"Kueh" Wins "Best Micro Short" at Kodaikanal Fest

"Kueh" wins "Best Micro Short" at Kodaikanal Awards

Congratulations to the makers of the 2D animated short film "Kueh", which has won "Best Micro Short" at the Kodaikanal Film Festival.  

"Kueh" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  

"Kueh" was written and directed by Gustav Chin and produced by Mai Lu.  This is its second festival award. 

"AI for Animators" Evening Class Starts 4 March 2025

Our brand new Evening Class in AI for Animators starts on Tuesday 4 March 2025.

Artificial Intelligence is an expanding part of the animation and vfx industries, allowing artists to create high quality images and video.

The class runs for ten weeks and is taught by veteran animator Alex Dawson.  

Escapee Rich Jeffery To Co-Direct "Bluey" The Movie

Coming soon - in 2027

Many congratulations to Escapee Rich Jeffery who 
will co-direct the new Bluey Movie, a co-production between Disney and the BBC - due for a 2027 release.

Rich Jeffery has been directing The Australian animated TV series "Bluey" for several years.   "Bluey" has become a global success story, one of the most popular shows on Netflix.  Rich said "it’s been an epic ride for last few years and I’m over the moon to be co-directing on my first feature film".

"Huntress" Wins "Best Super Short" in NYC

"Huntress" wins "Best Super Short" in New York 

Congratulations to the makers of "Huntress", a new short animation created by MA Animation student James Hothi, which has won "Best Super Short" at the New York Movie Awards. 

"Huntress" is a teaser/trailer for a feature film project, currently in development. This is the film's second festival award. 

CR5001 Specialism Module Returns 13 Jan 2025

Leopard animation by Melissa Coarezza

Module CR5001 "Animation Specialism" starts on January 13th 2025 (you can see our 2024-25 term dates here).  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 largely 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.  The final deadline for submission is Wednesday 8 February 2025. 

Studio Project Module PR6001 Returns for 2024-25

Scene from VFX Project "Jerich0"

Our Third Year animation & vfx students are currently tackling PR6001, a Studio Project module worth 60 Credits and which runs for the whole academic year.  In PR6001 our animation and vfx students work together in teams to create short films - winning many festival awards.

Students work together in a module designed as closely as possible to simulate working on a live client brief.

 

Why Animators Need "Head Muppeting"

What is "Head Muppeting" in animation? It's a term I first heard used by veteran animator Sydney Padua when she was teaching an animation class at Escape Studios.

"Head Muppeting" is a similar concept to that of "hitting the accents", developed by Richard Williams in his book The Animator's Survival Kit  (we have many copies in the 11th Floor Animation Library).

Head Muppeting means that, when you are animating a dialogue shot, you need to keep the character's head in motion, to make the audience believe that the character is saying the lines.

AN5002 - Animal & Creature Animation Module 2024

Chameleon animated by Dave Novis

Our 2nd Year Undergraduate Animators are working on their latest animation module AN5002, in which students learn to animate animals and creatures.  

The AN5002 Assignment is due on Thursday 19 December 2024.  The Assignment Brief is to create 10-15 seconds animal or creature animation, combining a motion cycle with a performance.  

The Retrospective Assignment is due on Monday 23rd December 2024.  To find out more about how to write a great Retrospective, read this blog post. 

"Game Heist" Wins "Best VFX" at EE Film Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Game Heist", the VFX short film from Escape Studios, which has won "Best VFX" at the Eastern Europe Film Awards.  

Directed by Mitchell Wright and produced by Ayesha-Ria Jina, "Game Heist", tells the story of a group of misfit toys trying to steal a video game.

This is its second festival award. 

"Same Day Delivery" Wins Best Animation in Milan

Same Day Delivery wins "Best Animation" in Milan

Congratulations to the makers of "Same Day Delivery", the animated short film completed by our fourth year MArt students at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Animation" at The Milan Gold Awards. 

"Same Day Delivery" was a collaboration between animation, games and VFX students.  It was directed by Rohnak Sharma and produced by Jamie Bennett.  This is its fifth festival award. 

