Escape Studios is Going to VIEW!

Escape Studios is going to VIEW, the 17th International VFX & Computer Graphics Conference.  VIEW takes place every year in the beautiful Italian town of Torino (Turin), and we'll be there running a one-day workshop in Maya on 26 October, demonstrating some cool creature animation techniques. The class is aimed at complete beginners and requires no prior experience with Maya.

Let The Undergraduate Courses Begin!

We're excited to welcome our new undergraduate students to our shiny new premises in central London.

Starting this week, Escape Studios is teaching the art of computer animation, visual effects and games design to a fresh cohort of students, in two new purpose-built floors at 190 Holborn, London EC1.

Escape Studios Visits Jellyfish Animation!

Jellyfish Pictures in Brixton

Escape Studios' animation studios were treated to a studio tour of Jellyfish Pictures this past week, getting a unique behind-the-scenes peek into the workings of a major London animation studio.

Jellyfish are a relatively new kid on the London block, but they have grown from modest beginnings to become a major player in visual effects animation and also TV series work - which is currently booming in our home town.

Thief and the Cobbler - A Moment in Time - in NYC

Richard Williams' unfinished masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler - A Moment in Time - is to be screened in NYC tonight and on saturday at MOMA - New York's temple of modern art.

The screening was featured in the New York Times - you can read about it here.

To buy tickets to see this rarely-screened film, follow the link to the Moma website here.

Anyone serious about studying animation should see Williams' film at least once. This event is a rare chance to catch a film made utterly without artistic compromise. And of course a chance to meet Williams' himself, who will appear in a Q&A after the film.

Animation Reference from the BBC Motion Gallery and Getty Images

Here is some great reference for animators, specialising in animal locomotion and behaviour, from the BBC and Getty Images.

The site is easily searchable so, say you need some reference footage of a cheetah running, it's all very easy to find. You can easily download the videos as .mp4 files, and then open them up in QuickTime so you can step through them frame by frame. It's a great resource for animators looking for reference to create accurate, realistic animal motion.

Open Doors at Three Mills Studios on Wednesday 21 September

Stop-motion animation specialists 3 Mills Studios in East London (the folks who brought you Fantastic Mr Fox) are collaborating with Creative Skillset to open their doors on Wednesday 21st September.

For one evening only, visitors will have the chance to pose questions to the animation talent who have worked on some of the biggest TV and film productions right here in London.

Recent productions on site include many and varied projects (not just animation) such as Masterchef, The Royals, The Sound of Music - Live, Jekyll & Hyde and Legend.

On the night you will be also be able to get the inside scoop on live vacancies - such as production jobs, apprenticeships and  runner positions.

Double Negative's Chris Keller To Visit Escape

DNeg's Chris Keller is is coming to Escape Studios tomorrow, Wednesday September 14th, to talk about his compositing work on visual effects blockbusters like The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Man of Steel and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  Best of all for all our students - the evening is completely free.

Bring Your Own Animation! - 19th September

The Lukin - BYOA!

"Bring Your Own Animation" (BYOA) is an animation event that takes place every month in London. This month it is being held at the Lukin pub, 4 Conway Street in central London W1T 6BB.

Anyone can bring their animation or just come to share their passion and have a few drinks.  If you are a student, or a professional who's working on a shot or a reel, bring your work and get feedback from Professional Animators. Bring your work in a USB or external hard drive. They probably won't have a good internet connection. Here at Escape Studios we strongly recommend that our students attend events such as this one.

What Should Go in an Animation Demo Reel? Eamonn Butler Reveals the Secrets

Eamonn Butler

Last night Escape Studios welcomed our latest speaker to our regular “Escape Labs” event – where we investigate the new technology that is driving the animation and visual effects industry.

We were proud to host Cinesite’s head of animation, Eamonn Butler, who came to talk to us at our Strand HQ about Cinesite's expanding animation pipeline - developing and producing their own slate of animated films.

Of particular interest to our student animators was what Eamonn had to say on the subject of animation demo reels: what to do – and what not to do.

When Should Maya Animators Use File Referencing?

What is referencing, and when should animators use it? File referencing ("referencing", for short) is the process in Autodesk Maya which allows the animator to make changes to an animation rig in the course of production and have the new rig automatically update itself to all your existing animation files. It's pretty much what most studios use to manage their animation pipeline, one way or another, as most production rigs are a work in progress.

The question for animators working and studying from home is, should you import the rig directly into your shot, or should you use referencing? Here are the pros and cons.

2017 VES Awards - Student Entries

The 15th Annual VES Awards are fast approaching. Here at Escape Studios we encourage all our students to enter Category 23: Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project. 

The award is sponsored by Autodesk, who make Maya, the leading animation and VFX software, and is a great opportunity for any ambitious student to kick-start their career.