Harmony Evening Class Returns 10 Oct 2024

Our 2D Animation Online Evening class in Toonboom Harmony returns to Escape Studios on 10 October 2024.

Learn the fundamentals of 2D animation over 10 weeks, one evening a week using Toonboom Harmony, one of the leading software packages for the creation of 2D animation.

The class is taught by industry veteran Iliana Franklin. 

Daniel Amor Teaches Motion Graphics at Escape

Daniel Amor

We're extending a warm welcome to Escapee Daniel Amor, who is joining Escape Studios to teach our new Short Course and MA in Motion Graphics. 

Daniel Amor is an experienced Motion Graphics Artist who has also worked extensively in the VFX industry.  Daniel took our 12 week animation course at Escape Studios and has worked on many animation and VFX hits, including Hunger Games, Black Panther and Marvels.

Daniel brings expertise in Autodesk Maya, Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D, and will be teaching both 2D and 3D Motion Graphics.

Lucy Harris Layout Artist at Blue Zoo

Lucy Harris

Many congratulations to Escapee Lucy Harris,  who has started work as a layout artist at Blue Zoo Animation in London. 

Lucy studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, and worked on several award-winning short films, including "March of the Potguins", which won a "Five Star Award" at the British Amateur Film Festival in 2020. 

In 2020 Lucy directed the short sci-fi fantasy "Over Under", which won "Best Animation" at the Flicks Festival and "Most Fabulous Animation" at the Animafantasia Film Fest. 

"Pork Pie" Wins "Best Animation" Award

"Pork Pie" wins "Best Animation" at Makizhmithran Fest 

Congratulations to the makers of "Pork Pie", which has won "Best Animation" at the Makizhmithran Film Festival. 

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

"Pork Pie" was written and directed by Chieri Kagata and produced by Charlie Biggs. This is its first festival award.

Kieron Lee Wins "Most Improved Player" Award

Congratulations to Escapee Kieron Lee who has won the "Most Improved" Award at the Escape Studios Graduation Showcase. 

Kieron Lee studied The Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, working on a number of award-winning films, including Sea of Madness and D.A.N.S. 

Escape Studios Free "Reel Talk" Guide

Download your Free Reel Talk Guide here

Escape Studios' free Reel Talk Guide is back, with advice on jobs and careers from professionals and experts in the animation, games and vfx industries.

Find out how to create a killer showreel or portfolio to help land your first job.

Find out what industry recruiters are looking for - and the best ways to grab their attention, with advice from Blue Zoo, Electric Square, Industrial Light & Magic and Union Visual Effects.

BA/MArt Animation Starts September 2024

Spiderman animation by Escapee Giorgos Konstantinou

Escape Studios is accepting late applications for our BA/MArt in The Art of Computer Animation; teaching starts in September 2024.

Applications are through UCAS, and you can find out more about our undergraduate 2D & 3D Computer Animation courses at the official site.

Our  BA/MArt in The Art of Computer Animation was first launched in 2015, and our first group of animation students graduated in 2019, going on to find jobs and success in the industry.  

D.A.N.S Wins Best VFX at Future of Film Awards

D.A.N.S wins "Best VFX" at the Future of Film Awards

Escape Studios is delighted to congratulate the makers of the VFX short D.A.N.S which has won "Best VFX" at the Future of Film Awards.

Produced by Rajun Madahar and Directed by Charlie Wilson, D.A.N.S was a collaboration between third year undergraduate animation students and VFX students, working together to create an original short film.  Owen Price was the 3D VFX lead, and Jake Hines was the 2D VFX Lead.  This is its second festival award. 

Compositing Short Course & MA Starts 23 Sept 2024

VFX Comp work at Escape Studios

Our 12 Week Short Course and MA In Compositing returns on 23 September 2024.  Taught by 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 cohesive outcome.  Compositors are always in demand in the VFX industry, with high levels of employment among our 2D VFX Escapees.

