"Good Soup" Wins Best Animation at Tekka Fest

"Good Soup" wins "Best Animated Short" at Tekka Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Good Soup", the latest animated short created by our graduating class of animation students at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Animated Short" at the Tekka Film Awards.

Directed by Jessa Timog-Santiago and produced by Iulineia Filip,  Good Soup was made using Maya, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine.  The editor was Rohnak Sharma.  

This is Good Soup's fourth festival award. 

Paul Harrison Head of Animation

Paul Harrison

We're delighted to congratulate veteran animator, tutor, VFX Supervisor and 3D generalist Paul Harrison on his new position as Head of Animation at Escape Studios. 

Paul brings a wealth of animation and VFX experience to Escape Studios; he has worked for clients including The Mill, DNEG, Prodigious, Smoke and Mirrors, Mainframe, and the BBC.

Paul is also a comic book artist and writer, and a content creator for children’s media. He is the creator of the Urban Squirrel series of comics. 

Escape Studios 2023 2D Animation Reel

We're proud to present our 2023 2D Animation Reel. Here at Escape Studios we've been expanding our 2D animation capacity for some years, starting with our evening classes in Toonboom Harmony, and now offering our undergraduate animation students a new 2D Animation Pathway, focusing on digital tools such as Toonboom Harmony, Adobe Animate and Blender. The 2D Animation industry has been going through a renaissance, and we're proud to offer our students a chance to be a part of it.

Clem Gharini Head of VFX at Escape Studios

Clement Gharini - Head of VFX

Escape Studios has a new Head of VFX - we're proud to congratulate compositor and cinematographer Clement Gharini on being appointed to the new role this summer. 

Clem teaches Cinematography and Compositing to our undergraduate students.  

In addition, Clem also supplies Green Screen and Motion Capture training to our students at Escape Studios, helping to produce our award-winning VFX and MoCap films.

Falling Dice in Maya - Rigid Bodies Tutorial

Falling Dice - FX tutorials in Maya

In this short beginners' tutorial in Maya, students learn how to animate dice falling and bouncing onto a hard surface.  

The tutorial uses Active and Passive Rigid Bodies in Autodesk Maya, and shows how physics can be used to speed up the animation process.  

This tutorial is part of our FX tutorials in Maya - which you can find at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel, available for all our students (and recent Escapees) at Escape Studios.

2023 Escape Studios VFX Reel

We're proud to release the official 2023 Escape Studios VFX Reel.  This latest edit of the very best vfx created by our students at Escape Studios includes work by our most recent graduating class, as well as clips from many of our award-winning short films, many of which combined the talents of our animation and vfx artists.  Congratulations to all our students on their remarkable work, once again raising the bar for quality vfx ever higher.

UCAS Applications for Sept 2024 Now Open

UCAS - deadline 31 January 2024

UCAS applications for Escape Studios for September 2024 are now open - the deadline to apply to study with us next academic year is January 31st 2024.  

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. 

Animation Taster Day 14 October 2023

Animation Taster Day on Saturday 14 October 2023

We're hosting a new Animation Taster at Escape Studios on Saturday 14 October 2023, taught by short course animation tutor Lee Caller.

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

You will learn how to use Autodesk Maya and get a hands-on introduction to 3D Animation techniques. No prior knowledge of Maya - or any software - is required.  The all-day animation taster takes place at our new North Greenwich campus and lasts from 10am until 4pm. 

Escape Studios 2023 Official Animation Reel

We're proud to release the official 2023 Escape Studios Animation Reel.  This latest edit of the very best animation created by our students Escape Studios includes work by our most recent graduating class, as well as clips from many of our award-winning short films.  Congratulations to all our students on their remarkable work, once again raising the bar for quality animation ever higher.

"Green Friend" Wins "Best Anim" at Golden Peacock

"Green Friend" wins "Best Animation" at Golden Peacock

Congratulations to the makers of "Green Friend", which has won "Best Animated Short" at the Golden Peacock International Film Festival. 

Green Friend is a short animated film created by our second year animation students at Escape Studios. Green Friend was directed and produced by Hugo Whitworth.  It was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  This is the latest of many festival awards for Green Friend. 

2D Compositing Taster Day Sat 14th Oct 2023

2D Compositing Taster Day on Sat 14th October 2023

Escape Studios is hosting an in-person taster in 2D Compositing on Saturday 14th October 2023 at our new North Greenwich Campus.

Come along and find out what's involved in our compositing courses at Escape Studios.