Escapee Jack Thompson Rigger at Flying Bark

Jack Thompson joins Flying Bark Productions

Many congratulations to Escapee Jack Thompson, who has joined Flying Bark Productions in Australia as a rigging artist. 

Jack Thompson studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, and contributed to a number of successful animated projects, including two award-winning short films: "Joe" and "Over Under".

"Huntress" Wins "Best Animation" Award in London

"Huntress" wins Best Animation at London Movie Awards. 

Congratulations to the makers of the animated short "Huntress" created by MA Animation student James Hothi, which has won Best Animation at the London Movie Awards in Shoreditch. 

James Hothi is studying the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, taught by industry veteran Kevin Richards. "Huntress" is a teaser/trailer for a feature film.  This is its first festival award. 

Escapee Piotr Noworyta Animator at Treehouse

Piotr Noworyta animator at Treehouse Digital

Many congratulations to Escapee Piotr Noworyta who is working as an animator at Treehouse Digital in Bournemouth. 

Piotr Noworyta took our integrated MArt in the Art of 3D Animation. 

While at Escape Studios, Piotr  contributed to a number of award-winning short animated films, including Street Ratz, on which he was lead animator and also pipeline supervisor, Minuet, and Alma, on which he served as Rigging Technical Director. 

UCAS Applications for Sept 2025 Now Open

UCAS - deadline 29 January 2025

UCAS applications for Escape Studios for September 2024 are now open - the deadline to apply to study with us next academic year is January 29th 2025.  

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. 

Industry Feedback with Producer Max Howard

Max Howard

On Friday 13 December Escape Studios welcomes back animation producer Max Howard to review the work done by our Short Course and MA Animation students.

Max was the founder of Walt Disney Animation Florida, and also ran animation divisions at DreamWorks and Warner Bros Feature Animation in Los Angeles.

Industry feedback is at the heart of what we do at Escape Studios; one of the Five Pillars of the Escape Method.  

Max's screen credits include Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Iron Giant, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Igor.

Cuchulahn O'Byrne Teaches Animation at B&S College

Cuchulahn O'Byrne

Many congratulations to Escapee Cuchulahn O'Byrne who has joined Barnet and Southgate College as an animation lecturer and tutor.

Cuchulahn O'Byrne studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, and contributed to a number of award-winning short films, including Golden Acorn, Offcut and Over Under.  

Barnet and Southgate College is a further education college in North London with around 14,000 enrolled students. 

"Movement & Narrative" Pitch Bibles 2024

"The Noble Quest" by Lauren Archambie

Our First Year undergraduate animation students recently concluded the Creative Foundations Craft Module (CR4002), a foundation course in creativity and creative thinking, taken by all our first year students, whether they are studying Games, Animation or VFX.

Part of CR4002 is the mini-module "Movement & Narrative", a two-week exploration of creativity, storytelling, and design, taught by industry veteran Kevin Richards.  At the end of Movement & Narrative our students pitch an idea for an original TV or web series, including an "Animation Bible".  Scroll down to see some examples of our students' best work.

Character Creation Evening Class Starts 3 March 2025

Goblin by Paul Strachan

Our Evening Class in Character Creation returns to Escape Studios on 3 March 2025.

The Evening Class in Character Creation teaches students how to design and create their own character designs, and bring them to life.  Students learn to design, model, texture, rig and animate your own character.

The Character Creation Evening Class course is taught by Aidan Lonergan.  Aidan's screen credits include The Hunger Games and Aquaman.

Escapee Martin Kamminga Joins Build a Rocket Boy

Martin Kamminga joins Build a Rocket Boy

Many congratulations to Escapee Martin Kamminga who has joined Build a Rocket Boy as a senior lighting artist.  

Martin Kamminga studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, and contributed to a number of award-winning films, including the short film "Draw", which he directed. 

Velvet Brandon Technical Animator at nDreams

Velvet Brandon Tech Animator at nDreams

Many congratulations to Escapee Velvet Brandon, who has started work as a Technical Animator at the immersive VR Games company nDreams.  

