"Power Up Your Portfolio" Wed 30 Sept 5pm via Zoom

Power Up Your Portfolio on 30 Sept at 5pm

Thinking of studying with us at Escape Studios? Join us on Wednesday 30 September at 5pm for a free webinar to "Power Up Your Portfolio" - online via Zoom. 

Prospective students often ask What should go into a portfolio when applying to Escape Studios?  Find out on Thursday 30th September.  

You'll hear from our Dean of Visual Storytelling Alexander Williams,  Programme Leader for VFX Klaudija Cermak and Programming tutor Michael MacKinnon. 

We'll be showing samples of portfolio work from our current students, and offering insights into the sort of work you could include in your own portfolio.

Sign up here for this free event. 

Festivus Interview with Alex Williams

Festivus has released a podcast interview with Alex Williams, Dean of Animation & VFX at Escape Studios, recorded at the end of last year. Julian Scott from Film London did the interview, which you can listen to above. The interview is part of a series in which Festivus explores the careers of people working in the animation industry, and how they forged their own unique career path in an industry in which careers can be very non-linear. 

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 three or four,  I was the voice of Tiny Tim in my father's 1971 animated version of A Christmas Carol, a TV Special produced by animation legend Chuck Jones, of Bugs Bunny and Road Runner fame.  

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.  

Why Animators Need To Hold Poses Longer

Animation by Sunny Asadi - hold that pose

One of the common mistakes made by junior animators is the “default face.” A character smiles, frowns, gasps — and then, almost instantly, snaps back to a bland neutral expression.  It’s as if the performance forgets itself. 

This also happens in lipsync; where the character will make a vowel or consonant; then snap back into a default mouth shape much too quickly. Much better to hold the vowel or consonant longer, and really get the most out of the pose. 

Developing "The Zoo"

Development drawings for "The Zoo"

Back in the late 1990s I did some early development work for a Warner Bros Feature Animation feature film provisionally titled "The Zoo".  

The Zoo never made it to production, but the experience taught me a lot about the creative development process of a major studio. 

It also taught me an early lesson in the unpredictable nature of our industry, and why some projects never get made. 

Meet The 2D Animation Team at Escape Studios

2D Animation Team at Escape Studios

Who Teaches 2D Animation at Escape Studios? Meet our talented 2D Animation team, the folks who are delivering our 2D Animation BA at Escape Studios as well as our Evening class in 2D Animation in Toonboom Harmony.

In recent years 2D Animation has experienced a significant revival both in the UK and overseas, as Studios such as Blue Zoo, Aardman Animation, and Brown Bag Films adopt new software such as ToonBoom Harmony.

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.

Animation Tutorial in Maya - Fish Swimming

Animate a fish swimming in Maya

In this simple tutorial we show how to animate a fish swimming, and then add some underwater lighting using Maya's software renderer. 

Start with a single side-to-side rotation of the fish; then copy and paste the curves down the fish's body, offsetting each curve by two frames. 

The result is the distinctive swish of a fish's tail.  The underwater lighting with caustics can be done with a few clicks. 

Animate a Telephone Ringing in Maya

Animate a telephone ringing in Maya

In this very short (just ten minutes long) beginner animation tutorial we show how to do some very simple animation - animate a Telephone Ringing.  This tutorial is aimed at animation beginners in Autodesk Maya.

Simple exercises are a great way to gain confidence in animation, starting with the basics to gradually build up your confidence and skills.

How to Create a Render Sequence in Arnold

In this super simple tutorial we show how to export a Render Sequence in Arnold, in Autodesk Maya. First watch the tutorials on basic lighting setups, such as Lighting in Arnold with Physical Sky, or Lighting in Arnold with Sky Shader, and then watch this video to see how to render out a series of images that can be imported into Adobe Premiere or Blender - or any editing software - ready to export as a movie file.

