Industry Feedback with George Caton-Coult 23 May

George Caton-Coult

Escape Studios is delighted to welcome back Love Love Films Studio Manager George Caton-Coult to review our second-year animation students' film projects on 23 May.

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 and helped to contribute to the success of "Pop Paper City". 

Farewell to 2nd Year Undergraduate Animators

Farewell to our 2nd year animators - see you in September!

A fond farewell to our second year animation students, who leave us after a successful term in which they have created nine short animated films, many of which are already winning festival awards.

Our animation students will now have the long summer holidays to forget everything they have learned (surely - keep working on their projects? - Ed) and will be back in September to start the VFX Project, a collaboration with VFX undergraduates.

To find out what's in store in their Third Year of Study at Escape Studios, follow this link. 

Storyboarding for Animators on 25-26 February

Iliana Franklin

Iliana Franklin will teach a class in Storyboarding for Animators on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 January, to our Second Year animation students.

Iliana teaches our new master's degree in Storyboarding and Previsualisation, which launched in September 2019.

Iliana's class will help our animation students learn the art and craft of storyboarding, a necessary part of the film-making process and a vital skill as our students get ready for their 2nd year studio projects.

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.

AN5001 "Computer Animation Pro" Starts on Monday 14 September

"Hotel Aloha" 

Module AN5001 Computer Animation Pro starts on Monday 14th September.

That seems like a long way off, but it's a good idea for our students to keep practicing animation over the summer break.

AN5001 is the first animation module that our undergraduate students encounter in their second year of studies.

In September we hit the ground running - our animation students will tackle character actions, pantomime, acting, performance and dialogue.

PR5001 Studio Project Starts on 24 February

Golden Acorn - festival winner

On 24th February our 2nd year undergraduates embark on the 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 Monday 24 February, and runs 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.

Storyboarding with Iliana Franklin 3 Feb

Iliana Franklin

Iliana Franklin, the newest member of the animation team at Escape Studios will teach a class in Storyboarding for Animators on Monday 3rd February, to our Second Year animation students.

Iliana teaches our new master's degree in Storyboarding and Previsualisation, which launched in September and is already producing some remarkably skilled and imaginative work.

Iliana's class will help our animation students learn the art and craft of storyboarding, a necessary part of the film-making process and a vital skill as our students get ready for their 2nd year studio projects.

Introducing "SpaceLess"

We're proud to present "SpaceLess", a trailer completed by 2nd year undergraduate Escape Studios Animation students, as part of their Studio Project module, PR5001. The Studio Project Module comes half way through the second year and is the point at which studying at Escape Studios becomes much more creative; students learn to work together in teams, pitching projects to one another, selecting the best idea, and working towards a defined project brief.

Introducing "The Golden Acorn"

We're proud to present the "The Golden Acorn", a trailer completed by 2nd year undergraduate Escape Studios Animation students, as part of their Studio Project module, PR5001. The Studio Project Module comes half way through the second year and is the point at which studying at Escape Studios becomes much more creative; students learn to work together in teams, pitching projects to one another, selecting the best idea, and working towards a defined project brief. Congratulations to Maciej Osuch,  Miguel Teixera, Titi-Marian Giusca, Petroc Menuhin, Cuchulan O'Byrne and Sasha Batt on their excellent work.

How to Make a Short Animated Documentary

How do you make a short animated documentary film? Our second year undergraduate animators at Escape Studios are currently working in teams on their second studio project - a short animal or creature documentary. Making a documentary is the same process as making any short film. There are many elements to consider, from concept to script through storyboard, design, 3D layout, cinematography, animation, lighting and final render. So, how do our students go about successfully making a animated documentary short?

How to Make an Animated Teaser/Trailer

Our second year undergraduate animators at Escape Studios are currently working in teams on their first studio project - making a teaser or trailer for an upcoming film, TV series or video game. Of course, the project itself isn't a real one, but the finished teaser/trailer should make it feel real, and should make the audience want to go and see it. Making a teaser or trailer is a lot like making a short film, albeit a rather specialised one. There are many elements to consider, from concept to script through storyboard, design, 3D layout, cinematography, animation, lighting and final render. So, how do our students go about successfully making a teaser or trailer?

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.

AN5002 - Computer Animation: Advanced

Leopard by Francesco Nevi

One of the key modules tackled by our 2nd year undergraduate animators is titled "AN5002: Advanced Computer Animation".

In this module, worth 30 credits, students get to grips with animating animals and creatures.

The module lasts six weeks and finishes just before Christmas, with students practicing their skills in animal and creature animation, including quadruped locomotion and performance.

2nd Year Specialism Module CR5001

Character animation by Chan Sagoo

A warm welcome back to all our undergraduate students, as formal classroom teaching resumes today. 

The second year of animation studies at Escape Studios is where our students begin to focus on proficiency in the craft of animation.

The second year is also an opportunity for students to choose what part of the animation industry they would like to specialise in.  The 2nd Year Specialism Module (Module Code CR5001) is worth 15 credits and runs for 8 weeks, culminating in a portfolio presentation.  So, what can our students expect?

What's in the 2nd Year at Escape Studios?

In the second year of studies our animators develop their animation skills, start to specialise in their chosen field and also tackle their first group projects.

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