Introducing "Venus Tie Trap"

Venus Tie Trap

Introducing "Venus Tie Trap", the latest VFX short created by our graduating class of students at Escape Studios. Venus Tie Trap was written, directed and produced by Edie Queen-Jones, and co-written and co-directed by Rupin Odedra, who was also the 2D Lead.  

Mark Youssef was the 3D Lead, and John Heberden stars as the office worker.   You can watch Venus Tie Trap here at Vimeo. 

Introducing "Sunset Ecstasy"

Introducing "Sunset Ecstasy"

Introducing "Sunset Ecstasy", a Persian themed fantasy video game created by our graduating class of students at Escape Studios. 

"Sunset Ecstasy" was a collaboration between students studying the Art of Video Games and The Art of Computer Animation.  Sunset Ecstasy was produced by Kye-Takeuchi Brown. Leony Ye was the art director.  You can find Sunset Ecstasy here at Vimeo.

Introducing "Fashionably Late"

Fashionably Late

Introducing "Fashionably Late", the latest VFX short film from Escape Studios.  Fashionably Late tells the story of a competition runner who wakes up late - and finds herself in a world of trouble. 

Fashionably Late was produced by William Brooke, based on an original pitch by Daniela Al-Hilli.  Thomas Cunningham wrote the script.  The athlete was played by Ash Brittleton.  You can find "Fashionably Late" here at Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/1190139530

Introducing "Project Umbrae"

Project Umbrae

Introducing "Project Umbrae", a first person psychological horror experience created by our graduating students at Escape Studios. 

Project Umbrae was a collaboration between students studying the Art of Video Games and the Art of Computer Animation. 

You can find the Project Umbrae trailer at Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/1190412394

Introducing "Armed"

Introducing "Armed"

Introducing "Armed" , the latest 2D animated film created by our graduating class of animation students.  

Armed was written, directed and produced by Fred Mackenzie-Williams. The Art Director was Heidi Thompson. 

Armed tells the story of a cyborg boxer who faces a rematch after a devasting loss. Can she win the big fight, or will her opponent bring her down? You can find Armed at Vimeo here. 

DNEG feedback to our MA VFX Students

Many thanks to our VFX Industry Partner DNEG and DNEG artists Laura Morton, Arda Kutlu and Atilla Menteş for giving invaluable feedback to our Escape Studios MA VFX CG and Compositing students on their Team Project short film proposals.  

Introducing "Sparky"

Meet "Sparky"

Introducing "Sparky", the latest short VFX film from our graduating class of students at Escape Studios. "Sparky" tells the story of a robot dog that comes to life.  

"Sparky" was a collaboration between students studying the Art of Computer Animation and the Art of Visual Effects.  Rae Silapasoonthorn was the  writer, director and producer.  Sebastian Armstrong stars as the gamer.  You can watch Sparky at Vimeo here. 

"Symphony of The Morning Rush" Best Anim at EEFF

Symphony of The Morning Rush wins "Best Animation"

Congratulations to the makers of "Symphony of The Morning Rush", the latest 2D animated film created by our graduating class of animation students, which has won "Best Animated Short" at the Eastern European Film Festival. 

Symphony of The Morning Rush was written, edited and directed by Eva Gifford, and produced by Michael Koden.  Emily Davidson was the art director, and Amelie Pignon was the animation director.  The original score was composed by Alexander Lidster. 

Introducing "Protose"

Introducing "Protose", the latest VFX short from Escape Studios.  "Protose" tells the story of a meatless steak invention that goes horribly wrong. "Protose" was produced and directed by Yusuf Uddin.  Adam Armstrong stars as the chef.  

Introducing "KattiBao - An Embrace"

 

Introducing "KattiBao - An Embrace", the latest short film created by our graduating class of students at Escape Studios.  KattiBao - An Embrace was a collaboration between students studying the Art of Games, The Art of Animation, and also Character Creation.  In "KattiBao", two characters, Thidamana and XiXi face off in a stylised competitive dance.  The film was written, directed and produced by Grace Lam.  Arin Awojobi was the Art Director, and Mia Cliff was the cinematographer.

Escape Studios Animators Visit Framestore

Escape Animators visit Framestore

Friday 22nd May was the last day of term for our Second Year Undergraduate Animation Students, and the term ended with a visit to London VFX house Framestore, led by Escapee Ana Erbasu, and Ian Landman, Framestore's Head of Recruitment. 

Our students visited Framestore's Chancery Lane HQ, and saw some of the impressive work done by Framestore across its many divisions.  Kevin Richards reports.

