Animation by Samuel Baker

Escape Studios undergraduate animation student Samuel Baker animated this excellent short piece for our undergraduate core animation module - Animation Module AN4001 - a 15 Credit module that teaches all our first year students the fundamentals of character and creature animation.  AN4001 lasts four weeks, and covers the basic principles of animation.  To see some of the best work done by our first year undergraduate animators, follow this link.

Free Tutorial: Animate a Cartoony Car To a Stop

In this super simple beginner animation tutorial we show how to animate a vehicle coming to a sudden stop. The free tutorial uses the free "AnyCar 3.1.4 for Maya" rig, downloadable here from Creative Crash.  

This is a fun, simple tutorial that is aimed at animation beginners in Autodesk Maya, part of our series of animation basics for students who have never used Maya before.  

Animation by Milly Proudfoot

The animation above was created by Escape Studios' undergraduate animation student Milly Proudfoot, currently in her first year of study at Escape Studios.  Milly animated this piece for our undergraduate core animation module - Animation Module AN4001 - a 15 Credit module that teaches all our first year students the fundamentals of character and creature animation.  AN4001 lasts four weeks, and covers the basic principles of animation.  To see some of the best work done by our first year undergraduate animators, follow this link.

Finding Work in The Animation Industry

The creative industries have hit some headwinds of late, with a "perfect storm" of writers' strikes, actors' strikes, studio cutbacks, and anxiety over the threat from AI. 

But there are still jobs and opportunities out there for graduates with excellent portfolios and strong software skills. Below is a roundup of things to do to maximise your chances of breaking into the industry. Start by making sure that your demo reel  is as good as it can possibly be.

"Order Up" Wins "Best Animation" at Kodaikanal Fest

"Order Up" wins "Best Animation" at Kodaikanal Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Order Up" which has won "Best Animation" at the Kodaikanal Film Festival.  

Order Up was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  Order Up was directed by Shavaz Uzice, edited by Tobi Ajibola, and produced by “Moses” Tsz Yau Ho. The art director was Holly Ackroyd.  This is its first festival award.

Animate a Traffic Cone Being Knocked Over

Animate a Traffic Cone Being Knocked Over

In this beginner's animation tutorial we show how to animate a traffic cone being knocked over by a speeding car.  It's a simple exercise - based on the Yellow Beetle animation tutorial - which you can find here.  

You can however use any vehicle, and animate it by simply setting a keyframe at the start and the end of the motion.  The timing of the traffic cone is very simple; with just a few rotation keyframes we can add texture to the scene. 

Motion Graphics MA Now Open for Applications

Our new Master's Degree in Motion Graphics

Our new Master's Degree in Motion Graphics is welcoming applications for September 2024.

Motion Graphics is a key part of the animation industry, an expanding area of jobs and creativity.

We have been teaching Motion Graphics  at Escape Studios for many years - now for the first time we can offer a fully accredited masters-level post-graduate course.

Escape Students Attend "Bring Your Own Animation"

Kevin Richards and Escape Students attend BYOA

BYOA (Bring Your Own Animation) is a monthly event that we recommend all our students and Escapees attend. 

BYOA takes place in London every month at a pub in Soho.  Recently Escape Studios' tutor animation Kevin Richards met with a number of Escape Studios students and Escapees, reviewing demo reels and getting feedback on their work. 

"Theseus" Wins Hon Mention at 1st Film Fest

Theseus & The Minotaur wins Mention at 1st Film Fest

Congratulations to the makers of Theseus and The Minotaur, which has won an Honourable Mention at the First 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. 

Introducing "Order Up"

ORDER_UP_ANIM from tszyau ho on Vimeo.

Introducing "Order Up", the latest short animated film from Escape Studios. It was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  Order Up was directed by Shavaz Uzice, edited by Tobi Ajibola, and produced by “Moses” Tsz Yau Ho. The art director was Holly Ackroyd.  Order Up is currently being entered into film festivals. 

