FAs set to get animated on Stirling Castle based project

Creative and Digital Media Foundation Apprentices from Forth Valley College are set to team up again soon with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum and Historic Environment Scotland in 2026/27, to create more short films after a successful recent project.

A group of FAs on the same course had previously worked with the museum and HES through 2024-2025, to create an animated video based on the Cruachan Story, which was illustrated by Sylivia Troon. To watch the film click here.

Students based at the FVC Stirling Campus were tasked to create a stop motion animation for retelling the kids story “Cruachan” by Sylvia Troon, where the regiment’s mascot is the companion to James the Drummer Boy.

One FA student Lauren Fish said at the time: “As one of the students who worked on the animation project, I can say we loved this story. We had a great time working on it through the year and we were very excited to see it on display at the museum for a short while.”

Another student, Gabriel McGuckin, said: “In the end the animation - while only lasting three or so minutes - took a team of 10 people, plus our lecturer’s help, roughly 10 months’ work. We all had fun creating it, gained lots of new skills and we hope those who see it enjoy the movie!”

FVC Creative Industries lecturer, Stacey Blyth, who is pictured her (far left) with Kirsten Wood (Learning Officer, Learning and Inclusion, Historic Environment Scotland), Clare Rogers (Education Officer, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum), said: “My lecturing colleague Colm Clerkin and I were very proud of the FA’s work on their animations last year as they really worked hard on their skills. They produced some really good work that will definitely catch people’s attention of the young target audience. We are proud to have introduced digital animation skills recently on our Foundation Apprenticeship and are looking forward to welcoming a new batch of Creative and Digital Media Foundation Apprentices this year to see what they can do.

“I can’t wait to see what this year’s Foundation Apprentices and Skills For Work Creative Industries Class work together to create. The idea is the Skills For Work Creative Industries will make the puppets and backgrounds and the FAs will animate it and edit the final thing together. Cross course collaboration in action.”

All photos were taken by FVC HND Photography student Crystal Lange.

For more information on the Schools Partnership at FVC and the Foundation Apprenticeship courses visit: https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/ways-to-study/school-partnership-courses/school-partnership