Rise of the Engines - Real Time on 5 Dec 2021

Animation in real time Sunday 5 Dec 2021

Join Escape Studios' Michael Davies and St John Walker for a panel talk on "Animation in Real Time" hosted by the London International Animation Festival (LIAF), revealing the secrets of real-time rendering in Unreal Engine.

The event is free and takes place online on Sunday 5 December 2021 at 11am.

Petroc Menuhin Animator at Freefolk

Petroc Menuhin

Many congratulations to Escapee Petroc Menuhin who has started work as an animator at FreeFolk VFX in Soho.

Petroc graduated with a BA in the Art of 3D Animation from Escape Studios, where he directed the short film "Offcut", which has won multiple festival awards.  

Freefolk is a UK-based VFX and animation house established in London in 2003 as Finish; it became Freefolk in 2016. 

Amarok Wins Hon Mention at Horror Island

Amarok wins Hon Mention at Horror Island Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Amarok", which has won an Honourable Mention at the Horror Island Film Festival in Las Palmas. 

Amarok was written and directed by Shenaaz Suliman and produced by Josiah Martin-Lofters.   Amarok has won many festival awards. 

Adam & Eve Mk II Best Animated Short LIMPA

Adam & Eve Mk II wins Best Animated Short at LIMPA

Many congratulations to Sebastian Kuder, director of "Adam & Eve Mk II", which has won Best Animated Short Film at the London International Motion Picture Awards (LIMPA).

Adam & Eve Mk II, is a sci-fi re-telling of the Genesis story, directed by Escapee Sebastian Kuder.   Adam & Eve Mk II has won over a dozen festival awards.  

  

Young Cartoonist of the Year Competition Open

Deadline 5 January 2022

The Young Cartoonists of the Year Competition is back; the deadline for submissions is 5 January 2022.

Hosted by the Cartoon Museum, re-opened after its long Covid-19-slumber, the annual competition seeks to reward rising cartoon talent. 

Judges include Martin Rowson (The Guardian), Christian Adams (Evening Standard), Banx (FT), Peter Brookes (The Times), Nick Newman (Private Eye), and Matt from the Daily Telegraph. 

Jelly Cars Best Cinematography Halicarnassus

Jelly Cars wins Best Cinematography at Halicarnassus

Escape Studios is proud to congratulate animation tutor Lee Caller whose short film Jelly Cars has won "Best Cinematography" at the Halicarnassus Film Festival. 

This is the latest award for Jelly Cars; which last year won a Special Mention at the ANSFF in Buenos Aires.

Cartoon Museum "Laughter Lab" Opens

Last night was the opening of a new exhibition at London's Cartoon Museum, titled Laughter Lab: What’s So Funny?, which seeks to "uncover the science behind funniness".  

The exhibition invites visitors to contribute to a science experiment which hopes to find out what makes a cartoon funny. 

The experiment is being conducted in collaboration with Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford. What makes us laugh? It's a complex question, with some surprising science behind it. 

Meet Mr Buttons - the Cartoon Cat

Mr Buttons

Meet Mr Buttons, the cartoon cat created by veteran animator and rigger Keith Osborn, who has made his cute orange cat available for free download.

Mr Buttons is a fun, quirky rig, suitable for broad cartoony character animation.  Mr Buttons is the star of Osborn's book "Cartoony Character Animation with Maya", which we recommend for all our students.

We also have a series of tutorials with Mr Buttons (see below) on how to plan cartoony animation.

How to Block out a Dialogue Shot

How do animators plan out a dialogue shot from scratch? As with everything in animation, the secret is in the planning. The key skill that all animators must learn at Escape Studios is how to plan a shot from start to finish.  Start with an idea, think it through, shoot live action reference and draw thumbnail sketches. Then, and only, then should you start creating poses in Maya. 

Sesame Street Sound Archive

For animators looking for inspiration for some cartoony animation with dialogue, one great place to search is the Sesame Street Sound Archive, which you can find here. 

