Houdini Evening Class Returns on 5 March 2025

Houdini Evening Class Starts 5 March 2025

Our next Evening Class in SideFX Houdini starts again on 5 March 2025. 

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.   This evening class is taught by Houdini expert and industry veteran Mark Spevick. 

"Father's Blade" Wins Best Trailer at Art Film Awards

Father's Blade" wins Best Trailer at the Art Film Awards 

Congratulations to the makers of the short film "Father's Blade", which has won Best Trailer at the Art Film Awards. 

"Father's Blade" was directed by Thomas Husband and produced by Hugo Whitworth; the editor was Alfie Williams and the lead animator was Brandon Rai.   

This is the third festival award for Father's Blade. 

Guy Dijkhuis VFX Artist at Vu.City

Many congratulations to Escapee Guy Dijkhuis who has joined the architectural visualisation firm Vu.City as a VFX artist.  

Guy Dijkhuis studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, where he also worked on two award-winning films, X-Terminate and Sea of Madness, both of which have won many festival awards.

Architectural visualisation is a growing part of the vfx industry, helping planners and developers to visualise the built environment long before actual building begins. 

Escapee Daniel Lotter Animator at Ritzy Animation

Daniel Lötter

Many congratulations to Escapee Daniel Lötter who has recently started work as an animator at Ritzy Animation in London.

Daniel Lötter studied the Art of Computer Snimation at Escape Studios, graduating with a First Class Degree. 

While at Escape Studios, Daniel worked on several award-winning films, including "Over Under", and "Offcut". 

Escapee Emily Lim Sarrias Animator at ETC

Emily Lim Sarrias

Many congratulations to Escapee Emily Lim Sarrias, who is working as an animator at Electric Theatre Collective (ETC), where she joins a number of other Escapees.

Emily Lim Sarrias studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, and worked on a number of award-winning short films, including Home Sweet Home, Street Ratz and Minuet. 

Electric Theatre Collective is one of London's leading animation and VFX houses based in Brick Lane, E1. 

FX TD Riccardo Zanarini Joins Escape Studios

Riccardo Zanarini

We're extending a warm welcome to vfx artist Riccardo Zanarini who is joining Escalpe Studios to teach Houdini to our third year vfx students. 

Riccardo Zanarini is an Escapee and an experienced FX TD, specialising in Houdini, with credits on many projects including: Me Time (Netflix), Fate: The WinX Saga (Netflix),  Good Omens 2 (Prime video), MEG 2: The Trench and Genie.  

"Little Pirates" Wins "Best Anim" at Kodaikanal Fest

"Little Pirates" wins "Best Animated Short"

Congratulations to the makers of the animated short film "Little Pirates" which has won "Best Animated Short" at the Kodaikanal Film Festival.

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

Little Pirates was written and directed by Anna Reyes Ramirez and produced by Angharad Mathias.  This is Little Pirates' third festival award. 

We're Expanding: Sixth Floor at 6 Mitre Passage Open

Welcome to the Sixth Floor at Escape Studios

Escape Studios is expanding - our brand new 6th Floor is now open for study.  This week we welcomed our new students to our newly expanded location here in North Greenwich. 

6 Mitre Passage, the new home of Escape Studios, first opened its doors to our students in September 2023.  Our new campus located in the North Greenwich Peninsula, right next to The O2, in the Design District. 

Escapee Kaya Akinci Storyboard Artist at Mako Kids

Kaya Akinci storyboard artist at Mako Kids

Congratulations to Escapee Kaya Akinci who has started work as a storyboard artist at Mako Kids, an animation studio based in Istanbul, Turkey.

Kaya Akinci graduated from Escape Studios this summer with a First Class degree in the Art of Computer Animation.

While at Escape Studios, Kaya worked on a number of award-winning films, including VOID, which she wrote and directed, and the VFX short X-Terminate.

Mako Kids is a children-first media, production, and consultancy company based in Istanbul that specialises in creating quality content for kids of all ages.

Adventures in Animation for the Anim & VFX Library

Adventures in Animation

We're delighted to add Richard Williams' new book "Adventures in Animation" to the Animation & VFX Library at Escape Studios. 

