CV
Art Director | Creative Director
2023-Present
Studio Creative Producer CoSTAR Realtime Virtual Film Production Lab
Art Director and Creative Director for the studio launch film. University of Edinburgh & Abertay University
2023
Research Fellow
Thematic Analysis and Report - collaboration between the UK and China games industries.
Abertay University
2022
Concept Artist
OUTLANDER
Starz TV | Season 7
Episodes 7 & 9
2018-2022
Creative Director, Producer & Researcher
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: PhD 8-minute animated film. Modelled, animated and edited inside VR using Quill.
2017
Writer, Creative Director, Art Director
THAW: 3 minute CGI film animated and rendered using Maya. Composited using After Effects and Nuke.
2016
Creative Director, Art Director, Production Designer
TOY SCANDAL: 3 minute CGI film
animated in Maya. Composited using After Effects and Nuke
2007
Production Designer
ODD SHOE: Screen South. Live Action Short Nominated ‘Best Short’ Chicago International Film Festival.
1996
Assistant Art Director
PIE IN THE SKY 3: TV Series Witzend Productions
Bray Film Studios and Location
Senior Designer | Project Lead
1996-2015
Zerodegrees Micro-Brewery - Blackheath London
Head Architectural Interior Designer & Concept Designer
Phyllis Court Club Orangery - Henley-on-Thames
Head Architectural Interior Designer
Alexander House Hotel - 5 Star Spa - Utopia Leisure
Head Architectural Interior Designer - Spatial Concept Designer
Wagamama Noodle Bar - Brighton
Head Architectural Interior Designer
Brandshatch Place Hotel - HandPicked Hotels
Head Architectural Interior Designer
Nutfield Priory - Spa - HandPicked Hotels
Head Architectural Interior Designer
The George Inn - Robertsbridge
Head Architectural Interior Designer
Published
2023
InGAME International
McSwan, A, Austin, HJ, Brown, H, Johnson, GI, Livesey-Stephens, B, Love, L, Lynagh, M, Sloan, RJS & Xiaoxiong, X 2024, InGAME international pathway to collaboration: Collaboration in Games UK-China . Abertay University.
2021
Design Journal
McSwan, A. (2021) 'Exploring Animation and Virtual Reality to Represent the Perceptual-Experiences of Art-Practitioners with Sight-Loss', The Design Journal, 24(2), pp. 315-324.
2021
DRHA 2020
Alternate, Virtual and Augmented Realities Conference 2021
McSwan, A. (2021) ‘Exploring Animation and Virtual Reality to Represent the Perceptual-Experiences of
Art-Practitioners with Sight-Loss’. Online presentation at PG/ECR Alternate, Virtual, and Augmented Realities Conference 2021. Institute of Medical Humanities. Durham University: Durham.
Qualifications & Awards
2018-2022
DJCAD University of Dundee | PhD in VR & Animation
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE is an immersive VR animation, created using Quill and Oculus Quest. Modelled, animated, and edited entirely in VR, this PhD project explores how animation and virtual reality can represent the perceptual experiences of artists with sight loss. The experimental film's soundtrack features verbatim recordings from interviews with three award-winning artists, sharing their personal insights.
2015-2017
DJCAD University of Dundee | MSc Animation & VFX . Master's Prize
THAW is a short film combining live-action and CGI animation, exploring loss, grief, and transformation. Directed, designed, and animated using Maya, After Effects, and Nuke, with editing in Premiere Pro, the film follows a woman’s journey from sorrow to hope as sunlight connects her with melting ice figures in a winter landscape. THAW won the Masters Prize for its innovative storytelling and visual design.
1990-1993
National Film & Television School
3-year Post-Graduate in Production Design. BAFTA Scholarship
I received a BAFTA Post-Office Scholarship to study at the National Film and Television School (NFTS), where my graduation film was the award-winning SHAMAN, which won first prize at the World Festival in Houston. Directed by Sean Geoghegan, my role involved studio and location set design.
1987-1900
Wimbledon School of Art | BA (Hons)
Theatre Design
Specialising in Theatre and Costume, I received comprehensive training from industry-renowned figures such as Stephen Daldry (director of Billy Elliot) and Charles Knode (costume designer for Blade Runner). This experience not only honed my technical skills but also fostered a strong creative vision, enabling me to approach design with a balance of artistic innovation and practical expertise.