The Visual Effects Producer - Now in The Library

The Visual Effects Producer

We have new books for the Animation & VFX Library on the 11th Floor at 6 Mitre Passage.

The Visual Effects Producer by Charles Finance and Susan Zwerman is the comprehensive handbook for any student learning the art of VFX Production - a creative blend of art, technology and finance. 

For all our students learning the Art of VFX, we recommend this book as the principal guide to understanding what VFX producers do.  

And don't forget to make use of our Tutorial Channel - with many hundreds of video tutorials on animation and VFX.

Introducing "Checkmate"

Checkmate from Cara Masters on Vimeo.

Introducing "Checkmate", the latest short animated film from Escape Studios.  Checkmate was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  Checkmate was directed by Cara Masters and produced by Erminas Surgautas. 

"Lamp -v- Monty" by Illia Stepina

Illia Stepina is a first year undergraduate animation student at Escape Studios; "Lamp-v-Monty" was animated for Elissa's core animation module - Animation 1 - a 15 Credit module that teaches all our first year students the fundamentals of character and creature animation.  AN4001 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, follow this link. 

"Outpatient" Wins Best VFX at Makihzmithran Fest

"Outpatient" wins "Best VFX" at Makizhmithran Fest

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "Outpatient", which has won "Best VFX" at the Makizhmithran Film Awards. 

"Outpatient" was directed by Charlie Wilson, co-directed by Idris Driver, produced by Harry Symonds, and co-produced by Emmanuel Rahman.  "Outpatient" tells the story of a hospital patient on the edge of survival. Abdoulah M Jones stars as The Patient.  

This is the film's second festival award. 

Escapee-directed "Bluey" Achieves Global Success

Bluey

The Australian animated TV series "Bluey" has become a global success story, one of the most popular shows on Netflix.

Bluey was created by Joe Brumm - but the TV series is directed by Escapee Rich Jeffrey 

Rich took our 12 week course in 3D animation, and has since gone on to forge a successful career as an animation director. 

"Ghosting" Wins "Best Animation" at Tekka Fest

Congratulations to the makers of Ghosting, the animated short created by our third year animation students at Escape Studios, which has won the award for Best Animation at the Tekka Film Festival.

Directed by Caroline Geddis and produced by Marc Montebon, Ghosting tells the story of a boy who enters a mysterious mansion on a dark night.  

This is its second festival award. 

La Salle Exchange Programme Returns For 2025

Ramon Llull University, Barcelona

Escape Studios is delighted to announce the return of our Exchange Programme with La Salle, part of the Ramon Llull University in Barcelona, Catalonia.

La Salle offers degrees in Digital Arts and Animation, a perfect fit with our courses at Escape Studios.  The Exchange will take place in the Spring of 2025, and we'll be looking for expressions of interest from our first year undergraduate students in the next few weeks. 

Since 2021 a number of Escape students have travelled to La Salle to study, and a similar number have come to Escape Studios, studying the Art of Computer Animation, Games and Visual Effects.

The La Salle Exchange Programme is a welcome opportunity for our students to study overseas in one of Europe's most beautiful cities. 

The Animation & VFX Course at La Salle is taught in Catalan, Spanish - and (of course) English. 

"Infestation" Best Sci-Fi at Golden Peacock Awards

"Infestation" wins Best Sci-Fi at Golden Peacock Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Infestation", one of the latest animated shorts created by our third year animation students at Escape Studios.

Infestation has won "Best Sci-Fi Short" at the Golden Peacock International Film Festival.  

Directed by Thomas Husband and produced by Hugo Whitworth,  Infestation tells the story of a distant space station - HMSS Archimedes - with some unwelcome visitors.  This is the third festival award for Infestation.

Super Mario Animation by Michael Koden

Michael Koden is a first year undergraduate animation student at Escape Studios; his short "Super Mario" animation above was completed for AN4001 a 15 Credit animation module that teaches all our first year students the fundamentals of character and creature animation.  AN4001 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, follow this link.