"Adventures in Animation" is Richard Williams' autobiography, a work-in-progress completed five years after his death by his wife and long-term collaborator Imogen Sutton.  The book fills in many of the gaps in The Animator's Survival Kit, especially the early influences on Williams' work, animators like Grim Natwick and Milt Kahl. 

At Escape Studios we recommend one key textbook for learning animation - The Animator's Survival Kit, arguably the only book you need to learn the art and craft of animation.  We have many copies in the 11th Floor Library for loan. 

Welcome to Our New Students!

We're extending a warm welcome to our new undergraduate students at Escape Studios. Undergraduate teaching starts on today - Monday 23rd September.  You can see the full 2024-25 term dates here.   

Classes take place at our Greenwich Campus at 6 Mitre Passage SE10. 
  
Core Textbook - The Animator's Survival Kit

We recommend that all our animation students buy a copy of  The Animator's Survival Kit, by Richard Williams; now the standard textbook for animators and easily the most comprehensive book available for learning animation.

We have many copies in the Animation Library here at Escape Studios (we also have many other books on animation and digital film-making), but they are often out on loan so it's a good idea to get your own copy.

"British Newspaper Strips" by Adam Twycross

Students at Escape Studios may know Adam Twycross as our External Examiner for Visual Effects; they may be less familiar with his published work.  Adam Twycross has just published a new book titled "British Newspaper Strips - A Contextual History", a scholarly deep dive into the history of newspaper cartoon strips over the last century. 

Newspapers cartoons are fascinating from a historical perspective because they show clearly and simply how much the world has changed since their publication, documenting the rapid changes in attitudes and values that have taken place in modern Britain.  

For most of us though, it's just a huge pleasure to read old comics from previous decades.   

How to Render Depth of Field in Maya and Arnold

How do we create Depth of Field in Maya and Arnold? Sometimes we don't want the audience to see everything in our shot. Animators are film-makers, and the audience needs to be guided through the scene, shown only what is important - and leaving out what is unimportant.  Focus and Depth of Field can help with this - if something in the shot isn't important, simply blur it out. To see how to create Depth of Field in Maya, watch the short video above.  And to understand the theory behind it, read this blog post.

Brandon Welch to Teach 3D VFX at Escape Studios

Brandon Welch

We're extending a warm welcome to VFX artist Brandon Welch, who will teach 3D VFX to our Second Year Undergraduate VFX students. 

Brandon Welch is a VFX and Concept Artist who graduated from our Masters Degree in 3D Visual Effects.  Brandon first joined Escape Studios as a Studio Assistant and is now teaching VFX.

Brandon Welch also has a BA in Game Art and Design from De Montfort University, as well as considerable industry experience. 

DNEG Hosts "Garfield" Screening Q&A 19 Sept 2024

As we extend a warm welcome to our new undergraduate students at Escape Studios this week, we're delighted to invite our students to a screening of The Garfield Movie with industry partners DNEG Animation tonight Thursday September 19th at 6.15pm. 

DNEG Animation is one of the UK's leading animation studios, and one of our key industry partners. 

"Father's Blade" Wins "Best Animation" at Makiz Fest

Congratulations to the makers of the short film "Father's Blade", which has won Best Animated Short at the Makizhmithran Film Festival.

"Father's Blade" was directed by Thomas Husband and produced by Hugo Whitworth; the editor was Alfie Williams and the lead animator was Brandon Rai.   

This is the second festival award for Father's Blade. 

Short Course & PG Open Day on 19 Oct 2024

VFX Created at Escape Studios

Join us on Saturday 19th October 2024 for our next Short Course and Post-Graduate Open Day at Escape Studios, hosted both online and at our North Greenwich Campus, right next to The O2. 

The Short Course and Post-Graduate Open Day event takes place on Saturday 19th October 2024 at 2pm and offers prospective students a chance to visit our studios and find out what it's like to study with us.  

Video Tutorial Library at Panopto

Tutorial Videos at Panopto at our Student Portal

Introducing the Escape Studios Video Tutorial Library at Panopto.  Escape Studios' Tutorial Channel at Panopto is now our main hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easy for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies. 

