Leading animators struck an optimistic note at an RTS Scotland event for young animators trying to break into the industry.

“There are skill shortages across the board,” said Sueann Rochester, MD of Red Kite Animation and the Scottish representative of Animated Women UK, which organised the event with the RTS at Edinburgh College of Art in early November.

Speakers from leading Scottish animation houses offered advice to the many students in the audience. Rhona Drummond, who owns Edinburgh production studio Eyebolls, said: “For us [as a smaller studio], what matters is meeting the person.”

Jill Wallace, head of HR and facilities at Axis Studios, which has bases in Glasgow, Bristol and London, said: “The CV is not what’s going to get you hired but it may be the thing that doesn’t get you hired… You can work your personality in.

“It’s important that we get enough granular detail to get to know your work.”

Annie Campbell, the owner of Glasgow-based Campbell Medical Illustration, said: “It’s the small details that matter.” Working at a medical animation studio, she added, there were only so many animated femurs she could see before repetition began to take hold.

Jim Jagger, director of animation at Rockstar Games, which has studios around the world, stressed the importance of producing a professional show reel: “[From] the font, the colour scheme, the composition, I can tell if [he or she] is going to be a good animator.”

Discussing the RTS/Animated Women UK event, Jagger said: “It’s a great event because all of the speakers come from different backgrounds. It’s good to engage with the students… and help people get jobs.”

 

Leading animators struck an optimistic note at an RTS Scotland event for young animators trying to break into the industry.

“There are skill shortages across the board,” said Sueann Rochester, MD of Red Kite Animation and the Scottish representative of Animated Women UK, which organised the event with the RTS at Edinburgh College of Art in early November.

Speakers from leading Scottish animation houses offered advice to the many students in the audience. Rhona Drummond, who owns Edinburgh production studio Eyebolls, said: “For us [as a smaller studio], what matters is meeting the person.”

Jill Wallace, head of HR and facilities at Axis Studios, which has bases in Glasgow, Bristol and London, said: “The CV is not what’s going to get you hired but it may be the thing that doesn’t get you hired… You can work your personality in.

“It’s important that we get enough granular detail to get to know your work.”

Annie Campbell, the owner of Glasgow-based Campbell Medical Illustration, said: “It’s the small details that matter.” Working at a medical animation studio, she added, there were only so many animated femurs she could see before repetition began to take hold.

Jim Jagger, director of animation at Rockstar Games, which has studios around the world, stressed the importance of producing a professional show reel: “[From] the font, the colour scheme, the composition, I can tell if [he or she] is going to be a good animator.”

Discussing the RTS/Animated Women UK event, Jagger said: “It’s a great event because all of the speakers come from different backgrounds. It’s good to engage with the students… and help people get jobs.