Pop Paper City "Best Pre-School" Award Nomination

Many congratulations to all the Escapees who worked on Aardman Animation's "Pop Paper City" which has been nominated for "Best Pre-School Programme" at the 2024 Broadcast Awards, which will take place on 8 February 2024.

"Pop Paper City" is a new animated TV series being distributed by Aardman Animations and produced by Lovelove films.  

Pop Paper City is a preschool craft TV show; the series focuses on a group of paper friends as they find ways to have fun together by creating new parts of their paper world.  Around 10 Escapees worked on the show.

 

How to Fix Knee Pops in a Walk Cycle

In the video above, we show how to fix knee pops in a walk cycle. IK chains can "pop" if the leg on a character gets over extended, so the trick is not to completely extend the leg. Straighten the leg on the contact position, then slightly dial it back and relax it. That way, the leg won't "pop" on the bend. To find out more, watch the short video above.

Undergraduate Taster Day 2 December 2023

Undergraduate Taster Day 2 December 2023

Join us on Saturday for our next Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day for an introduction to our degrees in animation, games and visual effects.  

The next Undergraduate Taster Day takes place this Saturday 2nd December from 10am until 3pm at our new home at 6 Mitre Passage, North Greenwich. https://bit.ly/43fTl8B.

Escape Studios' Taster Days are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees in Animation, Games & Visual Effects.  

Compositing Evening Class Returns 23rd Jan 2024

Compositing Evening Class returns 23 January 2024

Our Compositing Evening Class returns  on 23 January 2024.  Taught by our industry experts, this course teaches the art and craft of 2D VFX compositing for the visual effects industry. 

Compositing is the art of combining different images to create a single, cohesive and believable image. 

Compositors are currently in high demand in the VFX industry, with high levels of employment among our Escapees.

Copy and Paste Curves in Autodesk Maya

In this brief video tutorial we show how to copy and paste curves in Autodesk Maya.  This is part of our series of beginners' tutorials, and shows how to perform a simple animation task - how to copy and paste curves in Autodesk Maya.  Maya is not especially good at copying and pasting curve - it's a slightly fiddly process - but it can be done.

Using Houdini to Generate an Animation Path

 

In this video tutorial and blog post, Escape Studios tutor Simon Browne explains how to use Houdini to generate an animation path.  One common computer animation technique is to use a path to control the motion of a subject, commonly a vehicle.  Many animators may not know that there is a tool in Houdini that can generate an animation path automatically from features and attributes present in the scene environment.  To find out more about Houdini, follow this link to the Houdini tutorials at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel.

History of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"

Got a spare hour this Sunday afternoon for a little animation history? We're recommending this documentary on the making of the 1988 live action/animated film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".  The documentary is based on a range of source material, including Ross Anderson's well-researched book Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat.   It's a thorough documentary that shows just how many twists and turns Who Framed Roger Rabbit took before finally making it (and even then only just) to the big screen. 

Using Cadmium AI to Colour 2D Animation

Cadmium App

Artificial intelligence offers new ways to speed up the animation pipeline and boost the productivity of animators. One new breakthrough comes from the Cadmium App, a new tool which automates the process of colouring 2D animation.

Cadmium is a creative tool for hand drawn animation. Using machine intelligence, animators can now colour their entire animation sequence from just a few keyframes.

2D Compositing Returns 19 February 2024

12 Week Short Course and MA In Compositing

Our 12 Week Short Course and MA In Compositing returns  on19 February 2024.  Taught by our industry experts, this course teaches the art and craft of 2D VFX compositing for the visual effects industry. 

Compositing is the art of combining different images to create a single, cohesive and believable image. 

Compositors are currently in high demand in the VFX industry, with high levels of employment among our Escapees.

Parkour Founder Sebastien Foucan is Back

Sebastien Foucan in Casino Royale 

We're delighted to welcome back Parkour founder Sebastien Foucan to Escape Studios tomorrow Friday 24 November.

Sebastien Foucan will talking to our third year animation students about what makes a great action scene. How does an animator go about choosing the right action for the right circumstance?

Sebastien Foucan is the founder of the Foucan Academy and also one of the founders of the Parkour Movement, the athletic training discipline in which practitioners move in the most fluid way possible.

Miguel Teixeira Works on "Bea's Block" TV Series

Miguel Teixeira

Congratulations to Escapee Escapee Miguel Teixeira who is celebrating his work as an animator at Keyframe Studios in London, which has just released the TV Series "Bea's Block" on HBO and Sky Kids.  You can see the trailer for Bea's Block below.

Bea's Block is a pre-school TV series from the world of "Sesame Street", in which viewers "join Bea as she and her friends spread kindness and build empathy through playful adventures in their community".

