Using Live Action to Create Great Animation at Vimeo

Edward Muybridge led the way in the 1850s

The Escape Studios Vimeo Tutorial Channel is our main hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easy for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies.  

One challenge for all of our animation students is how to use live action reference to create great animation - as well as MoCap animation. 

Below is a list of our animation tutorials showing how live action reference and MoCap can be the animator's best friend.

Escape Visits Film London at Westminster College

Escape Studios was invited by Film London yesterday to talk to students and young professionals at Westminster Kingsway College about the animation production pipeline.  But it soon became clear that what the audience really wanted was specific guidance on how to break into the creative industries.  "How..." one audience member asked (more than once)..."can I get a job?"  

This is a very common question - and not always an easy one to answer.  The industry has big skills shortages - for example, 2D compositing is currently hugely in demand, and we have almost 100% employment among our compositing Escapees. But is compositing the right career path for that particular person? 

  

"Alma" Wins "Best Sci-Fi" at Sun Film Festival

"Alma": Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi at The Sun Film Festival

Congratulations to the makers of "Alma", which has won Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi at The Sun Film Festival.

"Alma", is the first fully motion capture CG short film created at Escape Studios. 

Alma was directed by Rola Hafez, produced by Emmanouil "Manos" Zervoudakis, and overseen by animation tutor Amedeo Beretta.

Alma has won many festival awards.  

"Tech Troubles" Best Score (Hon Mention) in Milan

"Tech Troubles" Best Score (Hon Mention) in Milan

Many congratulations to the makers of the VFX short "Tech Troubles", which has won an Honourable Mention in the category of "Best Score" at the Milan Gold Awards.  

Directed by David Akinyose and produced by Louis Gaffney,  Tech Troubles was a collaboration between undergraduate animation and vfx students, working together to create an original story.  The score was composed by Ben Salwey. 

Toonboom Visit to Escape Studios 30 Jan 2023

Escape Studios is delighted to welcome Toonboom president Francois Lalonde, Head of Sales Bradley Kravitz and Toonboom UK representative Andy Wyatt to our central London campus on Monday 30th January 2023.  

Toonboom Harmony is a software package fast establishing itself as the leading tool for 2D animation, and an important part of our new 2D Animation Pathway at Escape Studios.

Golden Acorn Wins Best Trailer at FOFA

"The Golden Acorn" wins Best Trailer at FoF Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "The Golden Acorn", which has won an award for Best Trailer at the Future of Film Awards.

"The Golden Acorn" is a movie trailer completed by 2nd year undergraduate Escape Studios Animation students, written & directed by Maciej Osuch, edited & produced by Miguel Teixeira. 

In The Golden Acorn a detective duo team up in NutTown to defeat an evil squirrel crime boss - two agents, one nutcase.  The Golden Acorn has won many festival awards.

What's in the L7 MArt at Escape Studios?

"Novem", directed by Erin Harrison

Our Level Integrated Masters Degree is back on 18th September 2023.  

Most of our undergraduate students will graduate after three years with a BA, but others will study with us for one more year, at the end of which they will graduate "Master of Arts" in chosen their subject.  

This is known as an "integrated masters" degree, because the masters' year builds on the first three years of undergraduate study.  

"Stellar Rescue" Wins "Best Micro Short" in London

"The Stellar Rescue" Best Micro Short" at LMA

Many congratulations to the makers of "The Stellar Rescue", which has won an award for "Best Micro Short" at the London Movie Awards. 

"The Stellar Rescue" was written and directed by Anthony Sarmiento, and produced by Wiktoria Swierk.  It was created as part of a group project by second-year animation students, working together as a team.   The Stellar Rescue tells the story of a young boy who must rescue a fallen baby star and return it to its parents. It has won many festival awards. 

Shelley Page to Visit Escape Studios 26 Jan 2023

Escape Studios is delighted to welcome Animation industry veteran Shelley Page to our central London campus tomorrow to give our second year animation students industry feedback on their specialism projects.

Shelley's credits include "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", "Shrek 1-4", "Shark Tale", "Madagascar", "Kung Fu Panda", and "How to Train Your Dragon".  Shelley is currently Key Talent and Artist Liaison at Locksmith Animation in London.  