Houdini Evening Class is Back on 24 Sept 2024

VFX work in Houdini created at Escape Studios

Our next Evening Class in Houdini starts again on 24 September 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.  

Escape Studios is a Houdini Certified School.

VFX Books for The Animation & VFX Library

VFX Books at Escape Studios Animation & VFX Library

We have lots of new VFX Books for The Animation & VFX Library to support our students studying the Art of Visual Effects.  

VFX textbooks include The VFX Handbook, Sculpting with ZBrush, The Visual Effects Producer and many books on Digital Compositing.  We also have hundreds of video tutorials for 3D VFX which can be found here, and 2D VFX (compositing) which can be found here.

To see some of the many learning resources that students have at Escape Studios, see this blog post. 

Animation Evening Class Returns on 23 Sept 2024

Evening Class in 3D Animation Starts 23 Sept

Our 20 week part-time evening class in 3D Animation  returns on 23rd September 2024.

This online animation class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

Saturday Club Student Showcase at Somerset House

2024 Saturday Club showcase

Escape Studios attended the 2024 Saturday Club Summer Showcase last weekend and presented our Saturday Club students with their graduation certificates.  

Saturday Club students from this year's cohort attended with their families, with their artwork being publicly showcased at Somerset House in London.

Thanks to all our staff for giving up their time to teach the Saturday Club.  Applications for the 2024 Saturday Club are now open; it takes place from 2nd November 2024 to 15th March 2025. Applications for Saturday Club close on 22nd Sept 2024.

Post Graduate Scholarships: Apply by 23 July 2024

There are just six days left to apply for one of our postgraduate masters degrees in order to be considered for a scholarship for our September 2024 intake. 

Submit your application to study with us by Tuesday 23rd July 2024.

You'll need a body of work - follow this link to see some tips on what sort of portfolio we are looking for. 

You don't need to be an expert already; we're looking for students who show show potential in creating digital media. 

"Same Day Delivery" Wins "Best Animated Short"

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 Animated Short" at The Kodaikanal Film Awards. 

"Same Day Delivery" was a collaboration between animation, games and VFX students, working together to an industry brief - in this case a short film.  Directed by Rohnak Sharma and produced by Jamie Bennett, "Same Day Delivery" offers a satirical take on the challenges of online orders, failed deliveries and menacing porch pirates.  This is its third festival award. 

Mitch Wright Wins "Most Creative Player" Award

Congratulations to Escapee Mitchell Wright who won the "Most Creative Player" Award in the graduating class of VFX students at this year's Escape Studios Student Showcase.

Mitchell Wright studied the Art of VFX at Escape Studios, and contributed his skills to two award-winning short films: Theseus and The Minotaur and Game Heist, both of which he directed.

Producing for VFX is Back on 22nd Oct 2024

Our evening class in Producing for VFX is back, starting on 22nd October 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 learn the full ecosystem of VFX production, taught by veteran VFX producer Martin Gabriel. 

Ethan Mainwaring-Taylor Compositor at Aardman

Ethan Mainwaring-Taylor

Congratulations to Escapee Ethan Mainwaring-Taylor who has joined Aardman Animation, one of the UK's leading animation studios, as a compositor. 

Ethan Mainwaring-Taylor studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, and worked on a number of award-winning projects, including Game Heist and Theseus and The Minotaur. 

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. 

"Fairy Tree" Wins "Best Super Short" at London Fest

 "The Fairy Tree" wins Best Super Short Film in London

Congratulations to the makers of "The Fairy Tree", which has won Best Super Short Film at the London Movie Awards.

"The Fairy Tree" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  "The Fairy Tree" was written and directed by Maisy Rogers and produced by Tsz Yau “Moses” Ho.  

This is its third festival award.  