The Sesame Street Sound Archive is full of cartoony audio clips, which work well with cartoony characters such as Mr Buttons and also the Willy rig.  

To get started, try picking a very short line of dialogue, download it and then drag and drop it into your timeline in Maya. To see more about how to use audio files in Maya, follow this link.  To see more about how to use the "Willy" rig, see this blog post.

Malloe Best No Budget at Dreamer's Film Fest

"Malloe" Best No Budget at Dreamer's Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Malloe", which has won Best No Budget Film at the Dreamer's Film Festival.

"Malloe" is a short film about two children who find a very unusual creature - one that is very fond of marshmallows. 

"Malloe" was directed by Eilin Berrio Pena, edited by Ross Green, and produced by Nickoel Izharudin.  It has won many festival awards. 

Success Stories at Escape Studios

Success Stories at Escape Studios

Here at Escape Studios we have thousands of Escapees working in the global animation, games and VFX industries.

Check out the infographic on the left to see some of the projects that our recent graduates are working on. 

To see more recent Success Stories at Escape Studios, and see the kinds of studios that our animation students are getting hired by, follow this link. 

Peer Observation Returns to Escape Studios

Lee Caller Teaching at Escape Studios

"Peer Observation" at Escape Studios is part of the process of making sure that we are delivering the best possible classes to our students. 

"Peer Obs" is about staff development, sharing of best practice, enhancing teaching quality and generally keeping us all on our toes. 

Each tutor at Escape Studios should make sure that in any given academic year they observe at least one colleague teaching, and also make sure that they themselves are observed at least once.

Luis Marcillo-Coronado Animator at Jellyfish

Luis David Marcillo-Coronado

Many congratulations to Escapee Luis David Marcillo-Coronado who has recently started work as a 2D animator at Jellyfish Pictures in London.

Luis completed a Master's Degree in Animation here at Escape Studios and, after graduating with an MA, continued to polish his demo reel.

At Escape Studios, Luis contributed to the award-winning short film "Flame", a group project directed by Cherelle Owusu and produced by Carolina Xavier, which has won multiple festival awards.

Luis's career at Jellyfish began as a runner, a well-established entry-level pathway into the animation and vfx industries, after which he got a well-deserved promotion to animator.

Seeker Wins Best Trailer at Costa Brava Fest

Seeker wins Best Trailer at Costa Brava

Congratulations to Escapee Rassoul Edji, whose short film "Seeker" has won Best Trailer at the Costa Brava Film festival. 

 "Seeker" is a short sci-fi film directed by Rassoul Edji and produced by Tosin Ogunleye.   Seeker is about a giant robot running amok in suburban England.  

Seeker has won around a dozen festival awards. 

"Crash" Audience Award at UK Student Fest

Many congratulations to the makers of "The Crash", a short film created by VFX students at Escape Studios, which has won the "Audience Favourite" Award at the UK Student Film Festival, including a cash prize of $100.

"The Crash" is a sci-fi VFX short written and directed by Lewys Rhodes, and produced by Daniel Rowe.

"The Crash" is a short film created by our students at Escape Studios, combining live action and VFX. It has won many festival awards.   

"It Doesn't Work": How to Fix Tech Problems

Why Doesn't It Work?

"It doesn't work"  is a problem frequently encountered by our students at Escape Studios.

Remember that every technical problem, no matter how infuriating, has a solution. One of the key skills our students learn at Escape is how to solve problems - and find solutions, so that production work can continue. Digital artists face an endless stream of technical hiccups.

Seeker Wins Best VFX (Hon Mention) at LIMFF

"Seeker" wins Best VFX (Hon. Mention) at LIMFF

Congratulations to Escapee Rassoul Edji, whose short film "Seeker" has won an Honourable Mention in the category of Best VFX at the LIMFF. 

 "Seeker" is a short sci-fi film directed by Rassoul Edji and produced by Tosin Ogunleye, about a giant robot running amok in suburban England.  Seeker has won many festival awards. 

Toonboom Harmony Course Starts 28 March

Escape Studios is launching a brand-new 12 Week 2D Animation Short Course in Toonboom Harmony starting on 28 March 2022.

