: work in your product category, photoreal handling of glass, liquid and fabric, a clear timeline, a fixed quote that states the revision rounds, and repeat clients. A good UK studio should answer a clear brief within one business day and deliver a typical product video in two to three weeks.
This guide is for brand managers, marketing leads and founders commissioning CGI for the first time, or replacing a studio that let them down. It covers what to check, where to find CGI agencies in the UK, how to write a brief a studio can quote against, the red flags in portfolios and quotes, and the questions to ask before you sign. It draws on what we see from the studio side at MAD CGI, where we have delivered 90+ campaigns for 60+ clients over 5+ years. If you only need the short version, start with our checklist for hiring a CGI agency.
What should you look for when hiring a CGI agency?
Look for proof, not promises: relevant work, material skill, a predictable process, transparent pricing and repeat clients. Score every studio on your shortlist against the same five checks, using the same brief, so you compare like with like.
1. Work in your product category
A studio that renders cosmetics well understands glass, cream and pigment. A jewellery specialist understands metal, stone and sparkle. Ask for full projects in your category, not a showreel of best frames. Our jewellery films for Carrera y Carrera and beauty work such as Revolution Beauty's Bouncy Blush are the kind of category proof to look for in any studio's archive. For category-specific advice, see our guides to CGI beauty advertising and CGI for jewellery and luxury watches.
2. Photoreal materials that hold up close
Materials are where weak CGI gives itself away. Glass should refract, liquids should have weight, metals should reflect their surroundings and fabric should move like cloth. Pause the videos and look at the close-ups. Ask how the studio would handle the hardest surface on your product, and if it is transparent or reflective, ask to see one they have done before. Material faults such as glass that looks like plastic or cream that looks like paint are very hard to fix late in production.
3. A clear timeline and process
A professional studio can tell you how long each stage takes before you sign. Most CGI product videos take two to three weeks from approved brief to final files, while multi-scene films and simulation-heavy work take longer. Ask to see the stages, from modelling and look development to styleframes, animation, rendering and delivery, with your review points marked. Our guide on how a CGI video is built walks through each one.
Fixed dates are a good test. Our Revolution Beauty FOOH film in London ran from concept to final delivery in two weeks, and for esports producer Maincast we delivered the full ICTC tournament animation package on time against an immovable tournament date. Ask any studio for a project where the deadline could not move, and how they met it.
4. A fixed quote with revision rounds stated
A studio that understands its own pipeline can price a clearly scoped brief as a fixed fee. The quote should separate modelling, animation, rendering and post-production, state how many revision rounds are included and list every deliverable and aspect ratio. As a benchmark, a polished 30 to 60 second CGI product video in the UK generally starts at around £5,000 to £10,000. Our guide to how much CGI advertising costs explains what moves that number up or down.
5. Clients who come back
Repeat work is the best reference a studio can show, because it proves the relationship survived real deadlines. Carrera y Carrera returned for a second jewellery campaign built on the 3D assets from the first. Sister's Aroma has commissioned several productions from us, from a FOOH film that passed 2M+ organic views with no paid spend to a 3D billboard and DOOH campaign. Ask every studio which clients have hired them more than once, then speak to one of them.
Where to find CGI agencies in the UK
The best shortlists come from work you have already noticed, review platforms and peer recommendations. Use more than one source, and judge every studio on the same brief rather than on where you found it.
- Campaigns you admire. If a product film or FOOH stopped your scroll, find out who made it. Studios post their work on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, and credits often appear in the comments or the brand's own announcement.
- Review platforms. Clutch collects client reviews of agencies, including UK 3D and animation studios. Read the reviews for how projects were run, not just the star rating.
- Portfolio networks. Behance and The Dots show individual projects and the people behind them, which helps you check who actually does the work.
- Peer recommendations. Ask marketing contacts in your category which studio they used and whether they would hire it again. The second answer matters most.
- Industry press and awards. Creative trade titles and award shortlists surface studios doing ambitious work, although not always ones that fit a product budget.
Location matters less than process. CGI production works well remotely: files move digitally and reviews happen on video calls. A UK base still helps with time zones, invoicing and in-person meetings, and for FOOH or 3D billboard work, with knowing the streets and screens. Our articles on what separates the best CGI studios and how to choose a FOOH studio go deeper on comparing specialists.
How to brief a CGI studio: a brief template
A good CGI brief answers the questions a studio would otherwise have to guess: what the product is, what you need, where it will run, by when and for roughly how much. Send the same brief to every studio on your shortlist and the quotes become directly comparable. Use this template as your checklist.
- Objective. What the video must do: launch a product, sell on product pages, build awareness or tease a drop. One sentence is enough.
- Product references. CAD files or technical drawings if they exist, plus high-resolution photos from every angle and close-ups of labels, embossing and finishes. Name each material precisely: brushed aluminium or chrome, glass or clear plastic, matte or gloss.
- Physical sample. Send one if you can. CAD is enough to build an accurate model, but a sample helps the studio match real colour and finish.
