A Journey Into Scotland’s Craftsmanship | Glencairn Crystal Studio

A short animation produced for Glencairn Crystal Studio on the history of their whisky glass.

An animation on the history of a beloved whisky glass

Tasting whiskey is an art in itself, requiring a keen understanding of the nuances of flavour. Every whisky tasting experience needs to begin with the choice of glassware. The Glencairn Glass is renowned worldwide for its craftsmanship and timeless design. 

This is what we discovered when the Chocolate Films Scotland team were lucky enough to be commissioned by Glencairn Crystal Studio to make a unique animation on the history of the glass and the people behind its unique design. 

A special thanks to Launch Digital, Chocolate Films Scotland, Chocolate Films London, and Glencairn Crystal Studio, who all helped bring the history of the Glencairn Glass to life.

Not just any glass

The Glencairn Glass boasts a shape that is specially designed to showcase the best qualities of whisky. Its tulip-shaped bowl narrows towards the rim, allowing the aromas to gather and concentrate. This design not only enhances the olfactory experience but also prevents the escape of delicate scents. 

The wide base of the glass provides stability, while the solid, tapered stem allows for comfortable handling and a touch of elegance. Together, these elements create an optimal vessel for appreciating the complexity and character of fine whiskies.

Glencairn Crystal Studio Video Animation Project
Raymond Davidson founder of Glencairn Crystal Studio

Developing the script and style

Working closely with our client, the creative team at Chocolate Films developed the script that captures the essence of the Glencairn family’s journey. We explored old photographs, original artwork and illustrations created by the founders. We conducted interviews with the leaders of the organisation and uncovered personal stories to grasp the spirit of the Glencairn Glass. 

Drawing inspiration from these findings, our dedicated Chocolate Films animation team embarked on the storyboarding stage, translating the initial sketches of the founder Raymond Davidson into a visual style that would evoke the passion and profound love inherent in their craft.

Telling a story through animation

Through a collaborative effort, we carefully crafted the animation style with the inspiration from an archive of sketches and artworks by the renowned artist Jim Drysdale. These captivating illustrations provided us with a window into the intricate world of Glencairn’s history. 

Each scene was carefully planned out showing key moments throughout the family’s journey. Led by one of Chocolate Films highly skilled Scottish animators these scenes were brought to life through various 2D animation techniques.

Glencairn’s illustration history

Choosing the right animation style

The mixed media/collage style, we used for The Glencairn Glass animation, can also work well for museum and art exhibitions. We previously collaborated closely with Leighton House on one of their permanent pieces. In the documentary, we used photos of Leighton, his house, and his friends to illustrate his life and work from a young child to his death.  

Chocolate Films team have created animations for various clients and sectors. There’s a lot of creative freedom with animations compared to live-action videos, and choosing the right style can be difficult.

With our expertise and experience, we can help to find the right animation style for your project. 

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Book your free consultation

The producers at Chocolate Films are available to talk through your project at a time that suits you. They’ll make sure they really understand your organisation and what you’re looking to achieve with video content. Following the discussion, they will send over a detailed proposal for the work you’re looking to commission.

