Escapeverse Live is Back: 24th - 26th Feb 2026

Escapeverse Live is back!  Escapeverse Live  is a free, global online event celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art. 

Escapeverse Live  runs from 24th - 26th February 2026, and we'll be sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries. 

To find out more, and learn when tickets become available, follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/hs5d67rh

Alex Williams 2D Animation Demo Reel

2D Animation has been expanding at Escape Studios, with a growing student body, many new short films - and many festival awards.  Our 2D animation tutors include Shane Woodson, Rebecca Perrone, Kevin Richards, Steve Lall and Iliana Franklin - all have many years of experience working on 2D animated projects.  Above is a selection of 2D animation on various films by our Dean of Animation & VFX Alexander Williams.  Edit by Escapee Miguel Teixeira, music by Pixabay.  

"Father's Blade" Wins "Best Trailer" at Vesuvio Fest

"Father's Blade" wins "Best Trailer" Vesuvio Film Fest 

Congratulations to the makers of the short film "Father's Blade", which has won "Best Trailer" at the Vesuvio 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 latest of many festival awards for Father's Blade. 

Meet The MoCap Masters: Adam Bennett 17 Dec 2025

Join us for our next "Meet the Masters" event at Escape Studios with Motion Graphics veteran Adam Bennett on Wednesday December 17th at 6pm GMT.  Adam will introduce motion graphics beginners to "Five Motion Graphics Techniques That Actually Work", focusing on practical solutions that bring fast results.  To sign up for this event, follow this link. 

Escapees on "Wicked: For Good"

Congratulations to Escapees Sofia Caldeira and Harry Pearson who contributed their skills to the new feature film "Wicked: For Good". 

Sofia Caldeira and Harry Pearson have been working as Visualisation Artists at The Third Floor in London.  

Undergraduate Taster Day 6 December 2025

Sat 6th Dec 2025 - Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day

Join us on Saturday 6th December 2025 for our next Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day for an introduction to our undergraduate degrees in animation, games and vfx.  Come along and find out what it's like to study at Escape Studios. 

"Meet The Masters" with Dan Shutt 15 Dec 2025

Meet The Masters with Dan Shutt 15th Dec 2025

Join us on Monday 15th December at 6pm for a free "Meet The Masters" Event with veteran VFX artist Dan Shutt. 

Dan Shutt is one of our most experienced VFX tutors, with over 23 years’ experience in a wide variety of 3D fields, from feature film effects and games graphics, to TV commercials and architectural rendering.  Dan has been with Escape Studios since 2009.  To sign up, follow this link. 

"Dusty Memories" Wins "Best Super Short" in NYC

Dusty Memories wins "Best Super Short Film"  in NYC  

Many congratulations to the makers of "Dusty Memories", which has won "Best Super Short Film"  at the New York Movie Awards.  

"Dusty Memories" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.   "Dusty Memories" was written and directed by Grace Lam, and edited and produced by Max Ebdon.  This is its third festival award. 

Why Animators Always Start With a Story

Storytelling animation by Sunny Asadi

Animators are story tellers; animation should always have an idea behind it, one that tells a story.

Junior animators focus on learning technique - and technique is important. But it is also important to think carefully about the story behind your shot.

Who is your character, and why are they doing what they are doing?  What is the scene about? What do they want, and what do they fear?  These things are important because if your shots forms part of an interesting story, it will be much more interesting to watch.

Escapee Erminas Surgautas Joins Framestore

Erminas Surgautas

Many congratulations to Escapee Erminas Surgautas who has joined Framestore, one of the UK's leading VFX and animation houses. 

Erminas Surgautas studied the Art of Animation at Escape Studios, and contributed to many award-winning short film projects, including Checkmate, Mob Boss Barkino, Night Terrors and Reconnected.  

Undergraduate Q&A with Ian Palmer 9 Dec 2025

Join us on Tuesday 9th Dec from 5pm - 6pm GMT for an online undergraduate Q&A with Escape Studios' Principal Ian Palmer. 

This online event is an opportunity to find out more about Escape Studios from the man who knows us best - Professor Ian Palmer.  To sign up for this free event, follow this link. 

"Keep Cooking" Wins Best Super Short at Gold Awards

"Keep Cooking" wins "Best Animation" at Int'l Gold Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Keep Cooking", which has won "Best Animation" at the International Gold Awards.   Keep Cooking was created by our third year graduating class of 2D Animation students at Escape Studios.  