Escape Students Work on Guard Bros' "Borderland"

Felicity Jones stars in Borderland.

Escape Studios is proud to be contributing over a dozen VFX shots to the forthcoming UK indie thriller "Borderland", directed by London-based film-makers Tom and Charles Guard.

In Borderland, a retired Irish paramilitary witnesses the fatal shooting of his pregnant wife by an SAS officer, taking his revenge to the streets of 1970's London.

"Threaded Together" Best Sound Design at Onyko

"Threaded Together" Best Sound Design at Onyko Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Threaded Together", which has won Best Sound Design at the Onyko Film Awards.

Threaded Together was directed by Shauna Ludgate and produced by Manos Zervoudakis. The original score was composed by Maria Cortes-Monroy. Sound design and foley was by Mihail Sustov.

Threaded Together tells the story of a needle who longs to be reunited with his friends.   This is the latest of many festival awards for Threaded Together. 

Why Animation Graduates Need The Rookies

All our graduating animation and VFX students at Escape Studios are in the process of creating their own page at The Rookies, now one of the leading platforms for connecting students to the creative industries. 

Creating an individual page at The Rookies helps our students to showcase their work to the wider VFX and animation community, with a view to maximising their future prospects and employability.

Being visible to industry, easy to find, and easy to hire, is one of the core professional skills learned by our students at Escape Studios.

Bouncing Ball Rig from Escapee Dave Mattock

Free bouncing ball rig from David Mattock

We're liking this new free bouncing ball rig from Escapee David Mattock, founder of the independent animation studio Full Rotation Ltd, whose clients include Netflix.

David has recently launched a new YouTube channel teaching animation, 3d modelling, and motion design; the channel also serves as a growing online community for animation artists and freelancers. 

Marc Stevenson Splash and Wave Effect Tutorial

 

Escape Studios' animation tutor Marc Stevenson has created a new tutorial on how to animate a splash and wave effect - quickly and easily.  You can find the tutorial at Marc's YouTube channel here.  Marc has built up a comprehensive library of animation video tutorials, which can be found at his personal YouTube Channel: Marc has created dozens of animation tutorials, mostly aimed at animation beginners.

Introducing "Tatty"

Escape Studios is proud to present "Tatty", the latest short film created by our third year animation and vfx students at Escape Studios.  Directed by Amelia Watson and produced by Wiktoria Swierk,  Tatty was a collaboration between undergraduate animation and vfx students at Escape Studios, working together to create an original story.  Studio projects such as this one are part of what we call The Escape Method - bringing together students with multiple talents to work in teams. 

Frederic Du Chau Visits Escape Studios 23 Jan 2023

Frederic Du Chau

Escape Studios is delighted to welcome Hollywood director Frederic Du Chau will visit our central London campus on Monday January 23rd, to meet our second year animation students, and introduce them to the principles underlying a successful Hollywood pitch. 

What is involved in a great pitch? How do aspiring artists and content creators pitch ideas to studios and production houses?  

Frederic Du Chau has directed many Hollywood films including "Quest For Camelot", "Racing Stripes" and "Underdog".  All of these projects began with a successful pitch. 

Frederic is also the author of the graphic novel "Ameluna", which has recently been released.

ToonBoom Harmony Tutorials at Vimeo

As part of our new 2D Animation Pathway at Escape Studios, we've curated a list of helpful tutorials in Toonboom Harmony, to support our new 2D animation students in their classroom studies.  

Veteran animator and Escape Studios tutor Steve Lall has curated a playlist of resources to help get our students up and running with Harmony. 

Today, Harmony animators are much in demand, as 2D animation experiences a significant revival.

"Papercut" Wins Best Micro Short at Int'l Gold Awards

"Papercut": Best Micro Short at International Gold Awards

Many congratulations to makers of the VFX short film "Papercut", which has won "Best Micro Short" at the International Gold Awards.
  

Directed by Giorgos Konstantinou and produced by Victoria Arraez, Papercut was a collaboration between 3rd year undergraduate animation and vfx students, working together to create an original short.  

MA 3D Animation Returns on 27 March 2023

Our MA (Master of Arts) in 3D Animation is back, with a new class starting on 27 March 2023.

The MA in animation will be taught both online and at our mid-town campus at 190 High Holborn in central London.