Escape Studios Welcomes International Students

New International Students at Escape Studios

Escape Studios is delighted to extend a warm welcome to our new international students, who joined us on campus this week for their enrolment.

International students bring fresh perspectives to our campus, new approaches and methodologies. We're thrilled to be rolling out the welcome mat to our newcomers this week. 

Escapee Danish Adeem Animation Intern at King Bee

Danish Adeem

Many congratulations to Escapee Danish Adeem who has started work as an Animation Intern at King Bee Animation.

Danish Adeem studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios. While at Escape Studios, Danish contributed to a number of short films, including the award-winning films Liminal, Love Mum, Good Soup and Tech Troubles. 

Danish Adeem was the Lead Animator on Liminal.

Movement & Narrative Animation Bible Showcase

"Fully Grown Child" Animation Pitch by Lewis Sims

Our First Year undergraduate animation students will soon start 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".  

Escapee Victoria Arraez Joins ILM

Victoria Arraez

Many congratulations to Escapee Victoria Arraez has joined ILM as a Production Runner. Working as a runner is a standard entry-level position in our industry which can - and often does - lead to a full time production role.  

Victoria Arraez studied The Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, and worked on a number of award-winning films, including Papercut and Curiosities of the Ruthless Roupell St.  

Manos Zervoudakis Prod'n Co-ordinator at Revenant

 Manos Zervoudakis joins animation studio Revenant 

Congratulations to Escapee Manos Zervoudakis who has joined the Glasgow-based animation studio Revenant as a Production Coordinator.  

Manos Zervoudakis studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, and produced no less than six short animated films, including Threaded Together, Alma, Sweet Heart, Mafia Mix-Up, Candlewick and Pet Shop. 

Manos won over 30 industry awards for his short film work. 

Simone Costa Animator at Blue Zoo

Simone Costa

Many congratulations to Escapee Simone Costa who has joined Blue Zoo, one of the UK's leading animation studios, as an animator.  

At Escape Studios, Simone Costa studied the Art of Computer Animation, and contributed his skills to four award-winning animated shorts: Kiwi's Dream, Malloe, Animal Lover and Nefertiti.  

"The Huntress" by James Hothi

Escape Studios is proud to present "The Huntress", a new short animation created by MA Animation student James Hothi.   James Hothi is studying the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, taught by industry veteran Kevin Richards. "The Huntress" is a teaser/trailer for a feature film project, currently in development.

"Little Pirates" Wins "Best Super Short" at NYC Fest

"Little Pirates" wins "Best Super Short" at New York Awards

Congratulations to the makers of the animated short film "Little Pirates" which has won "Best Super Short" at the New York Movie Awards.  

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

Little Pirates was written and directed by Anna Reyes Ramirez and produced by Angharad Mathias.  This is Little Pirates' second festival award. 

Melissa Coarezza Lead Animator at Hexworks

Escapee Melissa Coarezza

Congratulations to Escapee Melissa Coarezza, who has been promoted to Lead Technical Animator at Hexworks, a games studio based in Barcelona and Bucharest.

Melissa took our 12 week course in 3D Animation taught by veteran animator Lee Caller.  Technical animation is a growing area of the animation industry, a field where opportunities and jobs are expanding. 

Sokratis Synitos Returns to Teach 3rd Year 2D VFX

Sokratis Synitos

We're delighted to welcome back compositing tutor Sokratis Synitos to teach our "Level 6" (ie Third Year) VFX students at Escape Studios. 

Sokratis Synitos has years of experience in compositing for both film and TV, and has also taught the Art of Compositing to our Short Course and MA students.  Sokratis has worked on many film and TV projects at studios such as DNEG, Cinesite and Warner Bros.  He has degrees in computer engineering and also in film studies. 

Sokratis is also a graduate of our 12 week 2D VFX Short Course at Escape Studios.  Sokratis's film credits include Spectre, Avengers: Endgame and Kingsman as well as episodes of Black Mirror, Altered Carbon and Dr. Who.  You can find Sokratis here at the IMDB.  