Compositing has one of the highest rates of employability in the VFX industry, with close to 100% of our compositing Escapees finding work in their chosen field.

Animation Student Spotlight - Kiran James

 

We're enjoying out this excellent animation by Escapee Kiran James, completed for his final year specialism module at Escape Studios.  Module CR6001 "Specialism" forms part of the Third Year of Studies at Escape Studios.  Kiran studied the Art of Computer Animation, graduating this summer.  While studying with us, Kiran contributed to a number of successful award-winning short films, including Liminal, Game Knight, End of The Line and Love, Mum, all of which have enjoyed considerable festival success.

"The Descent" Wins "Best Trailer" in Vienna

"The Descent" wins "Best Trailer" in Vienna Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "The Descent", the short film created by our second year animation students at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Trailer" at the Vienna Indie Short Film Festival.

The Descent was directed Sirisha Mutty and produced by Belle Leuschke, and was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short films.

Escape Studios Open Day Sat 23 Sept 2023

Open Day Saturday 23th September 2023 

Escape Studios is hosting a free undergraduate open day this weekend on Saturday 23th September 2023 - and we still have a few places available.

Escape Studios' Open Days are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees in Animation, The Art of Games and Visual Effects.

An Open Day is an opportunity for potential students to find out how they can follow in the footsteps of our award-winning alumni, and also to check out our shiny new North Greenwich Campus.

"Green Friend" Wins "Best Animation" in Singapore

Green Friend wins "Best Anim" at Indo-Singapore Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Green Friend", which has won "Best Animated Short" at the Indo-Singapore Film Festival. 

Green Friend is a short animated film created by our second year animation students at Escape Studios. Green Friend was directed and produced by Hugo Whitworth.  It was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects. 

This is the fourth festival award for Green Friend. 

Escapee Sasha Fusini Storyboards "Supertato"

Sasha Fusini

Congratulations to Escapee Sasha Fusini who has recently completed work on three hit shows at Blue Zoo Animation - Supertato, Tee and Mo and Pip and Posy. 

You can see Sasha's portfolio here:  www.sashafusini.com. Sasha now has experience storyboarding in both 2D and 3D and works in both Storyboard Pro and Blue Zoo's in-house software Panelforge.

Sasha Fusini took our evening class in storyboarding with industry veteran Francesca "Chess" Adams and built up a storyboard portfolio over the duration of the course.  She soon found work at Blue Zoo Animation.

VFX Taster Day on Wed 20 Sept at 10am

3D VFX at Escape Studios

On Wednesday 20th September 2023 at 10am we're hosting a 3D VFX "Taster Day" at our new Escape Studios Greenwich Campus.  Taster days are a great chance to find out more about the courses at Escape Studios, how they run and who teaches them.  Come along on Wednesday and learn the basics of 3D Modeling, how to create simple geometry, and make it look real.

"Bouya" Wins "Best Super Short" at Int'l Gold Awards

Bouya wins "Best Super Short" at Int'l Gold Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Bouya", which has won "Best Super Short" at the International Gold Film Awards.  

"Bouya" was directed by Chiyoko Coyte and produced by Alex Sellen, both studying the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios. Lorenzo Pelli composed the original score.

"Bouya" tells the hidden story of mysterious forest creatures working together to clean up the mess left by thoughtless humans.  This is Bouya's fourth festival award. 

Character & Creature Taster Day 18 Sept 2023

Character & Creature Creation is back! We're hosting a Taster Day in Character & Creature Creation on 18th September 2023 from 10am to 5pm at our new North Greenwich Campus at 6 Mitre Passage.

The taster day costs £10 and takes place from 10am until 5pm; and is run by Escape Studios tutor Aidan Lonergan. 

Aidan will show how to create a 3D sculpt from a 2D character design, covering some of the tools and techniques used in the course. 

North Greenwich Campus Ready to Open

6 Mitre Passage - our new home

6 Mitre Passage, the new home of Escape Studios, is getting ready to open its doors to our students.  Our new campus located in the North Greenwich Peninsula, right next to The O2. 

We occupy the top two floors of 6 Mitre Passage - a new building in North Greenwich with gorgeous views of the River Thames.  

We are now located in the Design District, a new hub for technology and design in London.

"Lumi" Wins "Hon Mention" at Indo-Singapore Fest

"Lumi", wins Hon. Mention at Indo-Singapore Film Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Lumi", which has won an Honourable Mention in the category of "Best Micro Short" at the Indo Singapore International Film Festival.

