The Lola Limelight – Stuart Turnbull

STUART TURNBULL: 3D LEAD

Where are you from? I am from a village called Kilbarchan just outside Glasgow. 

How long have you worked at Lola? I’ve been working at Lola for 7 months now, which has flown by. 

How did you get into VFX? I studied for my BA Honours Degree at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee University. During my First Year General Course my interests veered towards Fine Art Sculpture but I also had the opportunity to explore Animation. I received some great feedback from the Heads of Animation and realising the course offered many potential avenues, I decided to specialise in this subject.  Then I used my 4th year film as my first showreel to show around the London studios and managed to get a Runners position at The Mill London for several weeks before getting hired within the 3D department.

What’s the best part of your job?   Probably the constant learning and development. Within the industry there’s always something new to navigate, which makes it very interesting, especially when starting on new projects and working with different teams.

Biggest career highlight(s)?  When I was freelancing it was great working with different teams in different studios within different pipelines. This meant I learned a lot, developing my skills as I progressed. Being able to move to Montreal to work there definitely stands out as a major highlight. It also made me realise it’s beneficial to be part of a team for the longer term so that’s what I aimed for when I came back to London.

Advice to anyone starting out in the industry? If you have the passion for it, dive right in. In the beginning it may take longer to achieve your goals but it’s worth persevering with them. It’s a great time to learn as much as possible. Don’t be nervous of freelancing and moving about, it helped me a lot with my skill set. The various amounts of projects have been great to work on, develop my portfolio and show evidence of being adaptable. 

What does a typical day at work in the studio look like for you?  Most recently it’s been coffee and looking at the render farm. But usually nice to get settled in and then get on with what might be achievable that day, whether that’s addressing notes or speaking with the clients.

What are you learning at the moment?  I have worked in Advertisements, film and episodic work. It has been great to see what’s involved within factual work and nice to have the balance of projects that we have at Lola.

What’s your most prized possession on your desk at work? Currently coffee and my notepad that seems to keep me in check and at home my camera is never far from my desk.

Favourite spot in Soho? Think it has to be The Clachan and secondly the restaurants in the area.

Hobbies outside of work? Recently have been trying to keep up with some line drawing for some exhibitions and the odd commission here or there. 

Your submission to LolaPets…. 

Mittens keeping an eye on me when working from home.