Studying the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, Miguel Teixeira contributed to a number of award-winning short films, including producing and editing the multi-award-winning short film Golden Acorn.   Miguel also worked on two more award-winning films: Reach and Over Under. 

Toonboom Offers Students 84% Harmony Discount

Calling all 2D Animators at Escape Studios - Toonboom is offering a "Black Friday" sale on student licenses of Toonboom Harmony. 

Of course, all our students can access Toonboom Harmony licenses at Escape Studios, and also (if working from home) remotely through the VPN, but with this Black Friday deal students can invest in their very own license for home use - without the need to log in to the VPN.

Today, Toonboom Harmony animators are much in demand, as 2D animation experiences a significant revival both in the UK and overseas.

"Roupell St" Wins "Best VFX" at HEI Film Fest

Curiosities of The Ruthless Roupell St" wins "Best VFX"

Congratulations to the makers of the short VFX film "Curiosities of The Ruthless Roupell St", which has won "Best VFX" at the Heart of Europe International Film Awards. 

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 fifth festival award. 

Video Tutorials for Character & Creature Creation

Lizard Man by Paul Strachan

Escape Studios Head of Creative Technology Michael Davies has curated a list of online resources for our BSc/MSci in Character Creation, our MA in Character & Creature Creation, and our Evening Class in Character & Creature Creation. 

Our new BSc/MSci in Character Creation for Animation builds on our successful MA in Character & Creature Creation.  In both courses, students learn the character creation pipeline from concept to final implementation.  The video tutorials are intended to complement our classroom teaching. 

Tech Troubles Nominee at Animex Film Festival

"Tech Troubles" - Nominee for Best VFX at Animex

Many congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "Tech Troubles", which was a Nominee in the category of Best Visual Effects at the Animex Film Festival.

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 original score was composed by Ben Salwey. 

MoGraph Mixer in London Sat 9 Dec 2023

MoGraph Mixer at the Fitzroy Tavern on Sat 9 Dec 2023

Calling all Motion Graphics animators at Escape Studios - the London Motion Graphics community is hosting their quarterly get-together at the Fitzroy Tavern in Fitzrovia, London on Saturday 9th December. 

We recommend all our MoGraph students attend events like this - part of the so-called "soft skills" that make up networking and career building in the Creative Industries.

Come along and meet other Motion Graphics Animators and do some in-person networking.

Escape Studios 2016 VFX Reel

Occasionally at Escape Studios we get the chance to look back on some of the excellent work done over the years by our talented visual effects students.  Above is our VFX Demo Reel from 2016, also including a few games shots completed by our MA students studying the Art of Video Games.  What the 2016 VFX REel shows is the consistently high standards our students have been hitting for many years. 

"End of The Line" Wins Best Super Short in NYC

"End of The Line" wins "Best Super Short Film" in NYC

Congratulations to the makers of "End of The Line" - the short animated film created at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Super Short Film" at the New York Movie Awards.

Directed by Eren Arnold and produced by Zoe Walker,  End of The Line tells the story of an inebriated passenger who must confront his inner demons on a night train.  

"End of The Line" is the final film created by our graduating class of animation students at Escape Studios.  This is its fourth festival award. 

Maya Basics Tutorials From Escape Studios

Maya Basics Playlist

Welcome to Escape Studios' Playlist of Beginner-Level tutorials in Autodesk Maya. 

These Maya tutorials date from 2016, and are free for everyone to enjoy. 

Maya Basics by Escape Studios is a complete introduction to 3D Basics in Maya in a series of 36 short videos, recorded at Escape Studios in Maya 2016, including modelling, lighting, animation and rendering.

You can find the Maya Basics Playlist here. 

Creative Business for MArt Students with Chris Jones

Entrepreneur Tutor Chris Jones

This week our students studying on our Integrated Masters' Degree Course have been getting their first taste of the business side of the Creative Industries. 

The Integrated MArt  covers not only the craft of animation and vfx, and also the practical side of successfully working as a team to complete a project that creates value in the business world.

In this guest blog post, Escape Studios' business lecturer Chris Jones explains what students need to know about the business side of the creative industries.

Houdini Evening Class Returns 9 January 2024

Student Work Created in Houdini 

Our next Evening Class in Houdini starts again on 9 January 2024. SideFX Houdini is the leading software for the creation of digital FX, such as smoke, fire, water and - in Houdini 20 - clouds and feathers.  

SideFX are one of our key industry partners, and contributed to the development of this course to make it as industry-relevant as possible.  

Escape Studios is a Houdini Certified School.

"The Descent" Wins "Best Trailer" at HEI Film Fest

"The Descent" wins "Best Trailer" at HEI Film Awards.

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 Heart of Europe Film Awards.

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.   This is the latest of many festival awards.