Free Rigs and Sets at Anim-Matt

https://anim-matt.gumroad.com/.

We're loving this new source of Free Rigs and Sets for Maya Animators at Animation-Matt https://anim-matt.gumroad.com/. It's a great resource, packed with free (and low priced) rigs for character animation. Anim-matt also has plenty of sets for animators to work in, including interior and exterior shots such as streets, bars and living rooms for characters to perform in.

Acting for Animators - With Michael Caine

 

Animated characters need to look at each other, so their eyes don't wander around screen.  Watch the short video above with acting legend Michael Caine for some tips from the master of screen acting.  The video itself is a little dated (1980s) but the lessons remain just as important today.  According to Caine, the number one lesson for stage actors is to "hold on to each others' eyes".  And, what is true for stage actors is true for animators too.  You can watch Caine's acting advice in the video above - the important part is all in the first 5 minutes.

"VOID" Wins Hon Mention at Art Film Awards

Void wins Hon Mention at Art Film Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Void", which has won an Honourable Mention in the category of Best Animated Short at the Art Film Awards. 

Void is one of the latest short films from our third year undergraduate animation students at Escape Studios.  

"Void" was directed by Kaya Akinci, edited and produced by Luis Yarroll.   This is its third festival award.

Understanding the Rule of Thirds

What is the Rule of Thirds?  It is a "rule of thumb" for composing visual images.  The Rule of Thirds proposes that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.  In the simplest terms, try to avoid staging your character dead centre in the middle of the screen.

Pitching The "Queen's Counsel" Cartoon Strip

All students at Escape Studios need to learn how to pitch. Our Escapees aren't just working in the creative industries, they are creating original content and fresh ideas.  But how does your fresh original idea gain traction in the marketplace?  The answer is - you have to pitch it.  The short video above is about pitching ideas - in this case pitching the idea of a cartoon strip about lawyers in the UK in the early '90s.  The cartoon strip started in The Times in 1993 as Queen's Counsel - it's still running 30 years on.  

"Light Escape" by Lewis Sims

Introducing "Light Escape" by Lewis Sims.  "Light Escape" was animated by Lewis for our undergraduate core animation module - Animation Module AN4001 - a 15 Credit module that teaches all our first year students the fundamentals of character and creature animation.  AN4001 lasts four weeks, and covers the basic principles of animation.  To see some of the best work done by our first year undergraduate animators, follow this link.

"Theseus" Wins "Best VFX" at the EE Film Fest

Theseus and The Minotaur "Best VFX" at the EEFF 

Congratulations to the makers of Theseus and The Minotaur, which has won "Best VFX" at the Eastern Europe 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 and support was provided by Industrial Light & Magic. 

The VFX Festival Returns 3-4 June 2024

2024 VFX Festival

Save the Date! The VFX Festival is back - returning to London on 3-4 June 2024 at the BFI IMAX on London's South Bank at Waterloo.  The  2024 VFX Festival will be a hybrid event, both online and in person.  

The 2024 VFX Festival at Escape Studios celebrates the latest developments in Animation, VFX and Interactive Media - come along and find out about the latest tech, the latest jobs, and how to break into the thriving - but rapidly evolving - creative industries.   

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

Introducing "The Hunter"

The_Hunter from Naarah on Vimeo.

Introducing "The Hunter", the latest short animated film from Escape Studios. It was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  The Hunter was written by Nishana Paul, directed by Rhea Ilanthirayan and produced by Naarah Bonti Asmarah.  It is currently being entered into film festivals. 

Escapee Ben Gardener Storyboard Artist at Wild Child

Ben Gardener

Escapee Ben Gardener has started work as a storyboard artist at Wild Child Animation.

Ben Gardener took our evening class in storyboarding with Blue Zoo Board Artist and Director Francesca "Chess" Adams - and built up a storyboard portfolio over the duration of the course.

