Summary
Created with the Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership, “What If” is a series of short animated films exploring the everyday stigma surrounding drugs and alcohol — and the lasting impact of the comments people throw away without thinking.
The Animation
Across three stories, developed through a co-production process with people with lived and living experience, the films explore judgement, recovery, identity, isolation, and the assumptions people make about others without knowing the full story.
The films can be watched individually or together as one longer piece, creating a collective picture of how stigma affects people differently, and reminding us to think more carefully about the words we choose.
Our Approach
We met monthly with the Renfrewshire Lived Experience Forum to develop the films. Through conversations, storytelling exercises, script workshops, and visual development sessions, the group shaped everything from dialogue and themes through to visual tone and messaging.
Character creation allowed participants to explore difficult experiences while protecting anonymity, creating space for honesty, humour, and reflection without placing any individual story at the centre. The result is three films rooted directly in lived experience.
Session 1 – Introductory Workshop
Session 2 – Script Development Workshop
Session 3 – Script Amendments & Visual Development
Session 4 – Storyboard, Style frames & Visual Content Workshop
Session 5 – Rough Cut & Visual Design Review
Session 6 – Final Film Completion & Celebration
Premiere
The films launched to the world at a celebration event hosted at St Mirren Park. As well as the participants and their friends and families, the premiere was attended by local councillors, partner organisations, and invited guests.
Impact
The films will be used to raise awareness and increase engagement from key stakeholders to tackle stigma
in relation to alcohol and drugs, support wider awareness, encourage open conversations, and
provide a relatable resource to promote understanding, empathy, and more supportive attitudes.
A project in collaboration with...
A Braw Talent CIC production
in collaboration with Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership
and Renfrewshire ADP Lived Experience Foum.
Project lead Lydia Everitt Project lead Darren Osborne
Illustrator and Animator Donna McAvoy Screenwriter Lisa Keddie Dubbing Mixer Emily Wright Captioner Emily Benita
The organisation rated the experience 10/10 and said they "had an extremely positive experience" working with Braw Talent