- Brand assets. Guidelines, exact colour codes, typography, logo files and any existing 3D or campaign assets.
- Look and mood. Five to ten reference images or films that show the lighting, camera style and pace you want, plus one or two you want to avoid.
- Deliverables. The number of videos, their lengths, any stills, and every aspect ratio: 9:16 for TikTok and Reels, 1:1 and 4:5 for feeds, 16:9 for web and YouTube.
- Placement and usage. Organic, paid, e-commerce, retail screens or DOOH, and the markets and period of use.
- Timeline. The date you need final files, plus any fixed launch or review dates.
- Budget range. A realistic range lets the studio propose an approach that fits, rather than a concept you cannot afford.
- Decision makers. Who gives feedback and who signs off, so review rounds do not multiply.
If you already have an idea and a script, say so. When Zolotyi Vyk came to us with a ready-made idea and script, the job was full 3D motion production matched to the client's references frame by frame, which is a different scope from developing the concept as well. Our step-by-step guide to ordering a CGI video shows what happens after the brief lands, and our complete guide to CGI product videos explains each production stage.
Red flags in portfolios and quotes
The warning signs usually show up before you sign: in the portfolio, in the quote and in how the studio communicates. Any one of them deserves a direct question, and two or three together should end the conversation.
- The same environment everywhere. An identical grey gradient or marble plinth across many client projects suggests templates rather than art direction built for each brand.
- Only hero frames. A reel of perfect stills, with no full films and nothing in your category, hides how consistent the studio is across angles and formats.
- Materials that look like plastic. Glass without refraction, flat metal and lifeless fabric show a gap in look development that rarely closes mid-project.
- Unlimited revisions. It sounds generous, but it usually means quick first drafts corrected by iteration, which stretches timelines. Two to three structured rounds is the professional norm.
- A vague quote. "It depends" with no breakdown, or a single figure with no list of deliverables, makes comparison impossible and invites extra charges later.
- A slow first reply. If a quote takes weeks, expect feedback rounds to move at the same pace.
- Silence on ownership. A quote that does not say who owns the 3D model and project files becomes a problem the moment you want to reuse them.
- Library models. A product adapted from a stock asset will never match your packaging exactly. Your product should be modelled from your own references.
The same standards apply whatever format you choose, whether you are weighing CGI against a live-action shoot or deciding between CGI and AI video.
Questions to ask before you sign
Before you sign, get written answers on people, scope, process and ownership. The answers protect your budget and show how the studio will behave under deadline pressure.
- Who exactly will work on my project, and who is my day-to-day contact?
- What do you do in-house, and what is subcontracted?
- Will you model my product from scratch using my references?
- How many revision rounds are included, and what counts as a revision rather than a change of scope?
- When will I see styleframes or an animatic, before full animation starts?
- What exactly will I receive: lengths, aspect ratios, stills, file formats and masters?
- Who owns the 3D model and project files after delivery, and can I reuse them?
- Are prices shown with or without VAT, and what are the payment stages?
- What happens if our launch date moves?
Ownership matters more than most first-time buyers expect, because a reusable model is what lets one production feed a year of content. Boots gained a CGI system that can generate new assets from existing 3D models without additional cost, and Maori Jewels can now produce new product visuals from existing 3D assets within days rather than weeks. Read more about building a CGI product asset library.
Chemistry counts too. Tom Tailor's team said we "brought tons of creative ideas and executed a visually stunning campaign" for their collection launch, which reached 1M+ views. That is the kind of reference worth hearing first-hand before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a CGI agency for my brand in the UK?
Start with campaigns you admire and find out who made them, then check review platforms such as Clutch, portfolio networks such as Behance, and peers in your category. Shortlist three studios with work in your product category, send each the same brief and compare their quotes, timelines and questions.
What should a CGI brief include?
The objective, product references such as CAD files, photos and material names, brand guidelines, mood references, a full list of deliverables and aspect ratios, where the content will run, the deadline, a budget range and who signs off. The more complete the brief, the more accurate the quote.
How many revision rounds are normal?
Two to three structured feedback rounds is the professional standard for a CGI product video. Feedback is cheapest at the styleframe and animatic stage, before full animation and rendering, so agree when each round happens before production starts.
Who owns the 3D model after the project?
It depends on the contract, so agree it in writing before work begins. Ask for the 3D model and project files to be included or licensed to you, so you can reuse the product for future videos, stills and campaigns at a fraction of the first build cost.
How long does it take to hire a CGI agency and get a video?
With a ready brief, shortlisting and quoting can take about a week, and a good studio replies within one business day. Production of a typical product video then takes two to three weeks from approved brief to final files.
Send us your brief
MAD CGI is a London-based studio making AI video and CGI for fashion, beauty and luxury brands. Our work has passed 100M+ views across 90+ campaigns for 60+ clients. Explore our CGI video production, 3D product animation, AI video production and 2D animation services, or browse our projects. When your brief is ready, send it to us and we will come back within one business day with a quote and a production timeline.