In recent years our MA animation students have created many award-winning film projects such as "Alma", "Flame", "Hat Shop", "Mafia Mix-Up" and "Moon Rockz". Many have also gone on to enjoy successful careers in industry. 

If you're looking for an animation course that teaches you how to animate to a professional level, and also leads to a formal qualification in the field, then this could be the right course for you.

Animation Short Course Starts 27 March 2023

Animation by Sunny Asada

Our 12 week animation course starts on 27 March 2023. The course is aimed at anyone who wants to learn the art and craft of 3D Animation, and aims to take students to a professional level of skill, making them studio-ready talent.

Taught by veteran animation tutor Lee Caller, our animation is designed to help our students find employment in the expanding animation and VFX industry.

AN4001 "Animation One" is Back Jan 2023

 

For our first year undergraduates, our core animation module - Animation 1 - started last week.  AN4001 is a 15 Credit module that teaches all our first year students the fundamentals of character and creature animation. The module lasts four weeks, and covers all the basic principles of animation. To see some of the best work done by our first year undergraduate animators, watch the short video above, recently cut together by Escape Studios' animation tutor Marc Stevenson.

Short Course & PG Taster Day Sat 21 Jan 2023

Animation & VFX Tasters on Saturday 12 November

Join us on Saturday 21st January 2023 for a Short Course and Post-Graduate Open Day at Escape Studios, hosted at our central London campus at 190 High Holborn WC1. 

The event takes place on Saturday 21st January, where you can visit our studios, try out our software and find out what it's like to study with us. 

Alex Maynard Teaches Unreal Engine 17 Jan 2023

Alex Maynard teaches Unreal Engine

Tomorrow Tuesday 17th January Escape Studios welcomes Studio Assistant Alex Maynard to introduce our second year animation students to the power of Unreal Engine. 

Realtime rendering is a growing part of the animation production pipeline. Whether our students are studying VFX, animation, or games, Unreal Engine offers big savings in render times.

BSc/MSci Character Creation: Animation Games & VFX

Goblin Creature by Paul Strachan

We're delighted to announce our newest undergraduate "Tech Degree": BSc/MSci Character Creation for Animation, Games and VFX, which is now recruiting for September 2023.  

This new degree has come about after long consultation with industry, seeking to establish the right mix of creativity and technical skills needed in the modern animation, games and VFX industries. 

You can find our new BSc/MSci Character Creation for Animation, Games and VFX here at the official site. 

"Jerich0" Wins "Best Sound Design" at FOF Awards

Jerich0, wins "Best Sound Design" at FoF Awards

Many congratulations to the makers of Jerich0, which has won an award for "Best Sound Design" at the Future of Film Awards.

Jerich0 is a short VFX film about a lonely robot who builds a friend.  This is the latest of many awards for the BAFTA-shortlisted Jerich0; directed by Sarah Andrews, and produced by Matt Wight.  

Sound Design was by Aaron Hopwood and the original score was composed by Alexandra Harwood.

 

Last Call for UCAS 2023!

UCAS - deadline 25 January

Last Call for UCAS applications for Escape Studios for September 2023 - the deadline to apply is January 25th.  

If you are thinking of applying to Escape Studios to study the Art of 3D Animation, Games or Visual effects, it's time to get your application in through UCAS. 

"Ambush" Wins Best VFX Award at FOFA

"Ambush" wins "Best VFX" at FoF Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Ambush", which has won an award for "Best VFX" at the Future of Film Awards.

Ambush was directed by Thomas Grantley and produced by Viktor Fiuk. The 3D Lead was Efthymios Bairaktaris and the 2D Lead was Andrea Tomas.  

Ambush was completed as part of the VFX Project, the final film-making module in the third year of studies at Escape Studios, in which students work together to create a short film, mirroring as closely as possible the workings of a studio environment. This is Ambush's third festival award.

"Explosive Love" Wins Hon Mention at EEF Fest

"Explosive Love" Hon Mention Best Student Filmmaker

Congratulations to the makers of "Explosive Love", which has won an Honourable Mention in the category of "Best Student Filmmaker" at the Eastern Europe Film Festival.

"Explosive Love" was directed by Alba Rodriguez and produced by Rohnak Sharma.  