Storyboarding is a growing part of the UK animation industry, as studios develop more in-house content for the expanding creative industries.

Many Escapees have gone on to find work storyboarding on animated films and TV series.

New Copies of the "ASK" for the Animation Library

Animator's Survival Kit

We have new copies of Animator's Survival Kit - our most popular book on animation - for the Animation & VFX Library on the 11th Floor at 6 Mitre Passage.

The ASK is now the standard textbook for animators and the most comprehensive book available for learning animation.  

We have many copies of the Animator's Survival Kit in the 11th Floor Library at 6 Mitre Passage. The ASK can also be bought as an eBook download for the iPad.  

For all our students learning animation, we recommend this book as the principal animation textbook.  And don't forget to make use of our Tutorial Channel - with many hundreds of video tutorials on animation and VFX.

CMC Wants Animation Series Pitches

Children's Media Conference 9-10-11 July 2024 

The Children's Media Conference (CMC) in Sheffield wants your animation pitches.  

In the "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" pitch sessions, animation creatives pitch to the animation industry, much like on the BBC's "Dragon's Den".   The CMC takes place from 9-10-11 July 2024. The deadline for submissions is 13 June 2024. 

Blend From a Walk to a Run with Marc Stevenson

In this tutorial students learn how to blend animation From a walk to a run with undergraduate Programme Leader  Marc Stevenson, veteran animator on multiple animated feature films.  Marc's tutorial explains how to take a walk cycle with "Monty" the Green Pea, and also a run cycle, and blend from one to the other effectively. 

Foundry Educational Showreel 2024

We're delighted to be included in the latest Educational Showreel from Foundry, makers of compositing software Nuke, showcasing the best work done by students using their software. Foundry are among our leading industry partners, supporting our students' work, including live industry projects such as "Dead Shot" - a Sky original feature film directed by The Guard Bros. - to which our students contributed around a dozen shots last year. 

Animate a Telephone Ringing in Maya

Animate a telephone ringing in Maya

In this very short (just ten minutes long) beginner animation tutorial we show how to do some very simple animation - animate a Telephone Ringing.  This tutorial is aimed at animation beginners in Autodesk Maya.

Simple exercises are a great way to gain confidence in animation, starting with the basics to gradually build up your confidence and skills.

George Caton-Coult Introduces "Pop Paper City"

George Caton-Coult, Kevin Richards and students

This week we welcomed Love Love Films Studio Manager George Caton-Coult to visit us on Thursday 21 March. The event was hosted by Escape Studios animation tutor Kevin Richards. 

George Caton-Coult is the Studio Manager at Love Love Films, responsible for the TV hit "Pop Paper City"  developed in partnership with Aardman Animation.  Many Escapees worked on "Pop Paper City".  In this in-person visit, George explained how the series came about, and how Escapees might find work at the studio.

"Sea of Madness" Wins Milan Gold Award

Sea Of Madness wins Best Animated Short in Milan

Congratulations to the makers of Sea Of Madness, which has won "Best Animated Film" at the Milan Gold awards.

Sea Of Madness was directed by Maria Freitas  and produced by Ivy Wang.  Jake Hines was the editor and 2D Lead, and Sebastian McKernan was the 3D Lead.  Ian Chavez Zarate stars as The Pirate.  

This is the film's second festival award.

Time to Enter the 2024 Rookies

The Rookies Awards 2024

It's time for our students to enter The Rookies Awards 2024, the international competition for young creatives. The competition is now open and the deadline is 1st June 2024.

However, it's always a good idea to enter early - make a great first impression and get more eyes on your work. 

Lock To World Tool Stops Feet From Sliding

We're recommending this new animation script "Lock to World", available for download at Gumroad. 

The Lock to World tool does the same job as the Anchor Transform Tool - which no longer works in newer versions of Maya (since the upgrade to Python 3). 

Sliding feet can be a problem when animating a character walk or a walk cycle.  Fortunately for Maya animators, the Lock to World tool created by Framestore Animator Jesse Ong Pho offers a simple solution. 