Calling All Escapees: Rookies Deadline 22 June 2026

The Rookie Awards 2026

This year at our annual summer Expo our students presented some of the best work ever created at Escape Studios. 

The next step for our students, especially those graduating this summer, is to enter The Rookies, the international competition for young creatives; part contest and part showcase for rising talent - all our students are strongly encouraged to enter. 

Entry for the 2026 Rookies closes on 22 June 2026. 

Introducing "Scars"

 

Introducing "Scars", the latest short film from Escape Studios.  Scars tells the story of an elderly veteran suffering from a flashback to the Great War.  The film was a collaboration between our graduating class of students studying the Art of Games, The Art of Animation and Character Creation - working together across disciplines to create a group project.  Scars was directed by Charlie O'Sullivan, edited by Sam Blackburn and produced by Alex Sparks. Theo Craig was the Editor and Art Director. 

Escapee Vincenzo Meola Joins FreeFolk VFX

Escapee Vincenzo Meola joins FreeFolk VFX

Many congratulations to Escapee Vincenzo Meola who has joined FreeFolk VFX.

Vincenzo Meola studied the Art of Visual Effects at Escape Studios, specialising in 2D Compositing. 

Why Your Short Film Needs a Title at The Start

Put your title at the front of your film

Here at Escape Studios we make a lot of short films, many of which go on to win festival awards.  Yet one simple element is surprisingly often missing: an opening title.  

While some experimental pieces intentionally dive straight into the action, most short films benefit from displaying their title right at the beginning.  Here’s why your title should be at the start of your film. 

Introducing "Project Juliet"

Introducing "Project Juliet", the latest short film from our graduating class of students at Escape Studios. In "Project Juliet", an unfortunate lab tester is forced to undergo a dangerous trial, with horrifying consequences.  The short film was created by "Team Psychosis" at Escape Studios and was inspired by The Outlast Trials, a survival game created by Montreal-based games company Red Barrels.  The cinematic was a collaboration between our graduating class of students studying the Art of Video Games, The Art of Animation and also Character Creation - working together to create a team project. 

Blue Zoo's Jamie Floodgate Visits Escape Studios

Jamie Floodgate from Blue Zoo visits Escape Studios

On Thursday 21st May we welcomed Escapee Jamie Floodgate, now a lead animator at Blue Zoo animation, to give feedback to our second year animation students. 

Jamie Floodgate gave up his time to review all twelve of the Year Two Animation Studio Projects.  

Escape Studios' tutor Kevin Richards reports on a great day of industry feedback. 

"Symphony of The Morning Rush" Wins Best Anim

Symphony of The Morning Rush wins Best Anim in Berlin

Congratulations to the makers of "Symphony of The Morning Rush", which has won "Best Super Short Animation" at the Berlin Flash Film Festival.  

Symphony of The Morning Rush was written, edited and directed by Eva Gifford, and produced by Michael Koden.  Emily Davidson was the art director, and Amelie Pignon was the animation director.  The original score was composed by Alexander Lidster. 

Short Course & Post-Graduate Open Evening 18 June

18 June at 6pm Short Course & Post-Graduate Open Evening

Join us on Thursday 18 June 2026 at 6pm both in-person and online (via Zoom) for our next Short Course and Post-Graduate Open Evening at Escape Studios, hosted both on campus and online at Zoom. 

The event offers prospective students a chance to find out what it's like to study with us.  Meet our tutors, find out about our courses, and have your questions answered. To see more events at Escape Studios, follow this link.

"Shapla" Wins "Best Animation" at Tamizhagam Fest

Many congratulations to the makers of "Shapla", which was has won "Best Animated Short Film" at the Tamizhagam Film Festival. 

"Shapla" was directed by Ruksar Rowza Aziz and produced by Charlie Seeviour.  Erica Sanches was the art director and Tom Price composed the original score. Kam Penderly was the Lead Compositor.  

Shapla tells the story of Priya, a young woman who attempts to bring back her partner, Shapla, with the use of her power over water. Set in Bangladesh, the film explores themes of sustainability and environmentalism. 

Shapla has won many festival awards. 

Undergraduate Open Evening Wed 24th June 2026

Escape Studios is hosting a new Undergraduate Open Evening on Wednesday 24th June 2026 from 5pm to 6.30pm UK time. 

Escape Studios' Open Days and Open Evenings are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees, and also a chance to talk about the state of the creative industries in the UK. 

An Open Day is an opportunity for potential students to find out how they can follow in the footsteps of our award-winning alumni and to find out more about our courses.

The Open Evening on Wednesday 24th June 2026 at 5pm to 6.30pm will be led by me, Alex Williams. I've been away from Escape Studios for the past year, on industry secondment at DNEG, but now back at Escape Studios full time.   

