Reset 2: Meet the Trainees

Reset is a paid eight-month traineeship within a Scottish Animation, Visual Effects (VFX) or Games company which includes full training throughout the placement.

The programme is funded by Screen Scotland via the recently established BFI National Lottery Skills Cluster Fund.

After a degree in Spanish and French at the University of Edinburgh, Maeve worked in customer service before freelancing in communications for arts festivals such as Edinburgh International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and the Edinburgh Festivals. During the pandemic, she lived in Spain, where she began developing a video game, sparking an interest in the principles of animation, narrative design and visual development.

After studying Interactive Design for a year at Edinburgh College, Christian started his Degree at Edinburgh Napier University. During his BSc (hons) in Digital Media and Interaction Design, he engaged in a broad range of Animation, Games and VFX projects. In his 3rd year of university, he took the opportunity to study abroad for 6 months in Stuttgart, Germany, where he continued developing his skills and found a passion for Motion Graphics. Since graduating in 2023, Chistian has been dedicated on improving his portfolio by freelancing and doing personal projects.

Charlotte has always had an interest in both art and technology, but it was not until she attended Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee that she found the perfect way to combine these two interests. She chose to direct her Bdes (Hons) Animation towards 3D modelling and texturing which led to a mentorship with Dundee games studio, 4J Studios. After graduating, she continues to develop her skills in 3D art and immerse herself in industry events such as Interference Pattern’s MOVE summit. 

Originally from the Outer Hebrides, Rebecca has worked in a variety of roles in the fashion industry since graduating in 2016, most recently as a designer of wedding dresses and products. She has a passion for creative software solutions and making experiences accessible which led her to pursue a career in UX/UI design and animation. Having an interest in gaming, she is excited to explore all aspects of enhancing storytelling with UI design within this new industry. When not crafting illustrations and user interfaces, she can be found in the darkroom developing film photography or performing in local musical productions.

 

 Luke completed his BDes in Animation in 2019 at Duncan of Jordanstone, followed by an HND in Acting & Performance at Fife College, before returning to University to complete a MSc in Animation & VFX. Here he developed a keen interest in 3D art and realtime engines, and his Masters short film was driven by combining the theatrical and 3D environments, exploring mood and narrative through natural elements such as weather and wildlife. He is actively involved in Falling UP Together (SCIO), an organisation which explores wellbeing through collaboration in art.

When Olivia was a young girl, she knew she had a passion for art and design and wished to follow a career in the creative industries. She considered careers in fashion or becoming an Art teacher, however neither career felt like a correct fit. In 2019, Olivia was accepted into the General Foundation course at Duncan of Jordanston College of Art and Design where she discovered her passion for 2D animation. She went on to graduate in 2023 with a BDes (Hons) in Animation and over the past year she has been looking for opportunities to break into the creative industries and start her career in 2D animation. 

 Rebeccah is a 24-year-old on a creative journey that kicked off in 2019 when she studied online with CGSpectrum College. Although she started her career in 2021, she grappled with keeping the momentum going, and returned to customer service for few years. Rebeccah’s heart beats for animated films and games, sparking a deep desire to contribute to these imaginative realms. Fuelled by genuine passion, she dreams of finding her place in these dynamic industries, hoping to one day work on a large-scale project!

 Originally from Germany, Lesley came to the UK to study for a BA in Visual Communication (Birmingham) and an MA in Illustration (Edinburgh). During her studies, she explored creative storytelling in comics, animation and video games, and developed an Illustration practice driven by narrative and observation. This led to a diverse range of editorial, publishing and commercial Illustration projects while she worked part-time in a warehouse. In Scotland, she has discovered a love for the outdoors (hiking, running, camping) and continued her love for the indoors (video games, D&D, reading). She is excited to bring this experience to an animation studio and push herself out of her comfort zone.

Benji studied Product Design Engineering at Strathclyde University, gaining a 2:1 MEng in 2015. During his time on this course he was introduced to Adobe’s Creative Suite, such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign and developed an interest in using these softwares. After some time out travelling, he began doing small design jobs for friends and family that helped to develop and grow his skills and prompted a move towards a more graphic design focus. The last couple years it has taken a more central role in his career, moving into freelance graphic design and working on larger branding projects for companies, as well as a keen interest in designing for the music industry. He also has been involved writing and acting in short films since the pandemic and has always had a keen interest in movies and games, which led to an application to the reset program and exploring animation and motion graphics.

Anna studied Design and Digital Arts at Edinburgh Napier University where she discovered a passion for animation, illustration and 3D modelling. After graduating, she worked on several freelance illustration and graphic design projects whilst working as a bookseller full time. Her personal work has focused on digital painting and illustration, including landscape paintings and whimsical characters. Inspired by her love for games, Anna recently rediscovered her passion for 3D and began learning Blender so she could make her own 3D environments.

Heather studied Graphic Design in Glasgow. After completing her degree, she began to look for a job within the industry. This is when she started expanding her portfolio and taught herself the basics of animation. Off the back of this, she secured a job at a small design agency. This was short lived due to expense cuts, and she began working full time in a restaurant. After two years of working in hospitality, and juggling the odd freelance job, she decided to pursue the passion she had found at the very start of her career.

 After graduating from an animation course at University of Dundee in 2022, Agata spent a couple of years working as a facilities assistant, developing more management focused skills. At the same time, she kept working on her craft as an artist to prepare for the animation industry. She is very interested in storytelling and loves trying new art mediums. Aside from animation, her favourite art mediums are watercolour and linocutting.

After graduating from Abertay University with a degree in Game Design, Graeme joined Creative Assembly as a QAT where he worked on Hyenas. After the closure of Hyenas he decided it was time to put his creative skills to full use and moved back to Scotland to become an indie-dev. RESET was the perfect opportunity for him to bolster some old skills, whilst learning some new ones. 

From sewing and upcycling garments, papercrafts, drawing and music, Vida has always cherished creativity in various forms from a young age. Her passion for art within storytelling sparked as they delved into the realms of film and gaming in their early teens. Realising the field of games art offered such a creative variety, she applied for Glasgow Caledonian University’s Games Art & Animation course. Vida found a passion for 3D sculpting, modeling, animation and creative collaboration during multi-disciplinary game development projects, and to further immerse herself in that world, she participated in game jams and passion projects. When not by the PC, Vida enjoys nature’s wonders such as hiking, camping and climbing, listening to music, watching series, films and sewing clothes.

Deciding to combine her love for media with her background in Gaelic Medium Education, Kitty studied Film and Visual Culture with Gaelic Studies as a Joint Honours MA at the University of Aberdeen. Here, she achieved a first-class degree in 2021 and was the recipient for the Rev. Malcolm Laing award for Gaelic Folklore. Wanting to further expand her skills, she went on to study a master’s degree in Screenwriting from the University of Manchester, graduating with Distinction in 2022. Having experience in both development and production, Kitty is excited to have a better scope of the entire filmmaking process, learning more about post-production and how her current skills can transfer.