Telling Stories That Travel | British Library Young Creators
This co-production workshop series with the British Library, empowered 18–24-year-olds to tell meaningful stories on social media inspired by the Library’s vast collections.
British Library x Chocolate Films: Exhibition AV Content
The team from London video production company, Chocolate Films partnered with the British Library on their Young Creators programme to give young adults the tools, skills and confidence to tell impactful digital stories. Working with two cohorts of 18–24-year-olds, the goal was to creatively respond to the Library’s collection, exploring themes like identity through music, and the legacy of activists, authors and thinkers who have helped shape the world.
Creative and Production Process
We co-designed and delivered a series of workshops that covered every step of the content creation process from idea to screen. Participants learned to research and develop ideas rooted in the British Library’s archive, keeping in mind both its brand and digital audience. Through scripting, storyboarding and creative strategy sessions, they shaped engaging short-form narratives with purpose and personality.
Each cohort produced a suite of 12 TikToks and two longer YouTube films. The TikTok series was shot using DJI Osmo cameras and smartphone-friendly mics, with editing workshops focused on platform-specific styles and pacing. For the YouTube productions, filmed at Chocolate Films’ Nine Elms Studio, participants learned to work with professional Canon cameras, a three-point lighting setup, and teleprompters. These workshops focused on how to dive deeper into a theme, create story arcs, and source meaningful archival or stock footage. One group even brought their ideas to life through stop-motion animation, adding a distinctive visual flair to their storytelling.
Making Impact Go Viral
The resulting films and videos resonated globally, with over 800,000 views and counting. Audiences engaged with stories that felt authentic, relevant, and visually inventive, with many discovering new ways to connect with the Library’s collections and the histories within them.
Chocolate Films: Co-Creation That Empowers
As a social enterprise video agency, Chocolate Films is committed to helping people who don’t always have access to creative industries develop their voice through storytelling. We work with charities, schools and major institutions to run co-production workshops that promote inclusion, explore identity, and give participants real agency over their narratives. Whether on social media or the big screen, our projects aim to challenge inequalities, foster new talent, and create powerful stories that resonate.
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What our clients say
We worked on a health awareness campaign and we were pleased with the outcome as well as the experience. And we look forward to collaborating with them on more upcoming campaigns.
and annual Awards. Mary, Lucia and the team did a fantastic job at capturing the look, feel and emotions tied to the events and we were really pleased at how they turned out. They held a number of briefing calls and kept us updated of their progress throughout! Looking forward to working with the team again!
The workshops are really hands-on and encourage so much creativity, which is fantastic to see. My child feels so proud of what they’re creating, and the films they work on always turn out brilliant.
If you’re looking for a fun and creative activity for your kids, I can’t recommend their workshops enough.
