Introducing "Joe"

Escape Studios proudly presents "Joe", a short film directed by third year student Callum Reeve and produced by Aidan Lonergan. This short film was completed as part of the third year animation Module PR6001,  a Studio Project worth 60 Credits.

In this module our animation and VFX students join forces to produce a visual effects (VFX) project, with three months to take the project from initial pitch to final render.

The lead animator was Jack Thompson, and cinematography was by Clement Gharini. The 3D VFX Lead was Alfie Mitchell, and the Compositing Lead was George Randall.

Joe is currently being entered into film festivals, and we wish the team every success.

Introducing the "March of the Potguins"

March of the Potguins

Escape Studios proudly presents March of the Potguins, a short film directed by third year student Michael Vodden and produced by Daniel Brooks. This mockumentary satrical short was completed as part of the third year animation Module PR6001,  a Studio Project worth 60 Credits.

In this module our animation and VFX students join forces to produce a visual effects (VFX) project, with three months to take the project from initial pitch to final render.

The lead animator was Lucy Harris, and cinematography was by Clement Gharini. The 3D VFX Lead was Adikah Patterson, and the Compositing Lead was Diogo Teixiera.

March of the Potguins is being entered into film festivals.

"Offcut" Selected for Dirigo Film Festival

Many congratulations to the makers of "Offcut", whose film has been selected for its first festival entry - the Dirigo 6th International Student Film Festival 2020.

The event takes place at the Arnolfini Arts Centre, Bristol on Monday,  January 27th 2020 from 18:45 pm. Tickets are free.

Our short film Flame, directed by Cherelle Owusu, is a finalist at the Horsham Film Festival, which takes place on 13th February. You can buy tickets for £10 here.

And Sebastian Kuder's graduation film Adam & Eve Mk II has been selected for the Brussels Independent Film Festival on February 9th, and the Wild Indie Sci-fi & Fantasy Film Festival in Greenwich, which takes place on 1 February. Tickets are on sale now at Event Brite for £10.

Introducing "Offcut"

Escape Studios proudly presents "Offcut", a short film directed by third year animation student Petroc Menuhin, produced by Tosin Ogunleye and Ethen Dent, and completed as part of the third year animation Module PR6001,  a Studio Project worth 60 Credits.  In this module our animation and VFX students join forces to produce a visual effects (VFX) project, with three months to take the project from initial pitch to final render. 

Minuet Wins Best Anim & VFX at Screentest

Congratulations to the makers of Minuet, which has won Best Animation & VFX at Screentest, the National Student Film Festival.

Minuet was a Finalist at ScreenTest, the London Student Film Festival, which took place on Friday November 15th and Saturday November 16th.

Why Animators Need "One Sheet" Posters

Adam & Eve Mk II One Sheet

As our Second Year Student Animators put the finishing touches on their VFX projects, they are now putting together "One Sheets" to help promote their finished films.

A One Sheet is a movie poster, a single image - with a great tagline (don't forget the tagline) - that encapsulates what the film is all about and entices the audience to want to go and see the film

Think of the posters you see on the wall as you leave your movie theatre. You walk down a hallway, past a wall of posters, and you think: "that movie looks cool, I might just go and see that".

So what's in a One Sheet? And how do our students go about making one?

Introducing "Jelly Cars" by Lee Caller

Escape Studios animation tutor Lee Caller has recently completed his short film Jelly Cars, a short story about perseverance in the urban jungle.   

"Jelly Cars" is an inventive piece of film-making;  it's a charming story, entertaining and fun - and beautifully animated. 

Lee took a simple exercise - animating a vehicle in motion, (in this case, animating a cartoon car, using the free yellow Beetle rig by Aaron Parker), and turned it into a short film, which has already been accepted into its first film festival - the annual KRAF film festival in Croatia.

Congratulations to Lee on his excellent work; we wish him every success in film festivals around the world.

"Jericho" Wins Best Animation and Best VFX

Many congratulations to the makers of the short film Jericho, completed early this year by our third year undergraduate students, which scored a double victory last week - winning Best Animation and also Best VFX at the Nexus Film Awards in Nottingham on 16 May.

Jericho is a short film about a lonely robot searching for a friend, and has been shortlisted for a student BAFTA award, among many other official selections.

Nexus is an annual film festival that takes place in May in Nottingham, East Midlands.

Fred O'Rourke Storyboard Artist at Blue Zoo

Fred O'Rourke

Many congratulations to Escapee Fred O'Rourke who has recently started a new position as a storyboard artist working at Blue Zoo.