Kevin Richards Joins "Bring Your Own Animation"

Kevin Richards (on right) joins Bring Your Own Animation

Escape Studios' animation tutor Kevin Richards has become a mentor at Bring Your Own Animation, helping to review animation portfolios at the monthly London animation meetup.

BYOA is a monthly animation event taking place upstairs in a London pub - if you're a current student or a recent Escapee who is working on a shot or an updated reel, bring your work on a USB or hard drive (best not to rely on the WiFi) and get feedback from professional animators - including Kevin.  

Escapee Priya Shah: Women in Animation 30 June

Join us on Tuesday 30 June at 1.30pm for a talk by Escapee Priya Shah on "Animating Your Ambition - Women in Digital Arts". This is an online event via Zoom. 

Priya Shah studied at Escape Studios on our integrated masters' degree in Computer Animation.  

After graduation, Priya  worked as a Studio Assistant at Escape Studios, helping to train the next generation of artists.  Priya Shah has worked for Disney, Blue Zoo and Locksmith Animation. 

While at Escape Studios, Priya won many festival awards for her work on Our Ocean, as well as many other successful short films, including Animal Lover, Box Bots and Nefertiti. 

Escapee Leon Lau joins Rekindled Studios

Leon Lau joins Rekindled Studios

Many congratulations to Escapee Leon Lau who has started work as an animator at Rekindled Studios,  a UK-based video games company.  

Leon Lau studied the Art of 3D Animation at Escape Studios, and worked on a number of award-winning short films, including Mob Boss Barkino (2025) (which he directed), Countdown (2024) and Checkmate (2024). Leon Lau has won many festival awards. 

"Mob Boss Barkino" Wins "Best Animated Short"

"Mob Boss Barkino" wins Best Animated Short Film

Congratulations to the makers of "Mob Boss Barkino", which has won Best Animated Short Film at the Makizhmithran Film 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 is the latest of many awards. 

Open Toonz Free Open Source 2D Animation Software

OpenToonz Software

2D animation can be done in a variety of different software packages.  One interesting option is the "OpenToonz" Software, free software for the production of 2D animation.

Based on the software "Toonz", developed by Digital Video S.p.A. in Italy,  OpenToonz has been customized by Studio Ghibli, and used for the creation of its films for many years.  Dwango has launched the OpenToonz project in cooperation with Digital Video and Studio Ghibli. 

Escapee Samuel Baker Joins Sports Interactive

Escapee Samuel Baker has joined Sports Interactive

Many congratulations to Escapee Samuel Baker has joined Sports Interactive as a digital artist.  Samuel Baker took our MA in 3D Animation, learning the art and craft of animation with tutor Lee Caller.

Sports Interactive is a games studio founded in 1994, creating immersive gaming worlds "that let players live and breathe their passions". 

Escapee James Marland Joins Epic Games

James Marland joins Epic Games

Many congratulations to Escapee James Marland who has joined Epic Games as a Tech Art Intern.  

James Marland will graduate this summer with a BSc (Hons) in Technical Art for Games and VFX.  The course focuses on collaboration with other students in large-scale projects and developing industry standard practices and skills. 

Mark Ranson and Joel Gray from Void Interactive

Mark Ranson and Joel Gray from Void Interactive

At Hertfordshire University's annual Expo on Thursday 21 May, game designers Mark Ranson and Joel Gray from Void Interactive talked about their careers at the video games company, producing games such as the First Person Shooter "Ready or Not".  

One of the key messages of Mark and Joel's talk was the importance of optimising game assets for real-life game play, ensuring that the user experience is successful even on sub-optimal platforms. 

Neil Boyle Introduces "Kensuke's Kingdom"

Neil Boyle introduces "Kensuke's Kingdom" 

Animator and director Neil Boyle joined us on Tuesday 19th May at Escape Studios to talk about his BAFTA-nominated 2D animated feature film "Kensuke's Kingdom" released in 2023. 

Neil Boyle talked about the making of Kensuke's Kingdom, and also discussed the state of 2D animation in the UK.  Making independent animated feature films isn't easy, but with persistence and effort it can be done. 

Escape Studios Ranked in Top 5 in UK For Animation

#5 for Animation in the UK

The 2026 Animation Career Review International School Rankings are in.

This year Animation Career Review have ranked us #5 for Animation in the UK,  #12 for Animation in Europe and #27 for Animation Internationally. 

Congratulations to all our students on their remarkable work this past year.

