Penderyn whiskey has opened a new visitor attraction in Swansea, where guests can visit their brand-new distillery and immerse themselves in the Welsh whiskey making process. The new distillery is built on the site of the Hafod Mora Copperworks, which opened in 1809 and was one of the largest and most successful Copperworks in Swansea.

In partnership with Swansea Council, Penderyn whisky has rejuvenated one of Swansea’s most important heritage sites, and Figment Productions was commissioned to bring the story of the Copperworks to life, to engage and entertain guests as part of the exciting new visitor tour.

The story focuses on two characters who played important roles in the development of Copper in Swansea; John Henry Vivian, who owned the Hafod Copper smelting plant; and Michael Faraday, the well-known scientist and inventor of the electric motor, who visited Wales on a number of occasions.

Guests meet these characters at the start of the tour, where they see Michael Faraday hard at work in a Victorian themed science laboratory. He is working on a copper experiment as John Henry Vivian arrives in the laboratory for a meeting. The two gentlemen discuss copper production in Swansea, and John Henry Vivian provides a detailed explanation of the history of Hafod Copperworks.

The production involved scriptwriting, actor casting, costume, make-up and green screen filming. And as the actors needed to appear on screens in a themed ‘lab’ environment, careful consideration was given to the size and scale of the filmed material, with one actor filmed in portrait, to maximize pixel resolution. Figment worked with the theming company ATOM to ensure the AV hardware and room theming combined brilliantly to create the final, immersive illusion.