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| Connecting us to industry |
Our Advisory Board exists to offer wise advice and counsel, and help us ensure that our students graduate with the strongest set of relevant skills that match the current and future needs of industry.
Who is hiring, and for what? What are the skills shortages that we should be meeting? What is the latest tech that is driving growth?
Escape Studios Advisory Board
The Escape Studios Advisory Board is drawn from industry leaders across the games, animation & VFX industries. The Advisory Board helps us with the development and delivery of Escape Studios' undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, as well our short courses. Board members offer advice, panel debate, contributions to the VFX Festival, participation in round-table discussions and also host exclusive talks for our students.
Escape Method
Engagement with industry makes up one of the five pillars of what we call the Escape Method. The Escape Method is the way we teach animation at Escape Studios; it has five main components: intensive classroom teaching, online tutorials, constructive feedback, industry engagement, and group projects.
Advisory Board Meeting on Friday 22 January 2021
Our most recent meeting took place of Friday 22 January and included (as well as our in-house tutors at Escape Studios): Andrew Schlussel, Director of Global Talent at Framestore, Philip Hunt, partner at AKA, Gina Jackson, Development Direc, Amy Smith, Head of Talent at Framestore, Max Howard, Animation Consultant, Eamonn Butler, Head of Animation at Cinesite, Tom Box, Co-Founder of Blue Zoo, Shelley Page, Talent Development at Locksmith, Sarah Tanner, Director of Operations at Jellyfish Pictures, and Simon Payne, SEGA Creative Assembly.
A number of the panelists talked about the growing use in industry of real-time rendering, especially Unreal Engine, allowing fast renders on an animated film production. Real-time rendering allows studios to get a rough version of the movie into theatres for test screenings at the earliest possible stage, saving a huge amount of time and money in pre-production. Studios are now actively seeking talent that can use Unreal Engine effectively, and this is a growing area of demand for our recent graduates.
Other panel members stressed the need for graduates to be experienced in working in teams - something we practice extensively at Escape Studios. Artists must understand what producers do - and what producers must go through to bid for work and bring in projects on time and on budget. For an artist, being able to understand the nature of the pipeline and how teams work together is a vital part of the business.
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here.
Escape Studios Advisory Board
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| Shelley Page |
The Escape Studios Advisory Board is drawn from industry leaders across the games, animation & VFX industries. The Advisory Board helps us with the development and delivery of Escape Studios' undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, as well our short courses. Board members offer advice, panel debate, contributions to the VFX Festival, participation in round-table discussions and also host exclusive talks for our students.
Escape Method
Engagement with industry makes up one of the five pillars of what we call the Escape Method. The Escape Method is the way we teach animation at Escape Studios; it has five main components: intensive classroom teaching, online tutorials, constructive feedback, industry engagement, and group projects.
Advisory Board Meeting on Friday 22 January 2021
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| Amy Smith |
Our most recent meeting took place of Friday 22 January and included (as well as our in-house tutors at Escape Studios): Andrew Schlussel, Director of Global Talent at Framestore, Philip Hunt, partner at AKA, Gina Jackson, Development Direc, Amy Smith, Head of Talent at Framestore, Max Howard, Animation Consultant, Eamonn Butler, Head of Animation at Cinesite, Tom Box, Co-Founder of Blue Zoo, Shelley Page, Talent Development at Locksmith, Sarah Tanner, Director of Operations at Jellyfish Pictures, and Simon Payne, SEGA Creative Assembly.
Unreal Engine
Technical skills & Coding
A number of panelists stressed the need for high level technical training as well as creative development. Some argued that we should consider having more of a focus on preparing our students for a world of coding. To succeed in the industry, students to be increasingly technically-minded, with a blend of creative and technical skills.
Artists Need to Understand Production
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| Rendered in Unreal Engine |
Other panel members stressed the need for graduates to be experienced in working in teams - something we practice extensively at Escape Studios. Artists must understand what producers do - and what producers must go through to bid for work and bring in projects on time and on budget. For an artist, being able to understand the nature of the pipeline and how teams work together is a vital part of the business.
Senior Level talent
Other studios stressed the growing need for intermediate and senior-level talent, as the industry continues to expand, and skill shortages persist (and even grow) at senior levels. One studio head argued that they have "plenty of entry-level applicants", but that "gaps are appearing among senior staff" - an opportunity perhaps for Escape Studios to run more senior level classes for professionals looking to upskill.
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here.
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