Blue Zoo Summer Internships Now Open

Blue Zoo's 2026 summer internships are now open

Applications for Blue Zoo's 2026 summer internships are now open, and close on Friday 29th May at midnight.  

As always, we encourage our students to apply for internships like this one.  Even if you don't succeed, you will learn valuable skills along the way. 

The internship roles available this year at Blue Zoo are: 3D Animator, Social Media Intern and Production Assistant Intern.

All information needed to apply is at Blue Zoo's careers website along with the application pages.  Applications for Blue Zoo's 2026 summer internships can be made here at the official Blue Zoo site.

Blue Zoo's "AI Manifesto"

Blue Zoo's AI Manifesto

Blue Zoo, one of the UK's leading animation companies, has published their "AI Manifesto".

The AI Manifesto sets out how artists and animators at the studio can navigate the world of artificial intelligence "ethically...leveraging technology for the betterment of society and creativity".  

"Night Terrors" Wins "Best Super Short Film" in NYC

"Night Terrors" wins "Best Super Short" at NYC Awards

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "Night Terrors", which has won "Best Super Short Film" at the New York Film Awards.  

Directed by Erminas Surgautas and produced by Xhoana Tola, "Night Terrors" was a collaboration between undergraduate animation students and VFX students at Escape Studios, working together to create an original story.  

The Art Director was Ruby Ebbs, Yusuf Saddique was the 2D VFX Lead, and Samuel Greer was the 3D VFX Lead.  This is the latest of many festival awards. 

Escapee Jason Cole Joins King Bee Animation

Congratulations to Escapee Jason Cole who has started an animation internship at King Bee Animation. 

Jason Cole studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios.  While at Escape Studios, Jason wrote and directed the award-winning short film "Life's Gifts".  Jason also worked on the award-winning short "Bloom". 

Festivus Returns Thursday 11th June

Calling all Escape Studios' animation students - Festivus is back in London on Thursday 11th June from 6pm at the Betjeman Arms on the Euston Road, N1C 4QL. 

London's regular animation networking event is an opportunity for our students and recent graduates to get to know people in the animation industry, find out who is hiring, and where the jobs are. 

Festivus is all about meeting people in our industry, networking, and - of course - enjoying a drink with friends.

Festivus is an opportunity to meet people from animation studios in the UK and overseas, see what job opportunities there are, and maybe even get some showreel feedback.

2026-27 Post-Graduate Term Dates at Escape Studios

Escape Studios PG & SC Term Dates - Sept 2026 Entry

Escape Studios Post-Graduate (PG) Term Dates can be found here at the official site.  

September 2026 Entry

Teaching for Master of Arts (MA) and short course (SC) students for our September 2026 entry starts on Monday 21st September 2026, and carries on until the Xmas and New Year holidays which begin on Monday 21 December. 

Teaching resumes on Monday 4th January 2027, and continues until Friday 19th March 2027.  

There is a holiday from Monday 22 March until Friday 22 April.  Studio/Project time starts on Monday 5th April and continues until Friday 10 September 2027. 

Escape Studios at Comicon 22-24 May 2026

MCM Comic Con 22nd - 24th May

Come and join Escape Studios at MCM Comic Con from 22nd - 24th May at ExCel London.

You can find our team at Career Fair stand CRSO1, and also catch talks by our tutors on manga, games and character design at the Career Fair Stage

On Friday 22 May at 11.30am Escape Studios' Character Creation Tutor Aidan Lonergan will introduce "From Concept to Console: A Character's Journey" in the Career Fair Stage. 

On Saturday 23 May at 1.30pm Manga Artist Elena Vitagliano and Comic Artist Oliver Harud will introduce "Panel by Panel: Creating Comics and Manga" on the Career Fair Stage. 

Studio AKA's Phil Hunt Visits Escape Studios

Philip Hunt, Marcus Armitage and Kevin Richards

On Tuesday we were joined by 

animator and director Philip Hunt, the creative director and founder of the Emmy and BAFTA-winning Studio AKA, and Marcus Armitage, animation director at Studio AKA. 

Studio AKA is one of London's most innovative animation studios, and one of our long-standing industry partners.   Philip Hunt and Marcus Armitage talked about the work of Studio AKA, the current state of UK animation - and how Escapees can flourish in a rapidly-changing industry. 

Escapee Elissa Heath Joins King Bee Animation

Elissa Heath animation intern at King Bee Animation

Congratulations to Escapee Elissa Heath who has started an animation internship at King Bee Animation. 

Elissa Heath studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios.   She also contributed to a number of award-winning animated short films, including "Dusty Memories" and "Bloom", on which she served as lead animator.  