Learn the to become an animator using Toonboom Harmony, one of the leading software packages for the creation of 2D animation.

In recent years 2D animation has experienced a significant revival, both in the UK and overseas, as Studios such as Blue Zoo, Aardman Animation, and Brown Bag Films adopt the software.

Graduation Ceremony 7 December 2021

Graduation 2021

Graduation is back at last.  This year's long-delayed graduation ceremony will be on the 7th December 2021 at the Mermaid Theatre,  Blackfriars, London. 

We look forward to welcoming all our graduating students from 2021, 2020 and 2019 for the graduation ceremony and reception afterwards. 

The graduation ceremony is a formal occasion to celebrate our students' achievement, and has only been possible at last since the relaxation of Covid restrictions. 

New Books for the Animation Library

New books for the library

We've got some new books for the Escape Studios Animation Library - two more copies of two of our most popular books:  The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams and "Prepare to Board" by Nancy Beiman, on the Art of Storyboarding. 

The Escape Studios Animation Library is located on the Third Floor at 190 High Holborn, outside Toontown and Winterfell classrooms. 

All the books are free to borrow and read, but you must sign them out with the little Orange Library Book (see below). 

Celine Davies Storyboard Artist at Disney

Celine Davies

Congratulations to Escapee Celine Davies who has joined Walt Disney Animation as a Storyboard Artist.

Celine took our MA in Storyboarding and Previsualisation at Escape Studios, learning the art and craft of storyboarding with industry veteran Iliana Franklin.

Our MA in Storyboarding and Previsualisation first ran in 2019, and was the first MA of its kind. 

In creating the course, we worked closely with industry to identify key skills shortages in the UK animation industry, aiming to supply our students with the necessary skills to work at a professional level. 

CR5001 Anim Specialism starts 10 Jan 2022

BAA Awards - Ident Challenge!

Module CR5001 "Animation Specialism" starts on January 10th 2022. 

The second year of animation studies at Escape Studios is where our students begin to focus on individual proficiency in the craft of animation.

The Specialism Module (Module Code CR5001) is a self-study module in which students select an area of specialism and develop their skills. 

CR5001 runs for five weeks, culminating in a portfolio presentation.  This year we are collaborating with the biennial BAA Awards to create a series of idents for next year's BAA Awards Ceremony on 10 March 2022.  The final deadline for submission is Wednesday 9 February 2022. 

BoxBots Wins Best VFX at Art Film Fest

Many congratulations to the makers of "BoxBots", which has won Best VFX at the Art Film Awards. 

Directed by Jordan Coles and Ross Green, and produced by Priya Shah, "BoxBots" is about a contest between two toys who compete for the "World Plasticweight Championship".

BoxBots has won many festival awards. 

Copyright For Animators - What You Must Know

Copyright Law is a common area of confusion for animators. What does copyright mean? How does it come about? What do terms like "public domain" mean? Many of these terms are widely used but often misunderstood. Copyright law forms part of a complex system of global laws which vary from one country to another,  but the basics of copyright law are easy to grasp and understand.  Watch the short video about for a basic introduction to copyright law, and how it works for animators.

Joe Wins Best VFX at Cinematic Film Fest

Joe wins Best VFX at the CEFF

Many congratulations to the makers of Joe, which has won Best VFX at the Cinematic European Film Festival.

 "Joe" is a short film directed by Callum Reeve and produced by Aidan Lonergan, completed as part of animation Module PR6001,  a Studio Project worth 60 Credits. 

Joe is a story about a cleanup robot that goes wrong.

Joe has won many festival awards. 

Offcut Wins Best VFX at Kosice Fest

Offcut wins Best VFX at Kosice Film Fest

Many congratulations to the makers of "Offcut", which has won Best VFX at the Kosice International Film Festival.

Offcut is a short film directed by Petroc Menuhin, produced by Tosin Ogunleye and Ethen Dent, which follows the adventures of a discarded scrap of wood who comes to life and finds meaning in music.   "Offcut" has won many festival awards.  

