Escape Studios Tests New 24mm Macro Lens

Our in-house cinematographer Clement Gharini recently ran a green screen shoot at Escape Studios, testing out some new camera equipment that is of special interest to our animation students. Clem has recently acquired a new camera lens which will be particularly useful for our VFX animation films.  One of its kind, and new on the market, the lens is a 24mm macro with a close focus of 20mm - ideal for very small scale settings. Check out the footage above to see what can be achieved.

Great Camera Tripod for Live Action Reference

Photo-R Tripod

Animators start their work with a blank sheet of paper - or a blank screen. So how do you get a great performance, from nothing?

One of the best ways to bring your work to life is to use live-action reference, by filming yourself acting out the shot, capturing the footage on your phone, and then exporting the footage onto an image plane in Maya, so you can start animating.

But how you film yourself acting your scene out, if there is just one of you? After all, someone has to operate the camera, while you are acting. The answer is - you need a tripod.

Cinematography Workshop at Escape Studios

Here at Escape Studios our first year undergraduates don't immediately start learning software. Well before they start using Maya, Nuke and Houdini, we run workshops in the fundamentals of narrative and storytelling. Story, storyboards, acting - and cinematography, one of the foundation skills in our industry which every film-maker needs to understand.  Watch the video above to get a feeling for what goes on in our Cinematography Workshops - giving all of our students a basic understanding of how movies get put together.

Cinematography at BAFTA with Ben Davis

One of the best things about BAFTA is its focus on regular lectures and seminars on filmmaking, many of which are open to the public.

A recent event at the Picture house Central on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue featured an interview with Cinematographer Ben Davis, whose screen credits include Kick-Ass, Before I Go to Sleep and Guardians of the Galaxy. But why should an animator need to know about cinematography? Because animators are film-makers, and anything that helps you to understand the art of visual story telling will make you better at your craft. And who better to learn from than one of the UK’s best cinematographers?