Velvet Brandon studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios.  During her time at Escape, Velvet worked as an animator and VFX artist on a number of successful short films: "Jerich0" and also "Minuet", both of which won multiple festival awards.  Velvet Brandon specialised in animation and rigging, focusing on the role of Technical Animator. 

Animation Feedback from Blue Zoo's Will Lloyd-Cook

Blue Zoo's Will Lloyd-Cook - Industry Feedback

Many thanks to Blue Zoo's William Lloyd-Cook for giving animation feedback to our third year animation students at Escape Studios this week.  Will is an experienced animator and series director at London's Blue Zoo, one of London's leading animation studios.  

Industry feedback is at the heart of what we do at Escape Studios, part of what we call The Escape Method, a combination of intensive classroom teaching, online tutorials, constructive feedback, industry engagement, and group project work.

Escapee Amanda Costa Animator at ILM

Amanda Costa Animator at Industrial Light & Magic

Many congratulations to Escapee Amanda Costa who has joined Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as an animator.  

Amanda Costa took our short course in Computer Animation at Escape Studios, taught by veteran animator Lee Caller.  After graduation, Amanda became a Studio Assistant at Escape Studios.

How a Bear Walks - Quadruped Locomotion

Bear Walk by Amanda Costa

How does a bear walk? All animators need to learn how to animate a quadruped walk cycle.  All quadrupeds walk in more or less the same way, allowing for anatomy (herbivores have less flexible spines than carnivores). 

To the left is a bear walk cycle animated by Amanda Costa, showing the live action reference used to create the animation.  

Escape Studios No 1 at The Rookies

No 1: Production Excellence in Immersive Media

The Rookies, the international competition for aspiring VFX artists, this year ranked Escape Studios No 1 in the world for Production Excellence in Immersive Media - a huge achievement for all our students. 

In other categories, The Rookies ranked Escape Studios No 3 in the UK for 3D Animation, 4th in the UK for Game Design, and 3rd in the UK for VFX Production Excellence. 

Entry into The Rookies helps to prepare students for industry, most importantly by focusing on the preparation of a professional-quality Demo Reel. 

"X-Terminate" Wins "Best VFX" at FoF Awards

Congratulations to the makers of X-Terminate, the short film created by our third year animation students and VFX students at Escape Studios, which has won "Best VFX" at the Future of Film Awards.

Directed by Maria Freitas and produced by Emmanuel Rahman,  X-Terminate was a collaboration between undergraduate animation students and VFX students at Escape Studios, working together to create an original story.   This is its fourth festival award. 

Why We Make Multiple Short Films

Father's Blade

For our Animation and VFX students at Escape Studios, creating multiple short films in a limited timeframe is a powerful way to develop skills, discover unique visual styles, and build a portfolio of polished work.  

While a longer year-long project might seem like an ideal opportunity to polish one film to perfection, here is why producing several short films can be a much more valuable learning experience:

What Does a VFX Producer Do, Exactly?

VFX Producer Martin Gabriel

What Does a Visual Effects Producer Do, Exactly?  Martin Gabriel is a visual effects producer with a long list of successful feature films on his resume, including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, X-Men, The last Stand, Underdog and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Martin Gabriel also worked on the TV series Band of Brothers and The Prisoner.  Martin teaches our evening class in VFX Production at Escape Studios.  In the blog post below Martin explains what it is that VFX Producers actually do, exactly. 

Why Animators Should Keep a SketchBook

Alex Williams sketchbook 1989

Here at Escape Studios we recommend that all our students keep a sketchbook.

  

Especially for animators, keeping a sketchbook is an important tool for creative growth - it's a place to practice drawing, create ideas - and keep a record of your own development.  

Here's why every animator should make drawing and scribbling in a sketchbook part of their daily practice:

Animation Resources from Toonboom for Harmony

Andy Wyatt and Isabelle Bilodeau visit Escape Studios

For all our students studying 2D animation with Toonboom Harmony, Toonboom have supplied many free Resources for learning  Harmony. 

On a recent visit to Escape Studios from the Toonboom team, UK Toonboom rep Andy Wyatt and Toonboom Director Isabelle Bilodeau were keen to make sure that our students have the necessary resources to make the best use of their software.  Below are some resources from Toonboom on how to make the best use of Harmony.