Fred took our evening class in Storyboarding in 2017, and polished his portfolio during the aftercare stage of the course. Later, he did storyboards for an indie feature film, landing the gig through www.mandy.com.

To read about how Fred broke into the industry, as well as his advice on how to get that crucial first job, read this post.

Kevin Hudson Presents "Weeds" July 2nd

"Weeds" by Kevin Hudson

Kevin Hudson, asset artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, is visiting Escape Studios on July 2nd at 4.30pm to talk about his multi-award-winning short film "Weeds".   

“Weeds” is the story of a dandelion, rooted on the wrong side of the driveway in a barren yard surrounded by dry dirt and dead grass.

Rogue Trooper: The Quartz Massacre

Congratulations to all our students and Escapees who successfully collaborated on this awesome short fan-film "The Quartz Massacre", based on the 1980s comic series Rogue Trooper from the stable of 2000AD. The film is a great example of students and graduates of Escape Studios working together on a successful group project, honing their skills and learning how VFX projects get put together. Congratulations to them all on a highly successful outcome.

Evgenia Golubeva in Annecy Official Selection

"I want to live in the Zoo"

Many congratulations to Escapee Evgenia Golubeva, whose animated short film "I want to live in the Zoo" has been included in the Annecy Official Selection.

Annecy is arguably the most prestigious animation festival in the world, and being included in the selection (and therefore having a chance to win a prize) is a great honour.

London Animation Festival 1-10 December

The London International Animation Festival (LIAF), the UK’s largest animation festival, returns for its 14th year with a series of screenings of the best shorts and features, both domestic and international, including children’s screenings and the Best of the Fest.

I Want To Live in the Zoo by Evgenia Golubeva

I Want To Live in the Zoo by Evgenia Golubeva

Check out this charming trailer for by Escapee Evgenia Golubeva, who has been pursuing a career as an independent film-maker and animator.  "I Want To Live in the Zoo" is Evgenia's latest film project, and comes on the heels of her award-winning short "I am not a Mouse", and the very funny "Hold Me Clothes", which was created in just four days at Film Festival Cinemadamare in 2011. Many congratulations to Evgenia on her beautiful animation.

Claus Toksvig on Producing Animation

Claus Toksvig

How do you produce and finance an independent animated feature film? It's far from an easy task, but not an impossible dream.

Our students at Escape Studios don't just learn animation, they learn the process of getting a film made from concept to screen.

As we get ready for our evening class in Producing Animation starting this September, we asked Danish producer Claus Toksvig, from Denmark's Animation Workshop, to explain the challenges of making an independent animated film outside of the studio system.

Evgenia Golubeva's "I am Not a Mouse"

I I am not a Mouse from Evgenia Golubeva on Vimeo.

Many congratulations to Escapee Evgenia Golubeva who has just released her award-winning animated short film "I am not a Mouse" online at Vimeo, following a highly successful run at international animation festivals, winning many prizes along the way.  "I am not a Mouse" is about a little girl called Lucy, who is nicknamed "Mouse" by her Mother.  Trouble is, every time Lucy is called 'Mouse' by her Mum, she turns into a real mouse. What is Lucy to do?

"I am Not a Mouse" by Escapee Evgenia Golubeva is at the BFI London Film Festival on Saturday

Escapee Evgenia Golubeva is screening her short animated film "I am Not a Mouse" at the BFI London Film Festival tomorrow.

We're proud to congratulate Evgenia on being selected for the festival, and on her excellent and charming animation.  To attend the BFI London Film Festival and buy tickets, follow this link.

Business Skills For Animators - How To Invoice a Client

One of the essential business skills that animators and digital artists need to learn is the ability to get paid.  When you are first starting out, cash flow is likely to be one of your biggest challenges.  So, as a freelancer, you need to know how to invoice a client.

Invoicing, like many life skills, may seem obvious to those of us who have been doing it for years.  But it's only obvious when you know how.  So how do you draft your very first invoice, and what should go in it?

Loop De Loop - The Bimonthly Animation Competition

Here at Escape Studios we're excited about Loop De Loop, a bi-monthly animation challenge that's a bit like The 11 Second Club, but with a loopy twist.

Loop De Loop seeks to create "a community of creative folks working together for the greater good of looping animation".

So, how do students get involved with Loop De Loop? And what's it for anyway?

Group Projects - Six Rules For Success

Group projects are something we take very seriously here at Escape Studios. Why? Because animation is a team sport - almost all of our graduates work along side other artists on group projects.

And developing the skills to work on collective projects is essential for success in our industry.  It's the feedback we hear regularly from employers - "we want team players, not soloists".