Charlotte Valder Compositor at BlueBolt

Charlotte Valder digital compositor at BlueBolt

Congratulations to Escapee Charlotte Valder who is starting a new position as a digital compositor at BlueBolt.

Charlotte Valder studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios.  

While at Escape Studios, Charlotte Valder worked on a number of award-winning projects, including the short film Slushy. 

Escapee Corey Birch-Alphonse Joins PG One

Corey Birch-Alphonse joins PG One

Many congratulations to Escapee Corey Birch-Alphonse who has joined the creative marketing agency PG One as a Production Assistant.  

Corey Birch-Alphonse studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, and worked on a number of award-winning short films, including Vivi Ossa and Jerich0 - which was shortlisted for a student BAFTA.  

Escapee Michael Vodden Supervisor at One of Us

Michael Vodden

Many congratulations to Escapee Michael Vodden who is working as a Prep and Roto Supervisor at the VFX House One of Us. 

Michael Vodden studied the Art of VFX at Escape Studios.  

Michael Vodden also contributed to a number of award-winning short films, including directing the VFX short March of the Potguins, and also producing The Lost City of Aztlan. 

Shannon Martin Facial Capture Artist at ILM

 Shannon Martin

Many congratulations to Escapee Shannon Martin, who is working as a Facial Capture Artist at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM).  

Shannon Martin studied the Art of VFX at Escape Studios, and contributed to a number of award-winning student animated short films, including "Street Ratz", and "Home Sweet Home".  Both films had successful festival runs and won multiple festival awards. 

ILM is one of the world's leading animation and VFX houses, pioneers in VFX work and also software development.  

Merry Christmas From Escape Studios

"God Bless Us Every One"

A Very Merry Christmas from all of us at Escape Studios - and God Bless Us Every One.  Many years ago, aged four,  I was the voice of Tiny Tim in my Dad's1972 animated version of A Christmas Carol, a TV Special produced by animation legend Chuck Jones. 

A Christmas Carol is just twenty minutes long - you can watch it in HD below.  The film was completed at Dad's London studio at 13 Soho Square - a Grade II* listed building which still stands today.  It's even painted the same dark green colour, and looks just the same as it always did - minus the letters "Richard Williams Animation" above the door.

"Aztlan" Wins "Best VFX" at Makizhmithran Awards

The Lost City of Aztlan, wins "Best VFX" in Makizhmithram  

Congratulations to the makers of The Lost City of Aztlan, which has won "Best VFX" at the Makizhmithram Film Awards.  

Directed by Mariam Hussein and produced by Michael Vodden, this short film about a long-hidden Mayan civilisation was created by our VFX students as part of their final graduation project.  

Filmed on location in Chislehurst Caves in South East London, this is its second film festival award.

AN4001 "Animation 101" Returns 13th January 2025

Animation for AN4001 by Maria Robertson

For our first year undergraduate students, our core animation module - Animation 1 - starts in the New Year, with our first group beginning on Monday 13 January 2025. 

AN4001 is 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, watch the short video below, cut together by Escape Studios' animation tutor Marc Stevenson.

"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.