Escape Studios VPN - 2024 Update

VPN at Escape Studios

How does the VPN work at Escape Studios? "VPN" stands for "Virtual Private Network", ie a service that helps users maintain privacy and security online.  

Escape Studios' VPN establishes a secure, encrypted connection between our students' home computer and the internet, providing a private tunnel for data and communications.

At Escape Studios, the VPN allows (but with important limitations - see below) our students to work remotely, accessing all the software that they would normally use if they were working on site. 

By connecting to our VPN, users open a "tunnel" that goes from their computer and through our firewall to connect to to the Escape network.

The chief limitation on the VPN is the number of workstations available. If you are working remotely during normal working hours, your chances of finding a free workstation are low.  But if you are working in the late afternoon/evening or on weekends, your chances are much higher, as many more machines will be available. 

Ivy Wang Compositor at Flawless AI

Ivy Wang Joins Flawless AI

Many congratulations to Escapee Ivy Wang who has started as a compositor at Flawless AI, creators of AI-powered tools for the creative industries.  

Ivy Wang joins Escape Studios' tutor Allar Kaasik  who is now Visual Effects Supervisor at Flawless AI.

Ivy Wang studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios. While at Escape Studios, Ivy Wang contributed to many short films, including the award-winning films Sea of Madness, Odd Socks and X-Terminate. 

Character & Creature Creation Showreel

Check our our new Character and Creature Creation Showreel. This selection of the best work created by our students at Escape Studios shows how far our Character and Creature Creation MA and Short Course has come in the past year.  Congratulations to all our students on their excellent work.

Escapee Alex Budulan FX Artist at Hogarth Studios

Alex Budulan

Many congratulations to Escapee Alex Budulan who has joined Hogarth Studios as an FX artist.  Hogarth Studios is a WPP-owned global company that provides marketing implementation services, including all-channel production for international companies.

Alex Budulan studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios.  While at Escape, Alex contributed to a number of successful animated films, including the short film "Reece" and the short animated teaser "Street Ratz", which won multiple festival awards.

Escape Studios International Student Guide

International Student Guide

This September Escape studios welcomed our first new international students since Brexit. 

Escape Studios recently received our UKVI Licence, meaning that we are now able to sponsor international students to study with us on student visas.

Now that we are once again in a position to open our doors to students from overseas, we have launched our new International Student Guide to answer questions about studying at Escape Studios, with all the information international students need in one place.

Visit our website and fill in the form for access to our International Student Guide.

Compositing MA Returns on 24 February 2025

Our Short Course and MA In Compositing returns on 24 February 2025.  Taught by industry veteran Klaudija Cermak , 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 seamless result.  Compositors are always in demand in the VFX industry, with high levels of employment among our 2D VFX Escapees.

Escape Studios is Hiring

We're hiring! To find out more, go to
https://careers.escapestudios.ac.uk/

Join our crew to become part of one of the UK’s leading schools for animation, games, VFX, concept art and motion graphics. 

Escape Studios has been at the forefront of creative education since 2002, supplying the industry with studio-ready talent. 

Escape Studios Software Handbook 2024

Escape Studios' updated Software Handbook is now live, and ready to download.

The Software Handbook, which is completely free, is designed to help our students learn more about the key software that is currently used in the creative industries.

The Software Handbook also helps identify the free software that our students can download at no cost, and use to start polishing their skills.

Concept Art Returns on 5 March 2024

Concept Art by Sohaib Mehar

Our Concept Art Evening Class returns to Escape Studios on 5 March 2025.  Concept Art  is a part-time evening class, taught one night a week, running for ten weeks.  Concept Art runs for 10 weeks, from 7 until 10pm.  Classes take place one night per week.

Concept Art introduces students to the techniques and skills that go up to make a well-rounded concept artist, including 3D & 2D software and - of course - the growing power of AI.

Escapee Montse Larque Animator at Framestore

Montse Larqué

Many congratulations to Escapee Montse Larqué who has joined Framestore as an animator, working on the latest installment of the Paddington franchise - Paddington 3.