Rather than manually tweaking your animation to stop the feet sliding, this script lets you anchor a transform for any given time range in your animation.

Lipsync Tutorial with Marc Stevenson

Lipsync with Twigs the Cowboy rig

Undergraduate Programme Leader Marc Stevenson has created a series of Lipsync Tutorials for our students working on character animation. 

The tutorial uses the free "Twigs the Cowboy" rig which you can download here.  You can also find a copy of Twigs in UG Shares.  This tutorial is aimed at our animation students learning the art of dialogue and lipsync. 

Kinetic Type Tutorial with Forge Dynamics in Cavalry

We're delighted to offer a new free tutorial in Motion Graphics from our Motion Graphics tutor Adam Bennett. Adam's latest tutorial is on how to create Kinetic Type with Forge Dynamics using Cavalry, a free animation software package available for both Mac and Windows.  You can download it here.

"Roupell St" Wins Hon Mention in Athens Fest

Congratulations to the makers of the short VFX film "Curiosities of The Ruthless Roupell St", which has won an Honourable Mention for Best VFX at the Athens Film Festival. 

Directed by Oliver Chenery and produced by Victoria Arraez, "Curiosities of The Ruthless Roupell St"  was created by our undergraduate VFX students at Escape Studios. 

Milo Marshall was the 2D Lead, and cinematography was by Clement Gharini.

The film has won many festival awards. 

Why Animators Need a Clear Silhouette

Animator need to create great poses.  Part of a great pose is a great silhouette, one that "reads" clearly. 

The image on the left is taken from Eric Goldberg's book "Character Animation Crash Course", (we have a copy in the library), one of the best books on character animation.

Eric shows how a single pose can get an instant "read" from the audience. Even though the images are shown blacked out in silhouette, we still know exactly what the character is thinking and doing.

Always make sure your poses, whether drawn or digital, communicate exactly what the character is thinking, feeling and doing. 

Escapee Daria Zadecka Animator at ILM

Daria Zadecka

Congratulations to Escapee Daria Zadecka who has joined Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) as an animator.

Daria Zadecka took our Master's Degree in Computer Animation at Escape Studios, taught by veteran animator Lee Caller.  During the course Daria put together a strong demo reel to apply for positions in the animation industry. 

ILM is one of the world's leading animation and VFX houses, responsible for ground-breaking work such as Star Wars and Jurassic Park. 

"Theseus" Wins "Best Super Short" in London

Congratulations to the makers of Theseus and The Minotaur, which has won "Best Super Short Film" at the London Movie Awards, held at the Close-Up Theatre in London's Shoreditch. 

Theseus and The Minotaur was directed by Mitchell Wright and produced by Ayesha-Ria Jina.  This is the film's first festival award. 

Animate a UFO on a Motion Path

In this brief tutorial we show how to animate a UFO on a motion path - an important technique for animating anything moving through space - UFOs, aircraft, birds, and even fish.  

Motion Path animation is a simple animation technique, and can be learned in a few minutes.  The tutorial starts by searching for a free set and a UFO at Turbosquid - free assets anyone can download.  For Maya beginners. 

Giada Carnevaletti Animator at Brown Bag Films

Giada Carnevaletti

Congratulations to Escapee Giada Carnevaletti who has started work as an animator at Brown Bag Films in Dublin.

Brown Bag Films is a leading animation studio, responsible for award-winning children's TV content. 

While at Escape Studios, Giada worked on two award-winning films: CandleWick and Moon Rockz, both of which have enjoyed considerable festival success.  Giada also worked at Escape Studios as a Studio Assistant.

"Outpatient" Wins "Best Short" at Int'l Gold Awards

"Outpatient" wins "Best Short" at the Int'l Gold Awards

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

"Outpatient" was directed by Charlie Wilson, co-directed by Idris Driver, produced by Harry Symonds, and co-produced by Emmanuel Rahman.  "Outpatient" tells the story of a hospital patient on the edge of survival. Abdoulah M Jones stars as The Patient.  This is the film's first festival award. 

