Benoit Moranne To Teach at Escape Studios

Benoit Moranne

We're delighted to welcome Framestore animator Benoit Moranne to teach at Escape Studios.

Benoit is a senior animator at Framestore, and a veteran of many animation & VFX hits.

Benoit's credits include Lady & The Tramp, Maleficent, Venom, Jurassic World, Ready Player One, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Beasts (And Where To Find Them), and The Jungle Book.

An Evening with Gabriel Arnold: 30th Sept

Join us for one of our "Evening with..." events at Escape Studios on Monday 30th September as we welcome MPC artist Gabriel Arnold, to talk about the making of The Lion King.

Gabriel Arnold was Groom Lead at MPC, leading the team that created the breathtakingly realistic and believable muscle systems and fur on the creatures who made up the blockbuster Disney re-make. 

Sliced Bread Animation Visits Escape Studios

Jamie Denham of Sliced Bread

This week Escape Studios welcomed Jamie Denham, owner and managing director of Sliced Bread Animation, to talk to our MA Students about the business of animation.

Sliced Bread is a London-based animation studio founded in 2002, working for clients such as Sony, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Unilever.

Jamie talked to our students about how he first founded Sliced Bread animation and how the business has evolved since then. He also explained his approach to managing projects and clients, the difference between employees and freelancers, and how animation graduates can find their niche in the rapidly expanding but highly competitive animation industry.

Drawing Club is Back - Every Tuesday

Drawing Club is back, taking place every tuesday in the basement at 190 High Holborn.

There are two classes, running from 12.45pm to 1.45pm, and from 4.45pm to 5.45pm.

Even if you can barely draw a stick figure - come along and get stuck in. Drawing club is for beginners as well as experts, so don't be shy.

Framestore Brings Teamwork to Escape Studios

Framestore's Andrew Schlussel talks teamwork at Escape Studios

This month we have welcomed Andrew Schlussel, Director of Global Talent Development at Framestore, on a number of visits to talk to our first year students about the importance of teamwork.

Framestore is one of the world's leading VFX houses, and they know better than anyone the importance of artists learning to work together in productive teams.

Francesco Nevi Creature FX TD at Mill Film

Francesco Nevi

Many congratulations to Francesco Nevi, who has been appointed Creature FX TD at Mill Film in London, one of the UK's leading VFX houses.

Francesco took our 12 week animation short course and, after polishing his demo reel, successfully won a place on Framestore's LaunchPad Pro Creature FX course (CFX).

Creature FX animators are consistently in short supply and this has been an area of skills shortage in the UK for some time.

Last Call for Storyboarding on 29th October

Francesca "Chess" Adams

Last call for Storyboarding with Francesca "Chess" Adams,  veteran story board artist at Blue Zoo, one of London's leading animation houses.

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.

Chess brings her long 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.

Jericho wins Best Animation at Melrose Festival

Many congratulations to director Sarah Andrews and the makers of the short film Jericho, completed by our third year undergraduate animation students, which has won Best Animation at the the Melrose Film Festival in Orlando, Florida.

Jericho is a short film about a lonely robot searching for a friend. It was shortlisted for a student BAFTA, and won Best Animation and Best VFX at the Nexus Film Festival earlier this year.

Jericho will be screened along with Home Sweet Home at the London Film Festival at the BFI on Saturday, October 5th. 

Animation Taster Day Saturday 5th October

Benoit Moranne

We're running a new Animation Taster Day here at Escape Studios on Saturday 5th October, taught by veteran animator Benoit Moranne,  Senior Character & Creature Animator at Framestore.

We're delighted to welcome Benoit to Escape Studios. Benoit's film credits include Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom, Venom, Maleficent, and the forthcoming Lady & The Tramp.

Taster Days are a great chance to learn about character and creature animation, and find out what an animator's job is all about.

Mads Gould Production Asstnt at Playstation

Maddison Gould

Many congratulations to Escapee Maddison Gould who has just started a new job as a production assistant with Sony at the Playstation London Studio.

Playstation London was founded in 2002, and is located in the heart of Soho.  Their mission is to "pioneer new ways to tell stories and immerse the players in action, adventure and technology driven experiences."

Today, with around 100 employees, Playstation London continues to expand into VR and new entertainment experiences on PlayStation platforms.

Maria Casanueva Animator at MPC Montreal

Maria Casanueva

Many congratulations to Escapee Maria Casanueva, who is working as an animator at MPC in Montreal.

Maria took our 12 week animation short course at Escape Studios and from there joined the Technicolour MPC Academy, on the strength of her strong demo reel and a follow-up interview, and soon found work as an animation artist at MPC in Canada.

There was a small delay while visas were sorted out, but now she is well on her way to a successful career at one of the world's leading animation & VFX houses. 

AN5001 Computer Anim Pro Starts Today

Pantomime animation by Maria Robertson

Computer Animation Pro starts today, Monday 16 September. AN5001 is the first animation module that our undergraduate students encounter in their second year of studies.

Our students will tackle character actions, pantomime, acting, performance and dialogue.

Students will build on the animation skills they learned in the first year of studies, and particularly in AN4001 - Introduction to Animation.