Undergraduate Taster Day on 5 October 2024

Join us on Saturday 5th October 2024 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 5th October 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.  Find out what our unique Escape Method is all about. 

"Father's Blade" Wins "Best Animation" in Milan

"Father's Blade" wins "Best Animation" in Milan 

Congratulations to the makers of the short film "Father's Blade", which has won "Best Animation" at the Milan Gold Film Festival Awards.  

"Father's Blade" was directed by Thomas Husband and produced by Hugo Whitworth; the editor was Alfie Williams and the lead animator was Brandon Rai.   

This is its first festival award.

Undergraduate Open Day 21 Sept 2024

Open Day Saturday 21 September 2024 

Escape Studios is hosting a new undergraduate open day on Saturday 21 September 2024.

Escape Studios' Open Days are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees in Animation (2D & 3D), Motion Graphics, The Art of Games and The Art of Visual Effects, as well as our new BCs/MSci courses: BSc/MSci Technical Art for Games & VFX, BSc/MSci Video Games Design and BSc/MSci Character Creation for Animation, Games and VFX.

Little Pirates Wins "Best Production Design" at EEFF

"Little Pirates" wins "Best Production Design" at EEFF  

Congratulations to the makers of the animated short film "Little Pirates" which has won "Best Production Design" at the Eastern Europe Film Festival.  

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

Little Pirates was written and directed by Anna Reyes Ramirez and produced by Angharad Mathias.  This is Little Pirates' first festival award. 

Ilaria Colavito To Teach 3D VFX to 3rd Year Students

Ilaria Colavito Teaches 3D VFX at Escape Studios

We're delighted to welcome back VFX artist Ilaria Colavito to Escape Studios to teach 3D VFX to our "Level 6" (ie third year) undergraduate students this year. 

Ilaria Colavito joins us from the London VFX house Freefolk where she worked as a 3D Generalist on a number of TV series including Anansi Boys and Kaos.   Ilaria is an Escapee who took our 3D VFX MA with industry veteran Dan Shutt. While at Escape Studios Ilaria directed the award-winning short film Mechamorphosis, utilising a variety of 3D techniques.

What is "The Escapeverse"?

The "Escapeverse"

What is "The Escapeverse"? The Escapeverse is the Escape Studios universe - the ecosystem in which we teach, recruit, and work with industry to deliver the highest possible quality of education in the fields of animation, games and visual effects. 

Our tutors come from industry, ensuring that they understand not just the theory behind their craft but also the practical day-to-day reality of surviving in industry.  Many of our tutors are themselves former Escapees, so they understand what we do.

Recruiter Tiffany Feeney To Teach at Escape Studios

Tiffany Feeney

We're delighted to welcome animation recruiter Tiffany Feeney from the Talent Outpost Animation & VFX Recruitment Agency to help deliver PS6003, our final Professional Practice Module for undergraduate animation students at Escape Studios. 

What are studios looking for in new talent? As an animation and vfx recruiter, there is no-one better than Tiffany Feeney to help prepare our students for the commercial workplace. 

Tiffany Feeney has recruited for many animation & vfx studios including Dreamworks, Reel FX and Blue Sky Studios.

Jake Thompson VFX Artist at Time-Based Arts

Escapee Jake Thompson

Many congratulations to Escapee Jake Thompson who is working as a VFX artist at London VFX house Time Based Arts.

Jake took our MA in 3D VFX at Escape Studios, and graduated with a distinction. He did excellent work at Escape Studios, especially in Houdini, contributing to our official Houdini showreel. 

Jake graduated from Escape studios with a Distinction in 3D VFX.  He soon found work at London VFX house Time Based Arts.

Character & Creature MA Returns 23 Sept 2024

Character created by Eren Karadag

Our MA (and short course) in Character and Creature Creation is back on 23 September 2024.

This 12 week course in Character & Creature Creation - first launched in September 2021 - is all about designing, modeling, and rigging your own characters, with a view to becoming a Character Artist at a Games, Animation or VFX house.  

Students learn all the stages of character creation from design through to final render.   To apply, visit the official course page here.