How To Use The Graph Editor in Maya

This short video (just a few minutes long) shows how to use Maya's Graph Editor Tool. The Graph Editor is the key tool in Maya for learning 3D animation. For students who have never encountered 3D software before, the Graph Editor is likely to be confusing at first, so it's important to learn how it works.  After a short while, the Graph Editor will become your best friend. 

AN4001 Starts on January 8 2024

 

For our first year undergraduate students, our core animation module - Animation 1 - starts in the New Year, with our first group beginning on Monday 8 January.  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 all the basic principles of animation. To see some of the best work done by our first year undergraduate animators, watch the short video above, cut together by Escape Studios' animation tutor Marc Stevenson.

Will AI take Over the Creative Industries?

Artificial intelligence offers new ways to speed up the animation pipeline and boost the productivity of animators.  But will it put animators and VFX Artists out of work?  This is a question we get asked a great deal at Escape studios, as prospective students weigh their options and try to imagine what the creative industries will look like in the near future.  To find out why we think AI will bring artists more benefits than challenges, watch the short video above. 

How to Animate a Bouncing Ball

In the video below we show how to tackle the entry-level "Bouncing Ball" exercise.   Students at Escape Studios, like students at almost every course in animation, start off with the bouncing ball. This simple exercise introduces the principles of timing, spacing, paths of action and weight - four of the Twelve Principles of Animation.  Even a simple exercise like the bouncing call can be entertaining and interesting, and can be completed to a demo-reel level of skill.  You can download the rig for free at highend3D.

 

Escapee Alex Williams Developer at Wix Games

Alex Williams

Congratulations to Escapee Alex Williams who has joined Wix Games as a developer. Alex took our short course in Computer Animation, taught by veteran animator Lee Caller. 

Wix Games Ltd.is a online and application games company based in London.  It is home to many internationally successful games, such as the DuckLife series, Monster Truck Maniac and Faceshot.

Our next Short Course and MA in Computer Animation returns in September 2023.

Who Teaches 2D Animation at Escape Studios?

2D Animation Team at Escape Studios

Who Teaches 2D Animation at Escape Studios? Meet our talented 2D Animation team, the folks who are delivering our new 2D Animation Pathway at Escape Studios.  

We have many animation tutors with experience in 2D animation; a growing number are now also teaching with the latest 2D animation software - Toonboom Harmony.

In recent years 2D Animation has experienced a significant revival both in the UK and overseas, as Studios such as Blue Zoo, Aardman Animation, and Brown Bag Films adopt new software such as ToonBoom Harmony.

Meet the 2nd Year Tutors at Escape Studios

Who teaches the second year undergraduate animation and vfx students at Escape Studios? The second year of studies is where our students begin to specialise in their chosen field - whether animation, visual effects or games.  

For animators, there are four modules in the second year: AN5001 (character animation), AN5002 (creature animation), CR5001 (specialism) and PR5001 (Studio Project).

For VFX artists, the modules are similar, with VFX students choosing between 3D VFX and 2D VFX (compositing)

Below are the tutors who help our students embark on their professional animation and VFX journey.

AN5002 "Animals & Creatures" Starts 19 Sept 2022

animation by Zoe Walker

On Monday 19 September 2022 our 2nd year undergraduate animators return to Escape Studios to start their next module: AN5002: Advanced Computer Animation, in which students learn to animate animals and creatures.  

AN5002 starts on Monday 19 September 2022 and finishes on Friday 21 October 2022.  The Portfolio assignment, a 7-11 second animal or creature animation, is due on Wednesday 19 October 2022. The Retrospective assignment is due on Monday 24th October 2022 at 11.59pm.

Meet Escape Studios' Animation Dept

At Escape Studios we are fortunate to have many talented tutors in our large and growing animation department.  

We have a depth of talent and skills among our staff that ensures we can teach all aspects of the animation pipeline, from concept art through storyboarding, animation and final render. 

Below (in no particular order) are some of our talented tutors you will find teaching animation in our classrooms at Escape Studios.