The module culminates in an entry in the monthly 11 Second Club competition.

Reel Talk Live at Escape on 25th September

On Wednesday September 25 at 6:30pm Escape Studios is hosting "Reel Talk Live", an event in which we review alumni demo reels and discuss the Do's and Don'ts of demo reels.

We're welcoming industry partners The Third Floor, Jellyfish Pictures and Creative Assembly, who have all generously donated their time to help review student work.

A student's demo reel is the key to finding work in our industry. All are welcome, and you can book your free place here.

Golden Acorn Wins Best Teaser/Trailer

Miguel, Maciej & Titi-Marion at the "Golden Nugget"

Many congratulations to the makers of "The Golden Acorn", which has just won the Best Teaser/Trailer at last night's Golden Nugget International Film Festival. Congratulations also to the makers of Minuet, which won best animation. Both films are now listed at the Golden Nugget official site.

At just under 6 minutes, Minuet is our most ambitious film to date at Escape Studios, completed by our recent animation graduates.

"The Golden Acorn" is a movie trailer completed by 2nd year undergraduate Escape Studios Animation students, as part of their Studio Project module. 

Rookies Ranks Escape No 4 for VFX & Anim

2019 "Rookies" Rankings

The Rookies, the international online competition for aspiring VFX artists, has ranked Escape Studios at No4 globally for VFX and Animation Production Excellence.

This follows the huge success of films like Jericho, 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".

Final Call for Previs & Story MA Starts 30 Sept

Last chance to apply for our pioneering MA in previs and story, which starts on 30th September 2019.

This new degree is an animation world-first: a master's degree in Previsualisation & Storyboarding.

Developed in consultation with industry, and formally validated by the University of Kent, this degree is a unique opportunity to learn industry-level skills and also earn an internationally recognised academic qualification.

Francesca Pesce to Teach at Escape Studios

Francesca Pesce

We're delighted to welcome Francesca Pesce, lighting and comp supervisor at London animation powerhouse BlueZoo, to teach our masters' degree animation students at Escape Studios.

Francesca will be coming to Escape on Thursday 12th September and on Tuesday 17th September from 6pm until 9pm, to help our MA students on their team project work.

Francesca is a veteran of the Blue Zoo series Digby Dragon, and brings a wealth of experience in lighting and compositing to the MA students.

Elena, Amanda, Daniel, Stephen & Joseph Roto Animators at MPC

Daniel Amor

Many congratulations to Escapees Joseph Sciberras, Amanda Costa, Elena Scala, Stephen Mealand and Daniel Amor who have all started new positions as Roto Animators at MPC.

Amanda, Elena, Joseph and Daniel took our 12 week animation short course at Escape Studios, while Stephen is one of our first students to graduate from our BA in 3D Animation. 

All five now have an amazing opportunity to start their career in animation at one of London's leading VFX houses.

Improv for Animators Starts on 7th October

Improv with Bruce MacKinnon and Framestore

Actor and comedian Bruce MacKinnon, (The Office, Guardians of The Galaxy, Bohemian Rhapsody, Inside No.9, Black Mirror) has teamed up with Ross Burgess, Head of animation at Framestore, to create a new acting improv course, specifically designed for animators, starting on 7th October in Central London.

The purpose of the class is to "push animators creatively and explore through workshop how actors approach character movement and comedic storytelling."

As we know, animators are actors, and we strongly recommend our students take acting classes in order to improve their acting skills and choices. 

Lydia Layton Prod'n Co-ordinator at 2 Sides TV

Lydia Layton

Many congratulations to Escapee Lydia Layton, who is working as Production Co-ordinator at 2 Sides TV.

Lydia took our intensive 12 week class in 3D animation at Escape Studios, and has since developed a flourishing career as a producer of animated content.

Lydia's career is an example of how careers in the creative industries aren't always linear, and the challenging role of animation producer is a fascinating career path in its own right.

Introducing "Reece" the Cleanup Bot

Many congratulations to the makers of "Reece", a short film made by our undergraduate students earlier this year in the course of their VFX project, a studio project combining the talents of the animation and VFX students in their 3rd year of studies. Directed by Stephen Mealand and produced by Jack Wright, Reece is the story of a cleanup robot who gets carried away with his task.

Managing Successful Group Projects

Working in teams at Escape Studios

Group projects are something we do a lot of at Escape Studios. Animation is a team sport - almost all of our graduates will end up working in teams along side other artists on group projects.

Developing the skills to work on team projects is essential for success in our industry. Employers tell us they want team players, not soloists.

The problem is, group projects are hard, and can easily go wrong. Below are some of the common problems - and how to fix them. 

Jericho and Home Sweet Home in BFI London Film Festival Saturday 5th October

Many congratulations to the makers of Jericho and Home Sweet Home; both films have been invited to participate in the 63rd BFI London Film Festival from 2-13 October 2019, as part of the Family Short Film Programme. The nominees were officially announced on 29 August.

The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1953 and held in London, running in the second half of October with cooperation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from approximately 50 countries.

Jericho and Home Sweet Home will be screened at the BFI on London's South Bank on Saturday 5th October at Noon.