"Explosive Love" tells the story of a lonely puffer fish looking for love - in an unlikely place.  This is its fifth festival award.

"An Evening With" Avatar's Kim Sinclair 24th Jan

On Tuesday 24th January at 5.30pm we welcome Oscar and BAFTA-award-winning Avatar Art Director Kim Sinclair, for our latest "An Evening With..." event.

Kim Sinclair was the Lead Art Director of ‘Avatar’ (2009), for which he won an Oscar for "Best Achievement in Art Direction" as well as a Bafta for "Best Production Design".

The event will be held at Escape Studios in rooms 1.11 / 1.12 on Tuesday the 24th of January at 5:30pm.

Kim will give us a talk about his work on the first Avatar followed by a Q&A in which our students can ask questions about his life, work and career.

Kim started his career as a Set Designer in 1982.  Since then, he has art directed movies for many Hollywood directors including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Bob Zemeckis, James Cameron, Zack Snyder and Peter Jackson.

Meet "Lucky Break"

Escape Studios is proud to present "Lucky Break", the latest short film created by our third year animation and vfx students at Escape Studios.  Directed by Victoria Stoykova, edited by Rohnak Sharma, and produced by Adewale Ogunbekun,  Lucky Break was a collaboration between undergraduate animation and vfx students, working together to create an original story.  Studio projects such as this one are part of what we call The Escape Method - bringing together students with multiple talents to work in teams. 

"Threaded Together" Wins Hon Mention at AFA

Threaded Together wins Best Director (Hon Mention)

Congratulations to the makers of "Threaded Together", which has won an Honourable Mention in the category of Best Director at the Art Film Awards.

Threaded Together was directed by Shauna Ludgate and produced by Manos Zervoudakis. The original score was composed by Maria Cortes-Monroy.

Threaded Together tells the story of a needle who longs to be reunited with his friends.   This is the latest of many festival awards for Threaded Together. 

"Our Ocean" Wins Two Awards at Pure Magic Fest

"Our Ocean" wins "Honor Award" and "Best Micro Short" 

Congratulations to the makers of "Our Ocean", which has won an "Honor Award" and also "Best Micro Short" at the Pure Magic International Film Festival. 

Our Ocean was created by our fourth year animation and vfx students, studying the Art of Computer Animation and VFX.   

Written and Directed by Priya Shah, and produced by Ethen Dent, Our Ocean was a collaboration with the charity "Ocean Generation".  

This is the latest of many festival awards for Our Ocean.

Alex and Ben "Top 11" in Eleven Second Club

Many congratulations to our Studio Assistants Alex Maynard and Ben Swallow whose contribution to the December 2022 "The 11 Second Club" competition has made it onto the "Top 11" 11 Second Club Leaderboard.  Alex and Ben shared the animation of the two characters conducting an alien abduction of an unsuspecting human - a clever and imaginative take on the line of dialogue, winning them a spot at No 9.  Well done to them both on making the Top 11 (The 11 Second Club always "goes to 11").

"Solitude" Wins Best Sci-Fi at Art Film Awards

Escape Studios is proud to congratulate the makers of"Solitude", which has won its third festival award - "Best Sci-Fi" at the Art Film Awards.

Directed by Molly McCabe, edited by Liam Mann, and produced by Charlotte Gimbird, "Solitude" is about solitude, isolation - and the power of friendship. 

"Solitude" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which students work together as a team on short film projects.

Introducing "Game Knight"

 

Escape Studios is proud to present "Game Knight", the latest short film created by our third year animation and VFX students at Escape Studios.  Directed by Wyndham Brunt and produced by Christopher Marsden-Carleton,  Game Knight was a collaboration between undergraduate animation and vfx students, working together to create an original story.  

"Side Quest" Wins Hon Mention at AFA

Side Quest wins Best First-Time Director

Congratulations to the makers of "Side Quest", which has won an Honourable Mention in the category of "Best First Time Director" at the Art Film Awards. 

Side Quest is an adventure story set in a distant fantasy land, in which a brave knight embarks on a quest to free a Princess from a vicious dragon

"Side Quest" was directed by Jess Hiles and produced by Priya Shah.

