Ice Sculptures for TV & Film

Our ice technicians create specialist ice sculptures and incredible ice effects for the world of TV and film. We have over 15 years experience taking ice on shoots. From whole sets made of ice to custom cubes for drinks – sometimes it isn’t an actual ice sculpture you may need.

Maybe you want products or items to be encapsulated in ice. Or perhaps you’re looking for clear ice, white ice, fractured ice or bubbly ice. We have been asked to help with exploding ice, suspending ice, melting ice and growing ice. If you have a particular ice effect in mind then you have come to the right place.

Our prices are dependent on what kind of work you’re looking for, as well as where and when you need it. For a quote please call 0151 521 5070 or use the form below:

Delivering On Briefs – Taking cues from your creative talent, we can work with your team to deliver their vision to an exact brief. We’ve worked with iconic fashion brands to create unique ice sculptures for ad campaigns and product launches.

Working On Location – Our ice sculpting skills can be hired for on location work. We can work with creative or art directors to produce specific effects, and assist in the maintenance of ice sculpture throughout days of shooting on set for film and television.

Delivering Nationwide – We’re well positioned from our base in Liverpool to deliver our unique ice sculptures all over the country and beyond. We’ve transported ice sculptures to the Republic of Ireland, to Aberdeen, to London and as far as the Cannes Film Festival. Our artists have been flown out to work on sets across Europe and as far as the Middle East and Serbia.

How It Works

Enquiry – Get in touch with us via phone or email with a brief outline of your requirements including timeframe.

Consultation – We’ll get back to you ASAP, finalise the brief and then give you a quote for the work.

Design – Once everything is confirmed, we’ll get to work designing the sculptures, before sending the designs for approval within your team.

Delivery – We’ll either carve your ice sculpture in advance, and deliver via refrigerated transport, or arrive on location to create and maintain the sculpture.

Break Down – We’ll remain for as long as is required to de-construct your ice sculpture and clear the set of any remaining ice or water.

Why Choose Glacial Art?

Over 15 Years Experience – Established in 2006, we’re the UK’s leading ice sculptors with hundreds of commercial jobs under our belts. We understand the logistical challenges behind big events, and have tailored our service to make dealing with us as easy as possible.

Award-Winning Team – Our ice sculpture work has won multiple awards and our sculptors have competed internationally. We promise to drive as much passion and efforts to deliver on your brief as we would do for our competition pieces.

Major Production Experience – We are trusted by HBO, Netflix, Channel 4, Reebok, Adidas, Rolex and Nescafe to deliver on time and to their exacting briefs. Our repeat work with many of our corporate clients is testament to the quality of our service.

How much do ice sculptures cost for TV and Film?

The cost of an ice sculpture typically depends on the number of ice blocks used to build it, the time it takes to complete and also the distance that it has to travel. Working for television and film often requires additional costs to accommodate extensive travel and longer working days, which we account for when quoting based on your brief.

Creative uses for ice sculpture

Ice is a fascinating material that has the potential to distort and diffract light, creating optical illusions and making the imaginary real. There’s limitless potential for how ice can be used for PR and advertising, below are just a few applications:

Creative ad campaigns – Ice is a glamorous, alluring material that can lend an enigmatic element to creative video and photo campaigns. The process of ice carving is a spectacle in itself which can be capitalised on for truly memorable video footage.
Television spots – Ice sculptures can be a creative medium of delivering a high-impact visual message or brand announcement. The flexibility of our sculpting skills allows us to create replicas of products, trophies or accurate likenesses of people.
Props and set building – Despite the rise of CGI, there is still a need for practical ice sculpture effects and set construction. This is especially the case when performers are required to physically interact with the ice.

Fancy something extra special?

Live ice sculpting as performance

The act of sculpting can be as involving as the finished sculpture. Our sculptors have experience delivering ice sculpture as performance, through a pre-planned live show or as contributors to dynamic television ad creatives. We’re comfortable in front of the camera and are familiar with working on major film production sets.

Large scale fire sculptures

As well as ice sculpting we also dabble in a bit of Fire as well. Whether its with our Fire and Ice live performances or 50-meter fire sculptures for Warner Music album launches, harnessing the flames to create a fiery visual spectacle that can make a real impact for visual projects. We can work with creatives to safely deliver a fire sculpture that can be shot for film productions, album art or advertising campaigns.

Case Studies

We’ve been fortunate to work with some major film production companies including HBO and Netflix. Find out about our work on the set of Game of Thrones as well as our promotional work for HBO.

FAQs

How big can ice sculptures be?

Ice sculptures can be as big as you need them to be. Some of the largest ice sculptures we’ve worked on for competitions have exceeded 5 metres in height. We frequently deliver ice sculptures up to 300kg in weight to clients around the country, but often need to deal in greater quantities of ice when working on television and film sets (due to the requirements of having back-up sculptures to cover continuity).

Can you make an ice sculpture based on any design?

We can sculpt ice to any brief that you set. We’ll work with your brief to develop a practical design that can accomplish the effect that you need within the given timeframes. Once the design has been approved, we can spec out the amount of ice required to construct what you need, and factor in any additional logistics required in delivering the sculptures within your timeframe and location.

What can ice sculpture bring to a film or TV project?

Our television and film clients understand that whilst digital technologies can fake the look of ice, there’s no replacement for the real thing. Real ice physically reacts to its environment, it melts, evaporates and refracts light in an organic fashion that is nearly impossible to emulate with digital trickery.

Studios such as HBO and Netflix, Chanel 4 and the BBC come to us to bring their ideas to life with practical ice effects and props that allow their lighting crews and performers to physically engage with, ultimately resulting in a more authentic, believable final image.

Can you deliver ice sculpture overseas?

No location is too far for us – we’ve transported ice bars to the Cannes Film Festival, and ice henges to Ireland, and Suits of Armour to Serbia. With the aid of refrigerated transport, we can deliver our ice across the UK and Europe. For commercial work that takes us further afield, we can source ice locally and carve on set.

Can you incorporate colour into ice sculpture?

We can incorporate colour into ice sculptures in a couple of way; either by using LED lighting or by incorporating physical objects. However, we typically find that the creatives we work with prefer for us to keep the ice clear of colour, so that their lighting and editing experts can retain control of how the final work appears.

How long do ice sculptures last?

The lifespan of a life sculpture is dependent on its size and shape, as well as the conditions that it’s kept in. The larger the ice sculpture the longer it will last. Fine details and texture melt first of all, leaving the sculpture to take on a smoother sheen as time passes.

A large-scale sculpture kept in cool conditions of -8°C can last for months on end, making ice a very practical material to use for props and set design when shooting in cold conditions. Even without these conditions, refrigeration units can be used to keep sculptures in stasis between shots.

How long does it take to make an ice sculpture?

It can take between 3 and 12 hours to make an ice sculpture depending on the size and design of the piece. In many cases, ice sculptures can be made weeks or months in advance and then stored in deep-freeze before being delivered in a refrigerated van to the wedding venue.

Are you fully insured to work on film and television sets?

We have full liability insurance covering us to work in a wide variety of working conditions, including on-location television and film sets.

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