Marking Group Projects at Escape Studios

Marking Group Projects at Escape Studios

How do we mark Group Projects at Escape Studios? For our students studying with us on courses validated by Coventry University, we have a new simplified process for the marking of group projects.

Group work, also called Studio Projects, are marked according a formula which aims to take into account the judgment of tutors and our students themselves, but also allowing for individual contributions (more on this below). 

75% of the grade is awarded for the final Project, and 25% of the grade goes for the final Presentation of the project - usually a group presentation by all the members of the team (some Modules may include a retrospective or an individual Presentation). 

"Teamwork Panel" Tuesday 25 Feb 2025 at 6pm

On Tuesday 25th February  at 6pm I'll be hosting a "Teamwork Panel" of Escapees, part of the EscapeVerse Live Festival, which is now accepting bookings. 

The 2025 EscapeVerse Live Festival (formerly The VFX Festival) will be held live online from 24-27 February 2025.  

At the Teamwork Panel at 6pm I'll be talking with a number of Escapees about why teamwork matters, why the industry isn't a solo sport, and how they manage the challenges of group projects in industry. 

Join us at EscapeVerse Live and find out about the latest tech, the latest jobs, and how to break into the thriving - but rapidly evolving - creative industries.

How Big Should a Team Be? The "Two Pizza" Rule

The "Two-Pizza Rule"

How Big Should a Team Be? When we put together teams for our Group Projects at Escape Studios, what is the perfect size for the team?

One good answer is Jeff Bezos's "Two-Pizza Rule", developed in the early days of Amazon.com - any team that can't be fed by two pizzas is too big.  The same principle applies at Escape Studios.

Why Do We Do Group Projects at Escape Studios?

Studio Projects at Escape

Why do we do so many group projects at Escape Studios? It's a question many students ask, because at Escape Studios there is a significant focus on group, or "Studio Projects" as we call them. 

We don't do Studio Projects because they are easy, we do them because they are hard.  The animation and visual effects industries are a team sport, and it's vital that we prepare our students for the realities of working in - and for - a team.  And this means figuring how to work successfully with other people in the workplace. 

George Caton-Coult Introduces "Pop Paper City"

George Caton-Coult, Kevin Richards and students

This week we welcomed Love Love Films Studio Manager George Caton-Coult to visit us on Thursday 21 March. The event was hosted by Escape Studios animation tutor Kevin Richards. 

George Caton-Coult is the Studio Manager at Love Love Films, responsible for the TV hit "Pop Paper City"  developed in partnership with Aardman Animation.  Many Escapees worked on "Pop Paper City".  In this in-person visit, George explained how the series came about, and how Escapees might find work at the studio.

Studio Module PR5001 Starts 13 Feb 2023

"Love, Mum" was created in PR5001

On 13th February 2023 our 2nd year undergraduate animation students begin Studio Project Module PR5001, where animators collaborate together on group projects, creating short films - the culmination of the second year of study at Escape Studios.

The Studio Projects are designed to simulate as closely as possible the experience of working on a live client project.  It runs for 12 weeks until the end of the summer term in May.

The Studio Project is worth 45 credits and is broken up into two six week projects, Project A and Project B, giving students two chances to practice their film-making, animation, and story-telling skills. 

Project A is due on Wednesday 29th March. Project B is due on 17th May, the Retrospective is due on 19th May. 

Yay! My Project Got Picked! What Now?

What comes Next ?

So you've pitched a project at Escape Studios and - hurrah! - your project got selected.  What happens next?

Generally, students who pitch a an idea and have it selected then go on to direct the project.  However, it is important to understand what directing a project means - and what is does not mean.

Group work is all about harmonious collaboration to ensure success - and avoid the pitfalls of failure. 

When Group Projects Go Bad

Don't let it come to this

What happens when a group project goes wrong? Unfortunately this is a common occurrence; group project work often goes wrong, sometimes badly wrong. So how do we fix it? 

Group projects are something we do a lot of at Escape Studios.  Animation is a team sport - almost all of our graduates will end up working in teams along side other artists on group projects in commercial studios.

Industry Feedback with Max Howard 3 March

Max Howard

Animation Producer Max Howard will join us tomorrow Thursday 3 March at Escape Studios, giving feedback to our second year animation students on their short film projects.

Max is a veteran film producer and studio executive who has run animation divisions at Disney, DreamWorks and Warner Bros Feature Animation.

Industry feedback is at the heart of what we do at Escape Studios; it helps our students to connect with the commercial world, and represents one of the Five Pillars of the Escape Method. Our second year animation students are currently working in groups on their short film projects, part of Module PR5001. 

Key Creative Roles on a Short Animated Film

 

What are the key creative roles on a short animated film? Or, simply put, what are the jobs that absolutely have to get done in order to finish the project?  In this short video we explore the key roles that we believe must be filled in order to achieve success.