Lumi is a short animated film created by our second year animation students at Escape Studios.  Lumi was directed by Maye Liu, co-directed by Sirisha Mutty, and produced by Amy Little.  

Lumi was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects. This is its fourth festival award. 

"Wake: Up" Wins "Best Original Score" in Hollywood

"Wake:Up!" wins "Best Score" at Hollywood Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Wake:Up!", which has won "Best Original Score" at the Hollywood Gold Awards. 

Wake:Up! was written, co-edited and directed by David Martin Lanuza and co-edited and produced by Luis Yarroll.  William Cunningham composed the original score.  

This is the fourth festival award for Wake:Up! 

Escapee Louis Chevis Wins August 11 Second Club

Louis Chevis wins the August 11 Second Club

Many congratulations to Escapee Louis Chevis who has won the August 11 Second Club with his animation "Hornswoggle".

Louis studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, where he contributed to many award-winning projects, including "Picture Us", "Threaded Together", "Burger Royale", "Russell", "Solitude" and "The Beauty of Nature".

"Green Friend" Wins "Best Animation" in London

"Green Friend" wins "Best Animated Short" at London Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Green Friend", which has won "Best Animated Short" at the London Movie Awards. 

Green Friend is a short animated film created by our second year animation students at Escape Studios. Green Friend was directed and produced by Hugo Whitworth.  It was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  This is the third festival award for Green Friend. 

Yasin Tribak - Animation Entrepreneur

Yasin Tribak at BAFTA Piccadilly 

Congratulations to Escape Studios animation student Yasin Tribak who has already begun his career as a freelance animation artist and entrepreneur. 

Yasin Tribak is in his third year of studies at Escape Studios, studying the Art of Computer Animation.  He is also the founder of satorystudios.com, a start-up animation studio creating original content for international brands.  

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

"Lumi" wins "Best Micro Short" at Vesuvius Film Fest

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

Lumi is a short animated film created by our second year animation students at Escape Studios.  Lumi was directed by Maye Liu, co-directed by Sirisha Mutty, and produced by Amy Little.  

Lumi was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects. This is its third festival award. 

"Mechamorphosis" Wins 2023 Rookies Award

Mechamorphosis award at the 2023 Rookies

Congratulations to the makers of "Mechamorphosis", which has won an award at the 2023 Rookies.

Mechamorphosis was written and produced by Alberto Scotti and directed by Ilaria Colavito.   

Animation was completed by Steven Lall.  Hélios Lyons did the sound design and composed the original music.  

This is the latest of many awards for Mechamorphosis. 

"Green Friend" Wins "Best Animation"at Tekka Fest

Green Friend wins "Best Animated Short"  

Congratulations to the makers of "Green Friend", which has won "Best Animated Short" at the Tekka Film Festival. 

Green Friend is a short animated film created by our second year animation students at Escape Studios. Green Friend was directed and produced by Hugo Whitworth.  It was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects. 

This is its second festival award. 

"Roupell St" Wins Hon Mention at FoF Fest

Best Super Short Film (Hon Mention) at FoF Fest

Congratulations to the makers of the short VFX film "Curiosities of The Ruthless Roupell St", which has won an Honourable Mention in the category of Best Super Short Film at the Future of Film Festival.   

Directed by Oliver Chenery and produced by Victoria Arraez, "Curiosities of The Ruthless Roupell St" was a collaboration between 2D and 3D VFX Students, working together to create a short film.  

This is its third festival award. 

How to Animate a Bouncing Ball

 

In the video below we show how to tackle the entry-level "Bouncing Ball" exercise.   Students at Escape Studios, like students at almost every course in animation, start off with the bouncing ball. This simple exercise introduces the principles of timing, spacing, paths of action and weight - four of the Twelve Principles of Animation.  Even a simple exercise like the bouncing call can be entertaining and interesting, and can be completed to a demo-reel level of skill.  You can download the rig for free at highend3D.

 

"Chosen" Nominated at Christian Film Festival

Chosen nominated at the GLCFF

Congratulations to Escape Studios animation student Pietro Mingione whose short animated film "Chosen" has received a Nomination at the Great Lakes Christian Film Festival. 

Chosen was animated and directed by Escape Studios animation student Pietro Mingione.  "Chosen" is a short animated film about the power of faith.  Pietro took our MA in 3D Animation at Escape Studios, taught by veteran animator Lee Caller.