Beyond the Label – Breathing Life into a Gin Story with a Splash of AI
At OMS, we’re always chasing that sweet spot where craft, creativity, and technology meet. Recently, we created a video with Castle & Key’s beautiful gin bottles to complete a project that didn’t just showcase their premium gin – it made the bottles themselves come alive.
Capturing the Real, Enhancing with a Little Magic
The project was a collaboration between precision visuals and imaginative technology. Using our SISU Motion-Controlled Robot Arm, director TJ Vissing and creative technologist Paul Lanterman captured the bottle with cinematic polish, then layered in delicate, hand-guided animations drawn from the brand’s own logo and label. The result? A bottle that bloomed.
The key? We didn’t invent or borrow anything new. The brand’s own assets were the foundation. AI wasn’t a replacement – it was simply the color from the palette that we painted from, that added motion and life.
Why it Came to Be
TJ first spotted the Castle & Key bottles at his local liquor store. Struck by the beauty of the labels, he bought a few and shot an in-studio test on a set leftover from a previous project. Unsure whether he preferred the bottles against black or white, he turned to Paul for ideas.
Together, they began exploring how animated elements could bridge both looks – and how AI tools might breathe new energy into the design.
Buzzing with inspiration, Paul mocked up an animatic, and the duo mapped out motion passes with the robot arm. Multiple takes were captured – from front and back label angles, to passes for tracking and transitions. High-res stills of the label were also pulled, retouched, and prepped for animation.
From there, everything came together in After Effects – masking, tracking, layering, and motion – until the final product was exactly what they envisioned.
Why It Matters
AI in the creative world sparks plenty of debate, and for good reason.
Questions around copyright, ethics, and ownership remain unsettled. At OMS, our stance is clear: AI is a tool, not a solution.
- Ownership First: Every core asset from the beautifully crafted bottle, label, logo, came directly from the brand.
- AI as Enhancement: We used AI only to animate what already existed. No new logos, no “replacement” designs, no shortcuts.
- Creative Integrity: Our team directed, finessed, and approved every movement. The artistry came from people, not algorithms.
This approach gives brands something both ownable and scalable – creative work that’s true to their story, with technology adding depth rather than distraction.
The Bigger Picture
At its best, technology doesn’t overshadow creativity, it supports it. For us, AI isn’t about replacing the human touch, it’s about extending it. Think of it as another tool in the kit, like a lens or a lighting setup, used to bring ideas to life in new ways.
When a product label can suddenly breathe, flow, and move, the product becomes more than packaging…it becomes an experience. And that’s exactly the kind of storytelling we love to create.