Sarah Andrews Intern at Sliced Bread

Many congratulations to Sarah Andrews, third year undergraduate animation student at Escape Studios who has secured an 8 week summer internship storyboarding with Sliced Bread Animation in Bethnal Green.

Sliced Bread is a multi-disciplined, multi-award-winning digital animation studio based in London, creating animation for a wide variety of clients, including Sony, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Unilever.

Sliced Bread produce "high-impact, bespoke animations and applications for marketing and corporate communications, including virtual and augmented reality projects."

Sarah Andrews is an award-winning animator and storyboard artist who has worked on many projects at Escape Studios; specialising in storyboarding in her final year. 

The Making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Canadian author and animation historian Ross Anderson's long-anticipated book - Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat - The Story Behind the Making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is finally in print.

Ross was first interviewed by animation blog FLiP back in 2013, about writing of the book, which has taken six years to bring to fruition.

Ross was signing copies at this year's Annecy film festival; his book aims to be the definitive history of the making of the film, which changed the animation industry and launched dozens of animation careers (including my own).

Among the book's highlights are Tom Sito's hilarious sketches and scribbles that documented the making of the film.

Acting For Animators on 13 August

Sarah Perry of Shapes in Motion is returning to Escape Studios to teach a one-day "Acting for Animators" workshop on 13th August with our short course animators.  Sarah is an expert on teaching acting skills to animators, having taught acting classes at MPC, Framestore, and many other UK animation and VFX houses.  To find out more about the class, and about Shapes in Motion, watch the short video above.

Rig Referencing in Maya Done Right

Amedeo Beretta

Escape Studios' animation tutor Amedeo Beretta has created a new video for us on the proper use of File Referencing in Maya, and how to set your shot up correctly.

The video is titled Setting Up Your Shot - File Referencing
and can be found at our Vimeo channel here.

It forms a part of a series of video tutorials on best practice in Maya - setting up your shot correctly and getting the most out of the software.

Jack Thompson Animation Intern at Myriad

Jack Thompson

Many congratulations to second year undergraduate animation student Jack Thompson, who has recently began a summer animation Internship at Myriad Global Media in London.

Myriad Global Media is a global company with offices in London, Houston and Abu Dhabi, specialisingin in VR, AR, film production, 2D/3D animation, interactive media, events, and exhibition. 

Summer internships are not always easy to find but they are out there - for those with persistence and dedication.

12 Principles of Animation

We're recommending this introductory video outlining the 12 Principles of Animation.  If you're studying animation for the first time, and starting to learn the basics, then this video is a very helpful introduction to the medium.  Unlock the secrets of Squash and stretch, Anticipation, Staging, Straight ahead action & pose to pose, Follow through & overlapping action, Slow in and slow out, Arcs & Paths of Action, Secondary action, Timing, Exaggeration, Solid drawing and Appeal.  Sounds like a long list? You don't have to memorise them all. Just be aware of the principles, and then gradually start to apply them in your animation.

Last Call for Character Design on 2 September

Designs by Josh O'Brien

Last Call for our 4 week Character Design class with Blue Zoo designer Josh O'Brien, starting on 2nd September.

Josh will be the lead tutor for this full-time intensive four week character design class, starting on Monday 2nd September and running until Friday 27th September.

Josh is an experienced visual development artist and character designer, currently working at Blue Zoo animation in London.

Escape Studios Unreal Authorized Training Ctr

Escape Studios is proud to announce that we are now an Unreal Engine Authorized Training Center, meaning that we are now formally authorised by Epic games (makers of "Fortnite") to run training sessions for their software, Unreal Engine.

Head of Games Simon Fenton started developing the games course way back in 2008; since then it has changed beyond recognition, as has the games industry.

Emily Lim Animator at MPC Montreal

Emily Lim-Sarrias

Many congratulations to Escapee Emily Lim Sarrias, who is working as an animator at MPC in Montreal.

At MPC, Emily has contributed shots to multiple VFX projects, including Artemis Fowl - Time to Believe,  The Voyage of Dr DoLittle, and Call of the Wild.

After leaving Escape Studios Emily joined the Technicolour MPC Academy, on the strength of her strong demo reel and a follow-up interview, and soon found work as a junior animator at MPC in Canada.

Escapees "Highly Commended" at The Rookies

The results of this year's "Rookies" contest are in and we're proud to congratulate the makers of "Jerich0", which was "Highly Commended" in the VFX Film category.

Our Games, VFX and Animation students made a stellar showing in this years' Rookies contest, with multiple projects reaching the finals in all three disciplines, and a number winning "Runner Up" or "Highly Commended".

Z Brush Evening Class Starts 5 September

We're launching a new evening class in Z Brush on 5th September 2019. Taught by Escape Studios' Games tutor Phil Meredith, this class is an introduction to the art and craft of sculpting with ZBrush, one of the most popular sculpting tools currently available for 3D artists.

Lion King Raises The Bar for Animal Animation

Lion King (2019)

MPC have raised the bar for animal and creature animation with Disney's release of The Lion King, the re-make of the Disney classic which I was fortunate enough to work on back in 1993.

I went to a preview of the film last night fully prepared to dislike it - how could anyone top the original? And why bother with a re-make, other than to please the shareholders?

But the Lion King is a triumph not just of technology but of great storytelling, as the film-makers kept most of the original film but wove in new elements to keep the story fresh.

Foxy Tail Overlap Tutorial

We've uploaded a new tutorial on animating overlapping action to our exanding Vimeo channel.

In this 12 minute video, I explain how to approach the challenge of animating overlapping action, using a simple bouncing ball character with  a flexible tail.

The trick is to break the process down into simple steps so that the principles can be applied easily.