"Ghosting" Wins Best Anim at Makihzmithran Fest

Congratulations to the makers of Ghosting, the animated short created by our third year animation students at Escape Studios, which has won the award for Best Animation at the Makhizmithran Film Festival.

Directed by Caroline Geddis and produced by Marc Montebon, Ghosting tells the story of a boy who enters a mysterious mansion on a dark night.  

This is its first festival award. 

Pop Paper City's George Caton-Coult Visits Escape

George Caton-Coult

Escape Studios is delighted to welcome Love Love Films Studio Manager George Caton-Coult to visit our students on Thursday 21 March.

George Caton-Coult is the Studio Manager at Love Love Films, responsible for the TV hit "Pop Paper City"  developed in partnership with Aardman Animation.  

Many Escapees worked on and helped to contribute to the success of "Pop Paper City". 

Escapees at the 2024 Oscars

48 Escapees at the 2024 Academy Awards

Escape Studios is delighted to congratulate the 48 Escapees who contributed to Oscar-nominated movies this year, including Poor Things, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Zone of Interest. 

Congratulations to all our Escapees whose work contributed so much to the success of these amazing films - we are proud of you all. 

"Sea of Madness" wins "Best VFX" at 1st Fest

Sea Of Madness wins Best VFX at 1st Fest

Congratulations to the makers of Sea Of Madness, which has won "Best VFX" at the First Film Festival.

Sea Of Madness was directed by Maria Freitas  and produced by Ivy Wang.  Jake Hines was the editor and 2D Lead, and Sebastian McKernan was the 3D Lead.  Ian Chavez Zarate stars as The Pirate. 

Industry feedback and support was provided by Industrial Light & Magic.  

This is the film's first festival award.

Why Animators Should Tell a Story

Animators need an idea

Every Shot Needs an Idea. Animators should always imagine clearly what their shot is about before they start to animate. 

Animators are actors, with a pencil, or a mouse. Like stage or screen actors, animators must always think about what the character is thinking and feeling. Who is the character talking to, and what is the scene about? What do they want, and what do they fear?

Unless these questions are asked, and answered, the scene will tend to feel empty of meaning, and lack compelling interest.  Start by writing out your scene as a short story. 

Escape Studios at the 2024 BAA Awards

2024 BAA Awards

Last night the UK animation industry celebrated the winners at the biennial British Animation (BAA) Awards at London's South Bank.

A number of Escapees and current students at Escape Studios volunteered to help out on the night.  Many thanks to current students Alfie Williams, Yusuf Uddin and Escapee Oliver Gallagher, whose hard work helped make the evening a success.  

Animate a Military Walk with Monty

Every animator needs to learn how to animate a character walk.  

In this latest tutorial, we show how to take a basic walk cycle using the "Monty" rig (free for download from highend3d.com) and make Monty march like a goose-stepping soldier on a parade ground.  

The video tutorial is recorded in Autodesk Maya, and is aimed at animation beginners. 

"Roupell St" Wins "Best Trailer" at VIZ Fest

Congratulations to the makers of the short VFX film "Curiosities of The Ruthless Roupell St", which has won "Best Trailer" at the Viz Film Festival Awards. 

Directed by Oliver Chenery and produced by Victoria Arraez, "Curiosities of The Ruthless Roupell St"  has won many festival awards. 

Milo Marshall was the 2D Lead, and cinematography was by Clement Gharini.

Animate a Cowboy Walk with Monty

Cowboy walk with Monty

One thing every animator needs to learn is how to animate a character walk. In our latest tutorial, we show how to take a basic walk using the "Monty" rig (free for download from Creative Crash) and make Monty walk in a masculine way - with just a few clicks.

The video tutorial is recorded in Autodesk Maya, and is aimed at animation beginners.