Keep Cooking was written and directed by Nathan Blackman and produced by Mai Lu.  Chieri Kagata was the Lead Animator, and Gustav Chin was the Art Director.  This is its third festival award. 

Evening With...Escapee Josh Kiddie 3 Dec 2025

We're delighted to announce our next "Evening With" Event on Wednesday 3 December 2025 at 5.30pm.  

Escapee and games artist Josh Kiddie returns to Escape Studios to discuss his career in the games industry. 

"Bloom" Wins Best Animation Award in Florence

"Bloom", wins "Best Animation" at Florence Film Awards

Congratulations to the makers of "Bloom", which has won "Best Animated Film" at the Florence Film Awards. "Bloom" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.

Bloom was written and directed by Vanessa Marques-Navaratnasingam and produced by Grace Lam. This is its third festival award.

Cherelle Owusu Screening at Royal Society of Arts

Cherelle Owusu

Many congratulations to Escapee Cherelle Owusu whose short film "Flame" will be screened at the Royal Society of Arts on Tuesday, December 16th @ 6pm as part of the Nolly-Oh! Nationwide Tour,  part of the BFI Too Much Melodrama Blockbuster Season.   

Cherelle's short film "Flame" has won multiple festival awards, and in 2020 secured a commercial licensing deal with a major US Airline.   

Cherelle took our MA in 3D Animation at Escape Studios, and joined The Third Floor as a previsualisation artist. Her film credits include The Meg and How To Train Your Dragon.

"Barkino" Wins "Best Super Short" in London

"Mob Boss Barkino" wins "Best Super Short Film" in London

Congratulations to the makers of "Mob Boss Barkino", which has won Best Super Short Film at the London Movie Awards. 

Mob Boss Barkino was written and directed by Leon Lau, and produced by Angharad Mathias.  The lead animator was Maisy Rogers, and the Editor was Tobi Ajibola.  Industry feedback was generously provided by Charlie Tetlow and Felipe De Lanteuil from Industrial Light & Magic.  This its fourth festival award. 

2025 Motion Graphics Demo Reel

Congratulations to our Motion Graphics students and tutors on the excellent new 2025 Motion Graphics Demo Reel from Escape Studios. The video above is a compilation of the best work done by Motion Graphics students studying on our short courses, evening classes, and postgraduate classes.  

"Keep Cooking" wins "Best Animation" in NYC

"Keep Cooking" wins "Best Animation" in NYC

Congratulations to the makers of "Keep Cooking", which has won "Best Animation" at the New York Movie Awards.   Keep Cooking was created by our third year graduating class of 2D Animation students at Escape Studios.  

Keep Cooking was written and directed by Nathan Blackman and produced by Mai Lu.  Chieri Kagata was the Lead Animator, and Gustav Chin was the Art Director.  This is its third festival award. 

UCAS Applications Now Open

UCAS - deadline 14 January 2026.

UCAS applications for Escape Studios for September 2026 are now open - the deadline to apply to study with us next academic year is 14 January 2026.  

If you are thinking of applying to Escape Studios to study the Art of Animation, Games, Concept Art, Motion Graphics or Visual effects, it's time to get your application in through UCAS. 

"Held Back" Wins "Best Animation" at EEFF

Held Back wins "Best Animation" at the EEFF  

Congratulations to the makers of the animated short film Held Back which has won "Best Animation" at the Eastern Europe Film Awards.  

Held Back was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.   Held Back was directed by Lewis Sims and produced by Hassan Mahdi.  This its first festival award. 

Escape Studios Visits DNEG

Escape Studios visits DNEG

Many thanks to Andrew Schlussel and everyone at DNEG for the inspiring tour of the Great Portland St Studio yesterday. 

The visit was a great opportunity for our students to visit one of the UK's longest-established VFX and animation houses; responsible for multiple blockbuster hits.  

"Mini Mail" Wins "Best Student Film" in Hollywood

 Mini Mail wins "Best Student Film" in Hollywood

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX Short film Mini Mail, which has won "Best Student Film" at the Hollywood Gold Awards.

Mini Mail was created by our third year graduating class of VFX students at Escape Studios; it was written and directed by Thomas Greensmith and produced by Nilufer Refet.  This is its fourth festival award. 

