How We Select Teams for Group Projects

One question we get asked regularly at Escape Studios is how we select the teams for group projects. Do the students decide, or do we decide? The answer is - a bit of both.  Here is how the system works.

There are in fact three main ways to create teams for group projects; all of them have their strengths and weaknesses. But first it is important to understand how we create groups at  Escape Studios.

We do a lot of group project work at Escape Studios, largely because this is how industry operates. Teamwork is one of the pillars of The Escape Method, how we teach at Escape Studios.  

Managing teams isn't easy or straightforward, but it is a vital skill to learn, and one of the main reasons why our students succeed in industry.

Group Project Work at Escape Studios

Group project work at Escape Studios

Group project work at Escape Studios operates at all levels, and has produced dozens of award-winning films, collecting hundreds of awards.  This is the main reason why "The Rookies" has ranked us in the top five globally for teamwork for the past three years. 

The Perfect Group

The perfect group contains a range of talents needed for making a short film. The key roles in a short animated film are: director, producer, editor, storyboard artist, layout artist, production designer, and pipeline supervisor.  

In the perfect group, all of these tasks can be performed by at least one person in the group. If original assets are needed, then modellers and riggers will be needed as well.  Of course, everyone in the group will tackle animation.  

Three Ways to Select a Group

Group projects - what we don't want

There are three main ways to select a group.

1. Random Selection

This is the simplest method - random selection, or "names out of a hat". The upside to this is that no-one gets the blame for the composition of the groups. The downside is that our students' individual talents are not well-distributed.  For example, you might end up with a group which has strong technical skills, but no-one to draw a storyboard, or vice versa. 

2. Students Decide

This method allows students to select their own groups. The upside to this is that - for the most part - students get to work with their friends, people who they get on with. The trouble with this method is that it can produce unhappy results, with certain students feeling left out, sidelined or otherwise marginalised. 

3. We Decide

The third method is that we decide, based upon our assessment of what our students are best at, so that we have a good distribution of talent within each group. 

Combination of 2 and 3

How we mark group projects at Escape Studios

In practice, we generally settle on a combination of 2 and 3.  This means that students can express their preferences by telling us who they would like to work with. We will try to honour these requests as far as possible, as long as we can ensure that the groups end up being well-balanced. 

Teamwork at Escape Studios

To see more about teamwork at Escape Studios and how we manage it, follow the links below:

• Managing Team Projects at Escape Studios
• Group Projects - Six Rules for Success
• The Escape Method - How it Works
• How Feedback Works at Escape Studios
• Marking Group Projects - How It Works
• The Rookies Ranks Escape Studios in Top 5 Globally for Teamwork 
• How to Make a Short Animated Film
• Framestore Brings Teamwork to Escape Studios
• When Group Projects Go Bad - What to Do?

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To find out more about our BA/MArt, now recruiting for September 2022, follow this link.   To apply, visit the official page here.