Adam & Eve Mk II Best Sci Fi at Art Film Fest

Many congratulations to Sebastian Kuder, director of "Adam & Eve Mk II", which has won Best Sci-Fi at the Art Film Awards.

Adam & Eve Mk II, is a sci-fi re-telling of the Genesis story, directed by Escapee Sebastian Kuder, now working as a cinematographer at The Third Floor.  

Adam & Eve Mk II has won many festival awards.  

  

Paloma Zhu Animator at MPC

Paloma Zhu

Congratulations to Escapee Paloma Zhu who has started work as an animator at MPC Episodic. 

MPC is one of London's longest-established VFX and animation houses; responsible for hits such as The Lion King and The Jungle Book

While at Escape Studios, Paloma Zhu directed two award-winning films: "Hotel Aloha" and "Kiwi's Dream" and contributed her talent as an animator and art director to many others.  Paloma also worked at Escape Studios as a Studio Assistant, and also recorded video tutorials to our expanding Vimeo Channel.

Little Gestures Best VFX at Tokyo Film Fest

Many congratulations to the makers of "Little Gestures", which has won an award for Best VFX at the Tokyo Film Festival. 

This is the latest award for "Little Gestures", a short story about an artist's maquette which comes to life. 

The film was directed by Richard O'Hanlon and Daniel Brand-Sinyinza, and produced by Nickoel Izharudin and Dominic Strachan. 

"Little Gestures" was completed as part of the third year animation Module PR6001, a Studio Project worth 60 Credits, overseen by UG Program Leader Michael Davies.

MA Character Creation Returns 26 Sept 2022

Creature by Max Brazier-Jones

Our new MA in Character and Creature Creation, is returning on 26 September 2022.

The MA in Character & Creature Creation is about designing, modeling, and rigging your own characters.  

In this Master's Degree, students learn the stages of character creation from design through modeling, rigging, texturing and final render. 

To apply, visit the official course page here.  You can read about it at AWN.com here.

Home Sweet Home Best VFX at Argenteuil

Many congratulations to the makers of "Home Sweet Home", which has won "Best VFX" at the Argenteuil International Film Festival.

  

Home Sweet Home is about a gang of discarded sweets trying to get back to their sweet shop home. 

Home Sweet Home was directed by Maria Robertson, co-directed by Harry Pearson and produced by Maddison Gould.  

AN4001 Starts 10 January 2022

"Foxy Tail" animation by Maria Robertson

For our first year undergraduates, our core animation module - Animation 1 - starts on Monday 10th January 2022.

AN4001 is a 15 Credit module that introduces students to the fundamentals of character and creature animation. 

The module, which is taught by veteran animation Marc Stevenson, lasts for four weeks, and covers all the basic principles of animation.

The Crash Best Micro Short at Dreamachine

The Crash wins Best Micro Short at Dreamachine Fest

Many congratulations to the makers of "The Crash", a short film created by VFX students at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Micro Short" at the Dreamachine Film Festival.

"The Crash" is a sci-fi VFX short written and directed by Lewys Rhodes, and produced by Daniel Rowe, who earlier this year produced the multi-award-winning short film "Kiwi's Dream".   

Beauty of Nature Best Micro Short at Vesuvius

Beauty of Nature Best Micro Short at Vesuvius Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "The Beauty of Nature", which has won Best Micro Short at the Vesuvius Film Festival.  

Directed by Eliezer Girma and produced by Liam Mann, "The Beauty of Nature" was animated in Maya, edited in Adobe Premiere and rendered in Unreal Engine. 

Velvet Brandon Technical Animator at Eyes Out

Velvet Brandon

Many congratulations to Escapee Velvet Brandon, who has started work as a technical animator at the LA-based studio Eyes Out.

While studying the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, Velvet worked as an animator and VFX artist on two successful short films: "Jerich0" and also "Minuet", both of which have won multiple festival awards. 

During the course of her studies, Velvet specialised in animation and rigging.