How We Select Teams for Group Projects

One question we get asked regularly at Escape Studios is how we select the teams for group projects. Do the students decide, or do we decide? The answer is - a bit of both.  Here is how the system works.

There are in fact three main ways to create teams for group projects; all of them have their strengths and weaknesses. But first it is important to understand how we create groups at  Escape Studios.

We do a lot of group project work at Escape Studios, largely because this is how industry operates. Teamwork is one of the pillars of The Escape Method, how we teach at Escape Studios.  

Managing teams isn't easy or straightforward, but it is a vital skill to learn, and one of the main reasons why our students succeed in industry.

PR5001 Starts on 21 February 2022

On 21st February our 2nd year undergraduate animation students begin Studio Project Module PR5001, where students collaborate to work together on group projects, creating short films.

This module is the culmination of the second year of study at Escape Studios.

The Studio Projects are designed to simulate as closely as possible the experience of working on a live client project.

The Studio Project is worth 45 credits and runs until the end of the summer term in May.

The Studio Project is broken up into two six week projects, giving students two chances to practice their film-making, animation, and story-telling skills.

VFX Project at Escape Studios Starts 20 Sept

award-winning Jerich0

On Monday our third year animation students start work on The VFX Project, part of Studio Module PR6001, in which our animation students collaborate with VFX students to create short films.

Students write a script, produce a storyboard animatic, film live action plates, scan and track the plates, create and animate the characters, light and render their shots, and add sound design. 

The process is just like working on a live client project in a real studio, with a focus on collaboration and problem-solving. 

To see some recent examples of award-winning VFX Project work, check out Kiwi's Dream, BoxBots, Little Gestures,  Home Sweet Home and Jerich0.

How to Take Notes

Industry feedback is at the heart of what we do at Escape Studios. Our students' short film projects receive regular feedback from our tutors and also from industry guests, especially during the storyboard animatic stage when the story is still fluid.  But taking notes isn't always easy; it can be hard not to feel defensive about criticism, however well-meaning it might be.  Writer-directors are often quick to defend story ideas - even when these are not working well, and this can get in the way of making the project work better.  Never forget that the person offering critique is there to help you, and that any criticism is always aimed at making the film better.  Below are our three key rules for "taking notes".

Studio Project Module PR5001 Starts 15 Feb

"Hat Shop" - Award-winner

On 15th February our 2nd year undergraduates begin Studio Project Module PR5001, where students collaborate to work together on group projects.

This module is the culmination of the second year of study at Escape Studios.

The Studio Projects are designed to simulate as closely as possible the experience of working on a live client project.

The Studio Project is worth 45 credits, starts on 15th February, and runs until the end of May, with two weeks off for the Easter holidays. 

The Studio Project is broken up into two six week projects, giving students the chance to practice their film-making, animation, and story-telling skills.

Framestore Brings Teamwork to Escape Studios

Framestore's Andrew Schlussel talks teamwork at Escape Studios

This month we have welcomed Andrew Schlussel, Director of Global Talent Development at Framestore, on a number of visits to talk to our first year students about the importance of teamwork.

Framestore is one of the world's leading VFX houses, and they know better than anyone the importance of artists learning to work together in productive teams.

Introducing "Reece" the Cleanup Bot

Many congratulations to the makers of "Reece", a short film made by our undergraduate students earlier this year in the course of their VFX project, a studio project combining the talents of the animation and VFX students in their 3rd year of studies. Directed by Stephen Mealand and produced by Jack Wright, Reece is the story of a cleanup robot who gets carried away with his task.

Managing Successful Group Projects

Working in teams at Escape Studios

Group projects are something we do a lot of at Escape Studios. Animation is a team sport - almost all of our graduates will end up working in teams along side other artists on group projects.

Developing the skills to work on team projects is essential for success in our industry. Employers tell us they want team players, not soloists.

The problem is, group projects are hard, and can easily go wrong. Below are some of the common problems - and how to fix them. 

How Escape Studios Mark Group Projects

How do we mark Group Projects at Escape Studios?

Group work, also called Studio Projects, are marked according a formula which aims to take into account the judgment of tutors, industry, and our students themselves.

Look at the table on the left; you will see that 75% of the grade is awarded for the final project, and 25% of the grade goes for the final Retrospective, a written summary of the students' personal contribution to the group project.

2nd Year PR5001 Studio Project

Next week our 2nd year undergraduates embark on the Studio Project Module, code-named PR5001, where students collaborate to work together to a professional brief.

This module is the culmination of the second year of study at Escape Studios.

The projects are designed to simulate as closely as possible the experience of working on a live client project, and reflect the kind of work that animators are asked to do in industry.

The Studio Project is worth 45 credits and runs for the next 12 weeks, from Monday 18 February until the end of May (with a week off for Easter).

The Studio Project is broken up into two projects, giving students the chance to practice digital film-making twice in a short space of time, and polish their story-telling skills.