Escape Studios Undergraduate Term Dates 2026-27

Escape Studios Undergraduate Term Dates for 2026-27

Below are Escape Studios' Undergraduate Term Dates for 2026-27.  Classes begin on 21 September 2026 and run until Friday 18 December 2026 when we break for the Xmas holidays. Directed Study Week ("half term") is the week starting Monday 2nd November.  More details below, or you can download the PDF here. 

Introducing "Symphony of The Morning Rush"

Introducing "Symphony of The Morning Rush", the latest 2D animated film created by our graduating class of animation students.   Symphony of The Morning Rush was written, edited and directed by Eva Gifford, and produced by Michael Koden.  Emily Davidson was the art director, and Amelie Pignon was the animation director.  The original score was composed by Alexander Lidster. 

"Shapla" Wins "Best Super Short" in London

"Shapla" wins "Best Super Short" in London

Many congratulations to the makers of "Shapla", which was has won "Best Super Short" at the London Movie Awards. 

"Shapla" was directed by Ruksar Rowza Aziz and produced by Charlie Seeviour.  Erica Sanches was the art director and Tom Price composed the original score.   

Shapla has won many festival awards. 

"Father's Blade" Wins Best Animation at EEFF

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

Undergraduate Open Evening Wed 24th June 2026

Undergraduate Open Evening Wed 24th June 2026

Escape Studios is hosting a new Undergraduate Open Evening on Wednesday 24th June 2026 at 5pm UK time. Escape Studios' Open Evenings are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees, and what it's like to study at Escape Studios.

Escapee Rahil Soni Joins TriArts Games

Rahil Soni joins TriArts Games

Many congratulations to Escapee Rahil Soni  who has joined TriArts Games as a technical artist. Rahil Soni  is a VFX artist specializing in FX, who recently finished his Master’s Degree in VFX Production  at Escape Studios.   

Escapee Sebastian Kuder Joins Rebel Wolves

Escapee Sebastian Kuder joins Rebel Wolves

Many congratulations to Escapee Sebastian Kuder who has joined Warsaw games studio Rebel Wolves, leading their layout team.

Sebastian Kuder studied the Art of Animation at Escape Studios.

Young Animator of the Year Awards Are Back for 2026

Young Animator of the Year Awards 2026

The Young Animator of the Year Awards are back, with a remit to foster and encourage emerging animation talent in the UK. 

This free nationwide competition invites young animators aged 11-22 to showcase their skills in stop-motion, 2D or 3D animation. The deadline is 1 Sept 2026. 

The successful winning films will premiere in November at the Manchester Animation Festival, the UK’s largest animation event.  As always, we encourage our students here at Escape Studios to enter competitions like this one. 

Free Webinar "Test Before You Invest" on 26 May 2026

Tuesday 26th May: webinar on creative entrepreneurship 

Join us on Tuesday 26th May at 6:00pm BST for a free webinar on creative entrepreneurship with Escape Studios tutor Glyn Fairweather. 

Find out how successful creative entrepreneurs minimise their risk and test their ideas before committing significant resources. 

Got an idea for a startup? Find out how to stress test your project. 

Escapee Nick Criucovcenco Joins Framestore

Nick Criucovcenco joins Framestore

Many congratulations to Escapee Nick Criucovcenco who joined Framestore’s Immersive department as an intern after graduating from Escape Studios, and later moved into a Technical Artist role.  

Storyboards Evening Class Returns 23 June 2026

Our Evening Class in

Giles & Rupert's Prehistoric Predicament - Storyboards

Storyboarding returns on 23 June 2026.  This evening class in storyboarding is an online class, taught from 7-10pm, and runs for ten weeks.

Storyboarding is a growing area of the animation industry; one which has recorded significant skills shortages in recent years.

Our storyboard students have gone on to successful careers at studios such as Walt Disney, Brown Bag Films and Blue Zoo Animation.

Undergraduate Open Day on Saturday 20th June 2026

Undergraduate Open Day on Saturday 20th June 2026

Escape Studios is hosting a new Undergraduate Open Day on Saturday 20th June 2026. There are two sessions available: Morning: 10:30am - 1:00pm, Afternoon: 1:30pm - 4:00pm.  Escape Studios' Open Days are a chance to find out about our undergraduate degrees.

A J Bleyer and The Future of AI in Film

A J Bleyer and The Future of AI in Film

At the "Adobe Next Live" event last week at London's Tate Modern, software giant Adobe presented their insights into changing technology and how educators and creatives can take advantage of the big changes currently facing the creative industries.  

LA-based Commercials director A J Bleyer explored "The Future of AI in Film", using Adobe Firefly.