Mock Interviews at Escape Studios 23-24 April

Interview, by Mikkel Okholm and Mikkel Brons-Frandsen

On Thursday 23 April and Friday 24th April we're hosting a series of mock interviews for our animation students at Escape Studios.  

The purpose of mock interviews is to prepare our students for a real-life job interview.  What questions will you be asked? And how should you answer them? What should you say (and also not say)?  Interviews will be held with our industry partners both online over Teams and in person at Escape Studios. 

About Mock Interviews at Escape Studios

Why Host Mock Interviews?

Framestore - industry partner

Learning how to survive an interview is an important part of preparing our students for a career in industry.  The key to success in the animation, games and VFX industries is primarily about having a great demo reel, easy to find and well-presented.  Once a studio is interested in your demo reel, the next stage is the interview.  

Once the studio has called you to interview, you know they like your reel and are interested in hiring you. Now they want to know - are you the kind of person who shows up on time and is nice to work with?

Thanks to Our Industry Partners

A thousand thanks to our industry partners, including 

• Dara McGarry from DNEG
• Andrew Schlussel from DNEG
• Ian Landman from Framestore 
• Shelley Page from Locksmith Animation
• Max Howard, Walt Disney Producer & Executive
• Jayant Kumar from Framestore
• Will Earl from DNEG
• Mike Marchetti from Hammer Creative 
  

Thursday 23 April - In Person at 6 Mitre Passage

In-Person Thursday 23 April

Mock Interviews will take place in person at 9.30am at Escape Studios at 6 Mitre Passage on Thursday 23 April 2026. Interviewers are Alex Williams,  Jayant Kumar, and Will Earl. 

Friday 24 April  - Online 

Mock Interviews will take online on Friday 24th April 2026.  Interviewers include Dara McGarry, Andrew Schlussel, Shelley Page, Max Howard and Mike Marchetti. 

How to Get Ready - Students

Students should imagine that this is a real interview. Imagine you are getting hired onto a production role. If it’s a DNEG interview, it is likely a fully-animated CG film or perhaps a VFX project.  

Online Friday 24 April 

Do some research about the company and be prepared to answer questions like “Why do you want to work for DNEG?” (hint: don’t say “because I need a job”, followed by an awkward laugh).  Bring along a hard copy of your CV and a link to your demo reel. 

How to Get Ready - Industry Partners

The mock interview should be as close as possible to a real job interview, a specific role on production for which your company is trying to recruit the best possible person. 

Escape Method
Working with industry in this way is part of what we refer to as the Escape Method, a combination of intensive tuition, online tutorials, personal feedback, industry engagement, and group projects. 

How To Interview

For some tips on "How to Interview" read this blog post with Escape Studios tutor Kevin Richards.

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.