Mike Hermes Video Tutorials

For students who are new to Autodesk Maya, the main software we use at Escape Studios, it's a great idea to do some online tutorials to start getting used to the interface. 

Of course, we teach all our students from scratch, but there is no doubt that students who have already learned the basics have a big head start.  And, of course, any student can download their free copy of Maya from the Autodesk Education Community site.

Daniel Baidoo Animator at Animal Logic

Daniel Baidoo

Many congratulations to our 3rd year undergraduate animator Daniel Baidoo, who has recently started work as an animator at Animal Logic animation studio in Sydney, Australia.

During his 3 years at Escape Studios, Daniel energetically pursued animation internships and industry work experience.

In 2018 Daniel found a role as a junior animator on the WW2 movie "Hurricane", working over the summer at Lipsync Post in London.  Prior to that he worked at Lipsync on the feature film Showdogs.

Daniel started his animation career by interning at King Bee animation while he was still a first year undergraduate, gaining valuable industry insight.

The Third Floor Visits Escape Studios

Justin Summers, Visualisation Supervisor

Last week our Advanced Animation students received feedback from The Third Floor's Visualisation Supervisor Justin Summers.

The Third Floor is a leading animation and VFX house that specialises in visualisation - both "previs" and "postvis".

In the visualisation process, digital artists work closely with the director to lock down the look and feel of individual sequences on a project, working fast to make creative choices on camera and character performance.

Key creative skills include cinematography, animation and the ability to structure a clear visual narrative.

Sebastian Kuder PreVis Artist at The 3rd Floor

Sebastian Kuder

Many congratulations to Sebastian Kuder, an undergraduate animation student who is part of the first cohort of animators to graduate from Escape Studios this summer, who has just started a new position as a Junior Previs Artist at The Third Floor.

The 3rd Floor is one of a number of animation VFX houses that specialise in previsualisation ("previs") in which digital artists work closely with the director to lock down the look and feel of individual sequences on a project, working fast to make creative choices on camera and character performance.

Concept Art Returns on 28th August

Concept Art Student Work

Last call for Concept Art, our evening class in visual development which is returning to Escape Studios on Wednesday 28th August 2019, taught by industry veteran Cenay Oekmen.

Concept Art is a part-time evening class, taught one night a week, running for eight weeks.

Concept Art introduces students to the many techniques and skills that go up to make a well-rounded concept artist, including 3D and 2D software.

What Goes in an Animation Bible?

Our animation students at Escape Studios don't just learn technical skills, they also learn to be creative artists, imagining new characters and stories, and pitching their ideas. 

A good animation pitch includes an animation bible, a vital part of the process of developing an animation film or TV series.

Shorescripts.com is an excellent resource for aspiring writers and creators, not just for traditional scriptwriters but also for anyone interested in pitching their own ideas.

Lipsync Tutorial by Simone Giampaolo

We've uploaded a new tutorial on animating Dialogue & Lipsync to our Vimeo channel.

Like the recent tutorial titled Building and Blocking a Scene, this one is by Aardman director and visiting tutor at Escape Studios, Simone Giampaolo.

In this 8-part video, Simone explains how to approach the challenge of animating dialogue and lipsync, breaking the process down into a simple, dependable workflow.

Maria Robertson Animator at Factory 42

Maria Robertson

Many congratulations to Escape Studios undergraduate animation student Maria Robertson for starting a new position as Junior Animator at Factory 42, an immersive and television content production studio based at Somerset House on the Strand.

Factory 42 specialises in virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality, creating "unique multi-sensory experiences for broadcasters, brands, destinations and artists."

Maria studied 3D animation at Escape Studios, and will graduate this summer, part of our first cohort of students to achieve their BA at Escape Studios.

Previs & Story Taster Day Wed 10 July 2019

Iliana Franklin teaches at Escape Studios

We're running a taster day in previsualisation & storyboarding on Wednesday 10 July, so that prospective students can get a feel for the content of our new MA in Previsualisation & Storyboarding, which launches on 30 September.

Story board & Previs artist Iliana Franklin, whose production credits include The Tale of Despereaux, will teach the class; and the full day of tuition costs just £25.

Storyboarding is Back on 29th October

Panel Forge

Storyboarding is back; our next evening class in storyboarding starts at our central London campus at 190 High Holborn on 29th October, running through to 17th December 2019.

This 8 week evening class is led by Francesca "Chess" Adams,  a story board artist at Blue Zoo, one of London's leading animation houses.

Chess brings her experience of working on shows like Digby Dragon and The Go Jetters, reflecting the huge increase in animated content being created right here in London in recent years, and the growing trend towards digital storyboarding tools such as Panel Forge, which speed up the process and help to bridge the gap with 3D Layout.

ILMxLAB Visits Escape Studios

Vikki Dobbs Beck at Escape Studios

Vikki Dobbs Beck from Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) visited Escape Studios last week to introduce our students to ILMxLab, the virtual reality pioneer that "invites audiences to step inside the world of our stories".

ILMxLab is all about immersive experiences. Their challenge as a startup venture within ILM is to leverage their in-house talent and create new experiences, using VR to tell stories in a fresh, innovative way.

As Vikki put it, we are "entering an age of experiential storytelling". To create this new reality, ILMxLab needed to "take risks, to learn, explore and discover new ideas".

Escape Studios Rocks "The Rookies"

Our Games, VFX and Animation students have made a stellar showing in this years' Rookies contest, with a multiple projects reaching the finals in all three disciplines.

BAFTA Short-listed Short film Jerich0, directed by animator Sarah Andrews and produced by VFX artist Matt Wight, made it to the finals for VFX Film of the Year.

And 3rd year undergraduate animation student Maria Roberton's animation reel is a finalist for 3D Animator Rookie of the Year.