Thursday 9 April 2020

Iliana Franklin Moves Story Teaching Online

Iliana Franklin
Like all of our animation tutors, Iliana Franklin has moved all her teaching online.  Iliana teaches our MA in Storyboarding and Previsualisation, and has been successful in moving the class away from the traditional bricks-and-mortar approach.

In this blog post, Iliana explains how the Story & Previs MA is now running smoothly from online platforms, and how students can best access the available resources.

"Escape Studios Storyboarding and Previz MA course in now running remotely using online platforms. This is a new experience for our MA students who are currently writing, designing and directing several group projects from their home environments. For some of these students working from home is an excellent setting since they have already purchased equipment and software of their own, for others this way of learning has opened new opportunities to learn and experiment with tools and techniques available online for free use. 

The experience poses challenges but also opportunities for the students to adapt, since our Storyboarding and Previz department synthesises various skills and provides an opportunity to experiment with range of techniques and software apps available remotely alongside traditional media.

Toonboom Storyboard Pro
At Escape Studios we use the industry software Toon Boom Storyboard Pro. The Toon Boom Developers are giving access for free during the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak. This means our students can download and use this software and continue with their studies from home. 

Panel Forge
We also utilise Panel Forge, developed by Blue Zoo, which is also available at Escape Studios, and our IT department is working hard to provide students with access during this period. Panel Forge is a hybrid platform which combines 3D tools with traditional storyboarding tools.

Storyboarder
Two other platforms that students can use for free are Storyboarder and Celtx, these are perfect for conceptualising and sharing ideas. Some students are also using iPad and ProCreate for sketching, thumbnailing, concept art and design. For the Previz projects our students have access to Maya and also can use the free Blender software available online.

Google Hangouts
Communication and collaboration between students runs on a number of online platforms including Google Hangouts, Discord, Slack, Zoom, MC Teams, Facebook and WhatsApp. These offer great tools for video and audio participation and recording. Additionally, Escape Studios use Blackboard and Escape VLE.

A range of video tutorials are also available on Vimeo Escape Studios Channel where students can learn online various techniques. These technologies offer opportunities for applying the Flipped Classroom method are excellent solutions for remote collaboration, teaching and learning.

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our new BA/MArt starting in September 2020, follow this link. We train all our students with practical real-world skills, to give them the best possible chance of a career in industry. To see some of our animation success stories, follow this link


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