Producing for VFX is Back on 29 March 2024

Our evening class in Producing for VFX is back, starting on 29th March 2024. Producing for VFX is an eight week evening class, taught two nights a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-10pm). Producing for VFX is designed to give students a thorough understanding of how the VFX production pipeline works, and how to apply it in practice.  What does a VFX Producer actually do? Students will learn the full ecosystem of VFX production, taught by veteran VFX producer Martin Gabriel. 

"Golden Acorn" Wins Best Trailer at RFA

Golden Acorn Best Trailer at RFA Festival

Congratulations to the makers of "The Golden Acorn", which has won an award for Best Trailer at the Robinson Film Awards.

"The Golden Acorn" is a movie trailer completed by 2nd year undergraduate Escape Studios Animation students, written & directed by Maciej Osuch, edited & produced by Miguel Teixeira. 

In The Golden Acorn a detective duo team up in NutTown to defeat an evil squirrel crime boss - two agents, one nutcase.  The Golden Acorn has won many festival awards.

Meet "Tech Troubles"

Escape Studios is proud to present "Tech Troubles", the latest short film created by our third year animation and vfx students at Escape Studios.  Directed by David Akinyose and produced by Louis Gaffney,  Tech Troubles was a collaboration between undergraduate animation and vfx students, working together to create an original story.  Studio projects such as this one are part of what we call The Escape Method - bringing together students with multiple talents to work in teams.

VFX Festival "Emerging Talent" 22-23 Feb 2023

VFX Festival "Emerging Talent" 2023 

The VFX Festival "Emerging Talent" Starts on Wednesday 22 February 2023, part of the 2023 VFX Festival at Escape Studios.  

The VFX Festival "Emerging Talent" is aimed at students currently studying within Higher or Further Education, recent graduates looking to kick start a career, and also professionals wanting to learn more about the industry.  The festival schedule includes industry talks, presentations, panel discussions, career advice and recruitment opportunities.

"Papercut" Wins "Best Micro Short" at Vesuvius Fest

Papercut Best Micro Short at Vesuvius Fest

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short "Papercut", which has won "Best Micro Short" at the Vesuvius Film Festival.  

Directed by Giorgos Konstantinou and produced by Victoria Arraez, Papercut was a collaboration between 3rd year undergraduate animation and vfx students, working together to create an original short.  

"Amarok" Wins "Best Trailer" at VIZ Film Fest

Amarok - Best Trailer at the VIZ Film Festival

Congratulations to the makers of "Amarok", which has won Best Trailer at the VIZ Film Festival.

Amarok was written and directed by Shenaaz Suliman and produced by Josiah Martin-Lofters.  

Amarok tells the story of a First Nations police detective in a remote town in Northern Canada where a curfew is imposed as a savage wolf stalks the community.  Amarok has won many festival awards. 

Introducing "iCare"

iCare | Student Short Film - Escape Studios from Bruno Urzì on Vimeo.

Escape Studios is proud to present "iCare", the latest short film created by our third year animation and vfx students at Escape Studios.  Directed by Bruno Urzi and produced by Alex Sellen,  iCare was a collaboration between undergraduate animation and vfx students, working together to create an original story.  Studio projects such as this one are part of what we call The Escape Method - bringing together students with multiple talents to work in teams and produce an industry-quality outcome. 

"Working With Dinosaurs" Wins Best Comedy Award

Working with Dinosaurs wins Best Comedy at FoFF

Many congratulations to the makers of the animated short film "Working with Dinosaurs", which has won "Best Comedy" at the Future of Film Festival.

Working with Dinosaurs is a "mockumentary" short completed by 2nd year undergraduate animation students at Escape Studios, with industry mentors Framestore.  It was directed by Daniel Dutton and Harry Pearson, and produced by Velvet Brandon.  Storyboards and Art Direction were by Sarah Andrews; Effects Animation was by Adam Scrivener, and the CG supervisor was Piotr Noworyta.  

2023 New Years Resolutions for Animators

Here's to a shiny new 2023

Happy New Year to all our staff and students!  The New Year brings new challenges but also opportunities - the animation and VFX industries continue to thrive, with remote working now fully established as an alternative to the traditional in-house model. 

This year, top of our list of New Year's Resolutions, is to experiment with the new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as OpenAI and MidJourney.  AI is changing the face of the animation and vfx industries, offering fresh challenges - but also new opportunities.