Animation Demo Reels - To Light or Not to Light?

Chameleon by Dave Novis

A strong animation demo reel isn’t just about great animation — it’s also about great presentation.  

Many student reels rely on greyshade renders or raw playblasts, but taking the time to add simple lighting can make a huge difference to how your work is received. 

You don’t need to be a lighting artist to benefit from a basic setup.  A little polish goes a long way, and you can follow one of our super simple lighting tutorials to get a great result in just a few minutes. 

"Keep Cooking" Wins "Best Anim" at Makizhmithran

Keep Cooking wins "Best Animation" in Makizhmithran

Congratulations to the makers of "Keep Cooking", which has won "Best Animation" at the Makizhmithran Film Festival.   Keep Cooking was created by our third year graduating class of 2D Animation students at Escape Studios.  

Keep Cooking was written and directed by Nathan Blackman and produced by Mai Lu.  Chieri Kagata was the Lead Animator, and Gustav Chin was the Art Director.  

This is its second festival award. 

Klaudija Cermak Elected to VES Board of Directors

Escape Studios is proud to congratulate compositing tutor Klaudija Cermak who has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Visual Effects Society (VES), London Section.

Klaudija has over 25 years experience on commercials, broadcast TV and feature films.  Klaudija has worked at most of the major post-production houses in London including MPC, Mill, Millfilm, Framestore, Double Negative and Glassworks.

The Visual Effects Society is an entertainment industry organization representing visual effects artists with 5,000 members in 50 countries.  Since 2002 it has produced the Visual Effects Society Awards, which honours vfx excellence in multiple categories. 

Escapee Scott Middleton Finalist at "Young Arrows"

Scott Middleton (right) finalist at the "Young Arrow" Awards

Many congratulations to Escapee Scott Middleton who is a finalist in the annual "Young Arrows" awards, having received three nominations for Best VFX. 

Scott Middleton studied The Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, specialising in compositing in Nuke.

While at Escape Studios, Scott Middleton directed the multiple-award-winning VFX short "Russell".

Why Animators Embed Their Demo Reel at Linkedin

Animation recruiters "live at Linkedin" 

A strong demo reel is essential for launching an animation career — but it only works if people see it. Too many graduates upload their reel to YouTube or Vimeo and stop there. 

One of the smartest places to share your reel is LinkedIn.  It’s quick, it’s professional, and it’s where animation recruiters are already looking. Your reel is your most important asset. Don’t hide it. Put it where the industry can find you easily.

Congratulations To All Our Graduates

Congratulations to all our graduates who attended this year's Graduation Ceremony yesterday at The Indigo at the O2 in North Greenwich. 

On Graduation Day we welcomed all our graduating students for the graduation ceremony and for the reception afterwards. 

It's a day to celebrate hard work and remarkable achievement. 

November "Tasters" at Escape Studios

November Tasters at Escape Studios

We're running a series of "Taster Events" at Escape Studios all through November for prospective students keen to try out our courses. 

To get started with Maya, ZBrush, Nuke, Python and Unreal Engine, follow this link. 

"The Hunt" Wins Hon Mention at CEFF

"The Hunt" wins Hon Mention for "Best Animation"

Congratulations to the makers of the short animated film "The Hunt" which has won an Honourable Mention in the category of "Best Animation" at the Cinematic European Film Awards. 

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

The Hunt was directed by Eva Gifford and produced by Grace Chandler.  Rose Brooksby-Conroy was the art director.  This is its second festival award. 

Escape Studios Top 12 at Rookies for 2D Animation

Ranked 12 for Production Excellence in 2D Animation

We’re proud to announce that Escape Studios has been ranked 12th in the world for Production Excellence in 2D Animation by The Rookies.  

This recognition underlines our commitment to giving our students an education that mirrors real-studio pipelines, fosters creative risk, and prepares them for the animation industry.

Comics and Visual Storytelling Launches Sept 2027

Comics & Visual Storytelling - Sept 2027

Escape Studios is excited to announce the launch of our new undergraduate degree on comics and visual storytelling. 

To deliver this, we have teamed up with Comic Book UK to launch this groundbreaking new undergraduate degree, starting September 2027. 