Is There Really No CG in The Movies?

CGI Aircraft

You may have noticed a recent trend: filmmakers claiming that they shot everything "practical"
and "on camera", without using digital effects. 

But is this right? Are they being truthful?

In this blog post, compositing tutor Sokratis Synitos explores the truth behind the Studio PR.

Escape Studios in Top 6% for Graduate Employment

tEscape Studios in "Top 6%" for Graduate Employment

We are delighted that Escape Studios has risen from the top 10% of institutions for full-time graduate employment in the UK to sit within the top 6%. 

The latest UK data on graduates comes from from the Higher Education Statistics Agency. 

Employability for our Escapees is at the heart of what we do at Escape Studios.  To see more detail, you can read the full article here. 

"Green Friend" Wins "Best Micro Short" in Naples

"Green Friend" wins Best Micro Short at Naples Film Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Green Friend", which has won Best Micro Short at the Vesuvius Film Festival in Naples.

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. 

Animation by MA Student Tanya Kerner

Check out the superb animation above by Escape Studios animation student Tanya Kerner.  Tanya is studying on our Master's Degree in 3D Animation, taught by veteran animator tutor Lee Caller. This complex and well-structure shot was completed as part of the formal assessment on her course.  Congratulations to Tanya on her excellent work.

"Luciferin" Wins "Best VFX" at Makizhmithran Fest

Luciferin wins "Best VFX" Award

Congratulations to the makers of Luciferin, the VFX short created at Escape Studios by our graduating class of VFX artists, which has won "Best VFX" at the Makizhmithran Film Festival.

Directed by Jake Roberts and produced by Bruno Urzi,  Luciferin was a collaboration between 2D and 3D VFX Students, working together to create a short film.  Luciferin tells the story of a marine biologist working in a deep sea biosphere.  

This is the latest of many festival awards for Luciferin.  

New Books for The Animation Library

The Animator's Survival Kit

We have new books for the Animation & VFX Library at 6 Mitre Passage, our new home in North Greenwich.

The new books include "Sketching for Animation" by Peter Parr, and a new copy of our most popular textbook (the one book every animator should own)  The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams.  

These books were donated by Escape Studios' student Sabrina Caspers-Frankel - many thanks to Sabrina for her generous donation to the library. 

How to Use the Layer Editor in Maya

How to use the Layer Editor in Autodesk Maya. This short video tutorial is part of our series of beginners' tutorials on how to use Autodesk Maya, and how to develop a fast, efficient workflow. The Layer Editor works much like layers in Photoshop - it allows you to put different elements of the shot on different layers, so you can work faster and more efficiently. For more video resources in Maya, the Escape Studios Vimeo Tutorial Channel is our main hub for our animation and VFX tutorials.

"End of The Line" Wins Best Super Short Award

"End of The Line" wins "Best Super Short" at London Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "End of The Line" - the short animated film created at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Super Short Film" at the London Movie Awards.

Directed by Eren Arnold and produced by Zoe Walker,  End of The Line tells the story of an inebriated passenger who must confront his inner demons on a night train.  This is its third festival award.

Camera Matching in fSpy with Federico Arculeo

 

Check our out latest tutorial in Camera Matching in Maya with fSpy, taught by VFX tutor Federico Arculeo.  One of the most important aspects of integrating the various CG elements in your scene is camera matching.  Camera matching is the process of estimating camera parameters from certain features in an image.  To achieve the correct perspective, crucial details from the backplate, such as resolution, camera model, and, notably, focal length, must be considered.

What Animation Recruiters Want - Wed 15 Nov 2023

Zoom Webinar Wed 15 Nov 2023 

Join us on Wednesday 15 November 2023 for a webinar on "What Animation Recruiters Want" - with Animation & VFX Recruiter Tiffany Feeney. 

The webinar starts at 12.30pm and will last one hour. Questions are welcome.

This event is exclusively for our students at Escape Studios. 

New Books for the Animation & VFX Library

 Cartooning Animation & Hero With a Thousand Faces

We have new books for our shiny new Animation & VFX Library at 6 Mitre Passage, our new home in North Greenwich.

New books include animation classics such as Cartooning Animation 1 by Preston Blair, and The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell - both classic texts on animation and storytelling respectively.  

The Animation & VFX Library is located on the 11th Floor outside Toontown - and is free for all our students.

"Tatty" Wins "Best Animated Short" in Milan

"Tatty" wins "Best Animated Short Film" at Milan Awards 

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "Tatty", which has won "Best Animated Short Film" at the Milan Gold Awards. 

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.  This is the latest of many festival awards for Tatty.

Escape Studios Visits Film London at Rich Mix

Rich Mix

Yesterday I visited Rich Mix - courtesy of Film London - to talk to with students and young media professionals about careers in animation and VFX. 