What our clients say

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HUGE round of applause for the Chocolate Films team! We attended their ‘Using Video for Business’ Workshop, which they so kindly offered free of charge for local businesses in the Wandsworth area. Hosted at their lovely new Nine Elms studio space, we had a great morning of learning, chatting over tea and coffee. They are a really delightful and organised company that we hope to work with going forward, and we would love to see the team at one of our cookery classes one day! Ax
Victoria NicholsonVictoria Nicholson
11:16 01 May 24
I joined other small business owners, founders and entrepreneurs for a morning workshop on how to create content, shoot and edit footage. The studio was so welcoming and the team gave some fantastic advice whether it was your first foray into film making or had been trying for a while but stuck with certain elements. The workshop was fun, enjoyable and informative with a good balance between information and hands on practice. They made something quite complex seem very accessable. The teams enthusiasm for their craft is infectious.
Marie de ChampchesnelMarie de Champchesnel
11:11 01 May 24
I had the pleasure to be invited to a workshop at Chocolate Films which was delivered to a high standard from start to finish. The facilitators were highly knowledgeable, friendly and very approachable and took time to answer any questions we had. Thank you for a great experience!
Asma SharapovaAsma Sharapova
10:56 01 May 24
I attended a workshop with Chocolate Films and was very impressed with their professionalism, knowledge and expertise. They packed so much invaluable information into the session and they were all super friendly and approachable.
Carlos LutterbachCarlos Lutterbach
14:03 19 Apr 24
Chocolate Films did outstanding work on the Seido Karate London promo. They were able to capture the spirit of the Dojo with their visuals and presentation. The interviews were professional and conducted expertly. Overall outstanding work!
James FairbairnJames Fairbairn
14:42 11 Apr 24
I work for the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and we commissioned Chocolate films to make 3 films to support the training of mental health workers.The Chocolate films team have been highly professional, skilled and excellent to work alongside. Right from the beginning where we met to share our plans and discuss the potential project, the team have offered creative thinking, ideas and helped us to build a clear vision for the films. The script process felt easy and collaborative. The team have also provided a very clear structure and reliability around time scales.As the film making process began we worked closely around the development of scripts and casting of actors. Chocolate films have been very responsive and active in supporting us (at the Anna Freud centre) to work to the deadlines whilst showing a really high level of knowledge around the process and steps needed.The actual filming days were a pleasure to be involved with and the team has been very impressive to see in action, particularly in their ability to work together, to include me in their process whilst also attending very carefully to the details needed for the films to be high quality.I would highly recommend Chocolate films and would certainly commission them again
Alice KirklandAlice Kirkland
14:01 21 Dec 23
I had the pleasure of working with Chocolate Films for a corporate video campaign. From the offset, the team were professional, engaging, and quick to communicate. Rachel and Lucia worked with our vision and helped turn it into a reality, offering suggestions and expertise to help bring the story to life to a highly creative and timely manner.The video created a real buzz within the organisation and the feedback received has been fantastic. I would highly recommend Chocolate and look forward to working with them again in the future.
Stephen WheatleyStephen Wheatley
16:50 03 Nov 23
Make Listening Safe Campaign UK is an initiative of The World Health Organisation aimed at increasing the awareness of avoidable risks to hearing in those between 10 and 40 years of age, launched at an in person event in London on 1st November 2023.We needed the launch to be filmed and were lucky enough to be introduced to Chocolate Films who provided the crew and the equipment required.Our events team have informed me that the crew were a delight to work with and were very helpful.We were very impressed with the quality of the footage and were very surprised when we received it so quickly after the event, so we could edit it and get it out on to social media in a timely fashion.We have no hesitation in recommending Chocolate Films.Thank you for making the filming such a pain free experience.Stephen Wheatley | Chair – MLSC UK |
Stella HungerStella Hunger
18:15 01 Nov 23
I was lucky enough to work with Nikita and Chocolate Films on a photo shoot. They were extremely professional, accommodating, organized and generally lovely. We definitely plan on working with them in the future! Thank you for everything, Nikita!
Vanessa RushtonVanessa Rushton
12:59 25 Oct 23
Great provider – always happy to help and deliver what’s needed quickly and cost effectively
Laura CliffLaura Cliff
09:49 12 Oct 23
I worked with Chocolate films to produce a voice over for a film translated into Welsh. Nikki and Lucia were professional, friendly and understood the brief. They ensured all deadlines were met and the work was produced to a really high quality.
Rachael CresswellRachael Cresswell
09:03 05 Oct 23
A friendly group of professional, talented film-makers who created some brilliant videos for us. Anna and Han were a pleasure to work with and were available to discuss the project whenever we needed it. The entire process was slick and efficient from start to finish – I would definitely recommend Chocolate Films for any film project.
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