This industry-led course is designed to help aspiring Comic Creators, Illustrators, and Storytellers break into the world of publishing, animation, and games. 

From Manga to Marvel, students will explore global comic traditions and collaborate on cross-media projects. 

To find out more, visit the official site here: https://lnkd.in/eSQqjHan

Why Animation Demo Reels Need a Walk Cycle

Character walk by Ben Swallow

Every animation demo reel should include at least one good walk cycle.  It might seem too basic, but a well executed walk tells a recruiter a lot about your animation skills — timing, weight, character, and appeal — all in a few seconds of motion. 

You can have a number of walk cycles on your reel, as long as they show character and personality, and as long as you keep them short and snappy.  

Escapee Emma Richards Visits Escape Studios

Emma Richards returns to Escape Studios

Last week Escape studios welcomed back Escapee Emma Richards to talk to our students about her career in visual effects. 

Emma Richards studied the Art of VFX at Escape Studios, specialising in 2D compositing.  While at Escape Studios, Emma supervised the 2D work on two award-winning animated films, Risen and Tatty. 

"Houdini Indie" License for Freelancers

Houdini Indie license - just $299 per annum

Software developers sidefx, makers of Houdini, offer a "Houdini Indie" license for independent film-makers looking to create industry-standard FX work on a modest budget.  This is great news for Escapees looking to take on small freelance gigs, but without studio-level financial resources. 

Escapee Ana Erbasu Joins Framestore

Many congratulations to Escapee Ana Erbasu who has joined Framestore, one of the UK's leading animation and VFX houses, responsible for multiple hit projects, including Paddington in Peru, Wicked, The Fantastic Four: First Steps and James Gunn's Superman.

Ana Erbasu studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, graduating Master of Arts. She joins the many Escapees who have begun their careers at Framestore.

Film Soc is Back with "Ed Wood" on Oct 30th

Escape Studios' Film Society is back on Thursday 30th October with "Ed Wood", the 1994 film by Tim Burton celebrating the low budget "glorious failures" of director Ed Wood. 

The film stars Jonny Depp as Ed Wood, and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. 

The screening of Ed Wood takes place on the 10th Floor in the Breakout Space. 

"Skoll Aurora" Wins Best Anim at Makizhmithran Fest

Congratulations to the makers of Sköll Aurora, the animated short film created by our third year graduating class of 2D animation students at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Animated Short" at the Makizhmithran Film Festival. 

Sköll Aurora tells the story of light re-entering a dark and desolate world; it was written and directed by Mahamat Souleymane and produced by Amos Mathias. 

This is its second festival award. 

Nuke "Indie License" For VFX Freelancers

For all our VFX artists working on indie projects (which we strongly encourage), The Foundry have an indie version of their compositing package Nuke.  

The "Nuke Indie" is ideal for Escapees who do freelance gigs and work on small budgets.

Post-Graduate Open Event 27 Nov 2025

VFX Created at Escape Studios

Join us on Thursday 27 November at 5.30pm for our next Short Course and Post-Graduate Open Evening at Escape Studios, hosted online at Zoom. 

The event offers prospective students a chance to find out what it's like to study with us.   

Come along and meet our tutors, find out about our courses, and have your questions answered. 

How to Get Maya for Free

Autodesk, who make the software Maya, offer an education copy of Maya for free, which can be downloaded from the official Autodesk site.

Autodesk Maya has been the dominant software package in 3D animation for over 20 years. I first used Maya 1.0 on "The Iron Giant", back in 1998. And today it remains the most powerful package for the creation of 3D animation, still by far the most widely used in industry.

Cartoon Physics - Equal and Opposite Reaction

Monty sneeze - with top hat reaction

One of the quickest ways to give your animation weight and believability—even in the wildest, wackiest cartoon world—is to respect a core principle of physics: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

This doesn’t mean your characters need to obey Newton's laws with documentary accuracy. What it does mean is we should obey the laws of Cartoon Physics.  

Undergraduate Taster Day 1 November 2025

Join us on Saturday 1st November 2025 for our next Undergraduate (UG) Taster Day for an introduction to our undergraduate degrees in animation, games and vfx.  

The next Undergraduate Taster Day takes place on Saturday 1st November 2025 at 6 Mitre Passage, N 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 the Escape Method is all about. 