The event was hosted by Film London to provide aspiring artists with guidance on how to break into the creative industries  and, specifically, into the animation and VFX industries.  

Today the creative industries continue to grow (despite Covid, Brexit, Writer's Strikes and Actor's strikes) - boosted earlier this year by the further expansion of the UK Govt Tax Credit. 

  

"The Descent" Wins "Best Trailer" at Dreamachine

"The Descent" wins "Best Trailer" at Dreamachine 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 Dreamachine Film Awards.

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. 

This is the latest of many festival awards.

Meet Your Motion Graphics Tutors - Bella Cologlu

Bella Cogoglu

Meet your tutors - introducing Escape Studios' Motion Graphics tutor Bella Cologlu.  Bella teaches 3D Motion Graphics to our students at Escape Studios taking our Evening Class in Motion Graphics at Escape Studios. 

Bella Cologlu is an animator and designer from London.  Bella has collaborated over the past eight years with many clients and studios in the U.S. and the U.K; including Apple, MPC, Territory Studios, Art&Graft, Nexus Studios, Dash Studio, Snapchat and Golden Wolf.

Bella is currently working as a freelance motion graphics designer in her south Wimbledon studio.  Bella is very experienced with Cinema4d and has been using the software for more than ten years.

Young Cartoonist of the Year Award is Back

The Young Cartoonist of the Year Awards are back.  This year the deadline for submissions is 14 January 2024.

Hosted by the Cartoon Museum in London, the annual Young Cartoonist of the Year 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 Pritchard from the Daily Telegraph.  Entry is free. 

Entries can be mailed in (via old school Royal Mail) to the Cartoon Museum,  at 63 Wells St, London W1T 3PT, or emailed to hello@cartoonmuseum.org.  As always, we encourage all our students to enter competitions such as this one. 

Today is Graduation Day at Escape Studios

Today is Graduation Day at Escape Studios. This year's Graduation Ceremony takes place today, Friday 3rd November 2023 at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster.

Today we welcome all our graduating students from for the graduation ceremony and for the reception afterwards. 

The Escape Studios Graduation Ceremony is a formal occasion for our Escapees to receive their degrees from Escape Studios - and to celebrate their achievements after many years of hard work. Our Escapees have produced dozens of remarkable short films and won over 500 hundred festival awards. 

ILM Offers free Industry Advice for Graduates

ILM Education Series 2.0,

VFX powerhouse Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) is offering a series of free industry panels offering advice for recent graduates looking to break into the animation and visual effects industry.

Known as the ILM Education Series 2.0, ILM is offering two dates, Thursday 9 November at 5pm, and Wednesday 29 November at 5pm. The events are free.

Lux Mediae Noctis Wins "Best VFX" at FOF Awards

"Lux Mediae Noctis" wins "Best VFX" at FOF Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Lux Mediae Noctis", the VFX short film created at Escape Studios by our graduating class of VFX artists, which has won "Best VFX" at the Future of Film Awards.

Produced and directed by Henry Claud N'Guetta and Enrico Vaccari, Lux Mediae Noctis was a collaboration between 2D and 3D VFX Students.  This is Lux Mediae Noctis' fourth festival award. 

Grow a Lawn Using Particles in Nuke with Lorenzo

Check out our latest free Nuke Tutorial - Grow a Lawn Using Particles in Nuke - with Escape Studios tutor Lorenzo Mannicia.  Did you know that Nuke's particle system is capable of more than just creating dust and wind effects? It can also scatter foliage and grass leaves on a selected area, making your project look even more realistic and natural.

"Backtrack" Wins "Best Trailer" at 1st Film Festival

Backtrack wins "Best Trailer" at 1st Film Festival

Congratulations to the makers of "Backtrack", the teaser/trailer created by our second year animation students at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Trailer" at the 1st Film Festival.

"Backtrack" is a teaser/trailer for an animated film telling the story of a young athlete who is bullied at school. 

The Backtrack trailer was directed by Philippa "Pip" Cowen and produced by Sihaam "Simu" Weheliye.  Backtrack has won many festival awards.

The Animation Library is Back at 6 Mitre Passage

Escape Studios Animation & VFX Library

The Escape Studios Animation & VFX Library is Back. Located on the 11th Floor outside Toontown at 6 Mitre Passage, our new home in North Greenwich, we have many books available to be checked out on animation, games and visual effects. 

As always, make sure you check the books out in the orange Library Book, leaving your name, the name of the book checked out (and the author's name), your email address, and the date you checked it out.  

The animation library is free, but please don't keep books for more than two weeks. We also have an online library, where books can be accessed digitally.  To login in to the online library at Escape Studios, follow this link.