Montse Larqué Ferrer joined us at Escape Studios as an Exchange Student from La Salle in Barcelona, working as both concept artist and also Lead Animator on the VFX short film "Sweet Heart", which has won many festival awards.

MA 3D Animation Returns 24 February 2025

Animation by Jamie Floodgate

Our next Short Course and MA (Master of Arts) in 3D Animation returns on 24 February 2025.

The Short Course and MA in animation is taught both online and in-class at our new North Greenwich Campus.

Our Short Course and MA animation students have created many award-winning film projects such as "Alma", "Flame", "Hat Shop", "Mafia Mix-Up" and "Moon Rockz".  

Escapee Chiyoko Coyte Animator at YGames

Escapee Chiyoko Coyte Animator at Y Games

Many congratulations to Escapee Chiyoko Coyte Animator at Y Games.  

Chiyoko Coyte studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, graduating with a First Class Degree.

While at Escape Studios, Chiyoko Coyte worked on many award-winning films, including Bouya, The Wanderer, Stellar Rescue and Lucky Break. 

Escapeverse Online Returns 24-27 Feb 2025

Save the Date! EscapeVerse Live (formerly the VFX Festival) is back - returning on 24-27 February 2025.  

The 2025 EscapeVerse Live Festival will be held live online.  

To book your tickets either in-person or online, follow this link.  

"Theseus" Wins "Best VFX" at Makizhmithran Fest

Theseus and The Minotaur: "Best VFX" in Makizhmithran

Congratulations to the makers of Theseus and The Minotaur which has won "Best VFX" at the Makizhmithran Film Festival.

Theseus and The Minotaur tells the story of the Greek hero's entry into the Labyrinth, and was directed by Mitchell Wright and produced by Ayesha-Ria Jina. The 3D lead was Xavier Barker, and the 2D Lead was Ethan Mainwaring-Taylor.  Industry feedback was provided by Industrial Light & Magic.  

This its fourth festival award. 

Escapee Belle Leuschke Joins Time Based Arts

Escapee Belle Leuschke joins Time Based Arts 

Many congratulations to Escapee Belle Leuschke who has joined the VFX house Time Based Arts in Shoreditch, London.

Belle Leuschke studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, winning many awards for her work on a number of short films, including "When Life Gives You Lemons", Breakdown", and "The Descent". 

Where Are The UK Animation Studios?

Animation UK's Studio Directory

There are around 2,500 animation studios in the UK, of which a little under 500 have employees - making them worth targeting for an entry-level job.  But how to find them?  

One great resource is Animation UK's Studios Directory, which you can find here.  Click on the link and you can start making lists of UK Animation Studios - and then start applying. 

"Ursula" Thumbnail Sketches by Ruben Aquino

With animation, you get nothing for free.  Animators have to fill this blank space with creative, entertaining animation.  

The secret of success is to plan your animation - start with sketches and scribbles ("thumbnail sketches") which create a road map of where you want to go. 

The video below shows how the master Disney animator Ruben Aquino planned out a dialogue shot with Ursula the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid.  

"And now look at me...Wasted away to practically nothing!"

What's The Point of Entering The Rookies?

What is the point of entering The Rookies? 

Why enter The Rookies?  The Rookies is an international competition for young creatives; part contest and part showcase for rising talent. 

For our students and Escapees, showcasing your work in a competitive, professional environment is a crucial step toward launching a successful career.  It helps you to build confidence in your work, and also serves as an online portfolio.  

Producing For VFX is Back on 5 March 2025

Producing for VFX returns 5 March 2025

Our Evening Class in Producing for VFX is back, starting on 5 March 2025.  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.  

Escapee Alex Maynard Animator at DNEG

Alex Maynard joins Jellyfish Pictures

Many congratulations to Escapee Alex Maynard who has joined DNEG as an animator.  

Alex Maynard studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios.  Alex also contributed to a number of award-winning short films, including Hannibelle, which he directed, "Freefall", "Our Ocean" and "Game Knight". 

 DNEG (formerly Double Negative) is one of the UK's longest-established VFX and animation houses; responsible for multiple blockbuster hits.