Animation and VFX Trainee Placement Program

Applicants must be NSW residents. Please refer to the Terms of Trade for further information regarding eligible applicants.

Applicants selected are likely (but not required) to have one or more of the following:

• A background in screen production (film, TV, video games, web series, music videos)
• Digital media training
• A degree from an accredited fine arts or screen media course
• A portfolio demonstrating experience in CG production or software engineering
• Experience as an artist, designer or software engineer with the desire to cross over into animation and VFX.

Applicants who are not successful in one round are welcome to apply to subsequent rounds.

You are not eligible to apply if you have already been successful for this program in previous years.

The Production team are responsible for the efficient, day-to-day facilitation of processes, procedures, outputs and deliverables of digital artists. In partnership with the department supervisor/lead they are also responsible for motivating a team of artists, increasing efficiency, scheduling and streamlining processes where appropriate. The production trainee will gain exposure to many different areas of a production as well as tools to support the projects, including industry-standard scheduling/documenting project software such as Shotgun.

A Digital Artist is responsible for the day-to-day generation of assets/shots to a creative or technical brief to support the Director’s vision. The Digital Artist should ensure there is a consistent level of quality and delivery within established timelines. A Digital Artist can be specialised to a specific department (e.g. Layout, FX, Surfacing, Animation) or work more broadly as a generalist.

The Digital Artist trainee will be given hands on experience creating assets in software such as Maya, Houdini, Nuke and Mari etc.

The Editorial department supports the ingest, review and delivery of sequences within the VFX pipeline. An Editor will track input/output versions from both internal and external clients. They ensure an updated edit of the film/sequence is maintained and flag any discrepancies with Production, while also aiding in ensuring the VFX department has everything they need to complete shot work.

The Edit Trainee may use a variety of editorial tools such as Avid, Premiere Pro, Resolve, Hiero and Final Cut Pro to undertake their day-to-day tasks.

Technical Directors are responsible for supporting creative and visual objectives through pipeline troubleshooting, user support, technical direction, and tool development. They will work closely with a craft group and research and development teams to ensure a standardised approach.

The Technical Director trainee will be given experience in Animation and VFX pipelines as well as program in Python or other applicable programming languages.

R&D Engineers create software that supports the production of critically acclaimed and award-winning animated feature films. R&D enables new and innovative workflows, techniques and technologies for greater creative results, or to get the most of our artists’ time and expertise.

The R&D Trainee will do programming in C++, Python or Java, as well as be exposed to a wide variety of technology. They will work on the production pipeline, gain hands-on working experience assisting in the development of software tools and systems that are used to create animated feature films, live action feature film and TV episodic projects.

A Real-Time Artist (Unreal) works primarily within the Unreal game engines on cinematic trailers, virtual productions and extended reality (XR) productions. As shots or scenes are rendering in real-time, the Real-Time Artist (Unreal) works broadly as a generalist controlling more aspects of shots development. Or they can be a specialist in a specific department such as Assembly, FX or Lighting. A Real-Time Artist (Unreal) presents their work-in-progress in a team environment and delivers high quality work within production deadlines.

The Real-Time Artist (Unreal) trainee will be given hands-on experience working in a Real Time production pipeline in a team environment.

A panel made up of Screen NSW representatives and independent industry representatives assesses the applications and compiles a shortlist within four weeks of the application closing date.

Applicants are selected to the shortlist based on the merits of their application and the selection criteria, and in competition with other applications.

The shortlisted materials are then circulated to the participating companies for consideration. Each company reviews the materials and nominates candidates that they would like to interview.

From those interviews the company decides which applicants, if any, they would like to offer a traineeship. Screen NSW liaises directly with the companies throughout the process, and contacts applicants if an interview is requested, or if a placement is offered.

Shortlisted applicant will be notified within 4 weeks of the application closing date. Successful applicants will be notified within 3 months of the application closing date.

A maximum of five placements may be made in each round. However, the maximum number may not be reached, as the opportunities that are available are dependent on the needs of the companies involved.

Successful applicants are attached as trainees for a 6-month period and are formally employed by the company concerned. The intention is to provide real working experience in film, television and interactive projects where suitable work is available.

Screen NSW meets with the trainee and the company at the beginning of the placement to discuss the goals and expectations, and at the end of the 6 months, to discuss the outcome. 

We also check-in at the midway point, to get feedback about the trainee’s progress. 

The companies involved provide on-the-job training according to a plan agreed by the company and Screen NSW. The general framework will include: 

• A short period of assessment
• Specific training on computer-based tools as required
• Allocation to a mentor or a particular project (depending on strengths and requirements)
• Association with a project team
• Increasing complexity of tasks.

Each trainee is employed on a fixed-term temporary engagement for six months. The aim of the traineeship is to increase employability in the animation and digital visual effects field. However, the traineeship is not intended to lead to a formal qualification and there are no guarantees of employment after the traineeship has been completed. The company is free to re-employ the trainee at the end of the traineeship period if they wish, and if suitable work is available, on terms and conditions to be agreed between the trainee and the company.