VES Awards 2025 - Enter by October 31st

VES: Cat 25: Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project

The 24th Annual VES Awards are now taking student entries.  Here at Escape Studios we encourage all our students to enter Category 25: Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project. 

The VES awards are sponsored by Autodesk, who make Maya, the leading animation and VFX software.  The VES Awards deadline is midnight on 31st October 2025.

Escape Studios Demo Reel 2025

Congratulations to all our talented students studying the Art of Animation, VFX, Games, Motion Graphics, Character Creation and Concept Art who have contributed their skills to our 2025 combined demo reel. This latest reel represents just a small proportion of the excellent work created at Escape Studios over the last twelve months. 

Maya -v- Blender - Which is Best?

Should Animators Learn Blender, Maya, or Both? If you’re just starting out in animation, one of the first big questions is: Which software should I learn? For most students, that means choosing between Autodesk Maya and Blender. Both are powerful, both are widely used, and both have strengths — but the right choice depends on your goals. 

The Animator's Survival Kit - Still Relevant Today?

Richard Williams’ Animator's Survival Kit was first published over 20 years ago, before today’s digital workflows, AI-assisted tools, and real-time rendering.  

And yet, it remains one of the most essential resources for anyone learning animation. Why? Because the fundamental principles of animation don’t change. Great animation is still all about timing, spacing - and giving a memorable performance. 

"Socks To Be You" Wins "Best Short Film" Award

Congratulations to the makers of "Socks To Be You", which has won the award for "Best Super Short Film" at the International Gold Awards.  

Directed by Josh Popusoi , and produced by Erik Bocsor,  "Socks To Be You" 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. 

Character Creation Showreel 2025

Escape Studios is proud to present our 2025 Character Creation Showreel, featuring the best work created by our talented students over the past year.  Our courses in character creation teach students how to design and create their own characters, and bring them to life.  Students learn to design, model, texture, rig and animate their own character, enabling them to be creative artists working with a wide variety of digital tools.

"For Better or Worse" Wins Best Animation Award

Congratulations to the makers of the short film For Better or Worse, which has won the "Best Animation" award at the Milan Gold Awards.

For Better or Worse was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001 in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  It was directed by Danielus Sileikis and produced by Amelia Chwesiuk. This is its third festival award. 

Escape Studios' "Portfolio Power Up" 30 Oct at 6pm

Join us on 30th October at 6pm for a "Portfolio Power Up" with Head of Animation Marc Stevenson and Escape Studios' Principal Ian Palmer at 6pm UK time. 

Preparing an industry-ready portfolio is at the heart of what we do at Escape Studios; it's how we prepare "Studio Ready Talent" for the world of employment in the creative industries. 

Join us on October 30th for demo reel advice, insider tips, and a live Q&A. 

To sign up for this free event, follow this link.

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects.  To apply for one of our courses, follow this link.

Sköll Aurora Wins Best Animation in New York

Congratulations to the makers of Sköll Aurora, the animated short film created by our third year graduating class of 2D animation students at Escape Studios, which has won "Best Animated Short" at the New York Movie Awards.

Sköll Aurora tells the story of light re-entering a dark and desolate world; it was written and directed by Mahamat Souleymane and produced by Amos Mathias.  This is its first festival award. 

Anand Shukla Wins Emmy Award for Graphic Design

Many congratulations to Escapee and Studio Assistant Anand Shukla who has won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Graphic Design for his work on "For Mexico, For All Time", broadcast on ESPN. 

Anand studied the Art of Video Games at Escape Studios, and has been working at Escape Studios as a Studio Assistant since November 2023. 

In addition to his work at Escape, Anand tackles freelance projects outside Escape Studios, such as the Emmy award-winning "For Mexico, For All Time". 

Anand said "I’m so happy to have received an Emmy Award! Huge thanks to Krygon Studios' Bradley Harris for bringing me on board for this incredible project and giving me the chance to be part of something so special". 

Jack Wright Network Specialist at J C Decaux UK

Escapee Jack Wright

Many congratulations to Escapee Jack Wright who has joined  JCDecaux UK in a specialist network role. 

Jack Wright graduated from Escape Studios after studying The Art of Visual Effects; while at Escape Studios Jack also contributed to a number of award-winning short films, including the vfx short Reece, and Street Ratz, which has won many festival awards.

JCDecaux UK is the world's leading outdoor advertising company.