2nd Yr "Robot Construction" VFX Project

Our second year VFX students have created some stunning visual effects work this year.  This Robot Construction VFX project was completed by 2D artists Allie Maraqan, Dylan G., Lilly Boswell, Michael Shaw, and Olly Eveson .  The 3D team included María Quimey Dasso, Morgan Pugh, Sabrina Caspers-Frankel, Sam Carpenter, and Tim Lewis, all studying the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios.

Escapee Sasha Fusini Reps Blue Zoo at Annecy

Sasha Fusini reps Blue Zoo at Annecy Fest

Many congratulations to Escapee Sasha Fusini who has joined Brighton Zoo Animation Studio as a storyboard artist, and represented Blue Zoo Animation at the Annecy Film Festival this year. 

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. 

Rohnak Sharma Wins "Most Creative Player" Award

Rohnak Sharma wins "Best Creative" Award

Congratulations to Escapee Rohnak Sharma who has won the "Best Creative" Award among the graduating class of MArt Animation Students at Escape Studios.

Rohnak took our BA/MArt in Computer animation, staying for the fourth and final year to earn his MArt.  Rohnak contributed to many award-winning films, including Explosive Love, Freefall, Lucky Break, Good Soup and Same Day Delivery. 

Same Day Delivery Wins "Best Super Short" Award

Same Day Delivery wins "Best Super Short" Award

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 Super Short" at The International Gold Awards. 

"Same Day Delivery" was a collaboration between animation, games and VFX students, working together to an industry brief - in this case a short film.  Directed by Rohnak Sharma and produced by Jamie Bennett, "Same Day Delivery" offers a satirical take on the challenges of online orders, failed deliveries and menacing porch pirates.  This is its second award. 

"Reconnected" Wins Best Animation at Milan Awards

"Reconnected" wins "Best Animation" in Milan  

Congratulations to the makers of "Reconnected", which has won "Best Animation" at the Milan Gold Awards.  

"Reconnected" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a studio module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects. "Reconnected" was written and directed by Stephanie Quelal Castaneda  and produced by Erik Bocskor. This is its first festival award.

Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day Sat 13th July 2024

Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day Sat 13 July

Join us on Saturday 13th July for our next Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day for an introduction to our undergraduate degrees in animation, games and visual effects.  

The next Undergraduate Taster Day takes place on Saturday 13th July 2024 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, and to get hands-on experience of how we teach. 

Escape Studios UG Term Dates for 2024-25

Our undergraduate term dates for the academic year starting in September 2024 have been published - you can see the dates on the left or download the full PDF here.

Enrolment for our new undergraduate students starts on Monday 9th September; Welcome Week starts on Monday 16th September, and formal teaching begins on Monday 23rd September.  As always, we will extend a warm welcome to all our new Animation, VFX and Games students this September.

Graduation Day 11 November 2024 - Save The Date

Graduation Day - 11 Nov 2024 at the QE2 Centre

Save the Date! Escape Studios' Graduation Day is back this November.  This year's Graduation Ceremony takes place on Monday 11th November 2024 at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster.  On Graduation Day we welcome all our graduating students for the graduation ceremony and for the reception afterwards. 

Introducing "Countdown"

Countdown from Catinca Munteanu-Buciuman on Vimeo.

Introducing "Countdown", a new short animated film from Escape Studios.  "Countdown" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  "Countdown" was written and directed by Leon Lau and produced by Xhoana Tola.  "Countdown" is currently being entered into film festivals. 

Sea of Madness Wins Best VFX at EEFF

Congratulations to the makers of Sea Of Madness, which has won a "Special Award" for "Best VFX" at the Eastern Europe Film Festival 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 fourth festival award.

Attach and Un-Attach a Hat in Maya

Attach & Un-attach a Hat in Maya Using the Parent Master

In this short tutorial for animation beginners we show how to attach and un-attach a hat to "Monty" in Maya using the free ZV Parent Master Plugin. 

The ZV Parent Master Plugin is a very useful tool that we recommend for attaching and un-attaching objects in Maya.  

To see how to download and install it, read this blog post and watch this video.