CR6001 Specialism Module Starts Sept 2026

"Lighthouse" storyboards by Paloma Zhu

Module CR6001 "Specialism" forms part of the Third Year of Studies at Escape Studios. 

The Specialism Module CR6001 is worth 30 Credits and starts in September 2026.  The module runs over the course of the year.  It is a largely self-study module in which students select an area of specialism and develop their skills.  

CR6001 culminates in a portfolio presentation on 20th November 2026 in which students present the work they have done.  To see Term Dates for the 2026-27 academic year, follow this link. 

"KattiBao" Wins "Best Super Short" in Florence

KattiBao - An Embrace wins "Best Super Short in Florence

Congratulations to the makers of "KattiBao - An Embrace" which has won "Best Super Short" at the Florence Film Awards.  

KattiBao was a collaboration between students studying the Art of Games, The Art of Animation, and Character Creation.  KattiBao was written, directed and produced by Grace Lam.  Arin Awojobi was the Art Director, and Mia Cliff was the cinematographer. This is its first festival award. 

Introducing "KattiBao - An Embrace"

 

Introducing "KattiBao - An Embrace", the latest short film created by our graduating class of students at Escape Studios.  KattiBao - An Embrace was a collaboration between students studying the Art of Games, The Art of Animation, and also Character Creation.  In "KattiBao", two characters, Thidamana and XiXi face off in a stylised competitive dance.  The film was written, directed and produced by Grace Lam.  Arin Awojobi was the Art Director, and Mia Cliff was the cinematographer.

Jake Lee: Short Films, Awards & Festival Success

At last week's EscapeVerse Live event, Jake Lee explained how he achieved short film festival success with his short film "Am I Dreaming?".

Jake explained the need to build a team, in this case a producer, composer, singer and songwriter. Film-makers rarely work alone - you need to build a team of enthusiastic partners to collaborate and deliver the vision.

Mechamorphosis Wins Best Animation in Milan

"Mechamorphosis" wins "Best Animation" in Milan. 

Congratulations to the makers of "Mechamorphosis", which has won "Best Animation" in Milan. 

Mechamorphosis was written and produced by Alberto Scotti and directed by Ilaria Colavito.   

Animation was completed by Steven Lall.  Hélios Lyons did the sound design and composed the original music.  This is the latest of many awards for Mechamorphosis. 

"Am I Dreaming?" Wins Best Musical at UK Awards

"Am I Dreaming?" wins Best Animated Musical at UK Awards

Congratulations to director Jake Lee and the makers of the short film "Am I Dreaming?" which has won Best Animated Musical at the UK Film Awards. 

"Am I Dreaming?" is a short film 

directed by Jake Lee, and produced by Escapee Emmanouil "Manos" Zervoudakis.  

"Am I Dreaming?" is an animated musical featuring an original song written and composed by Lilianne Coeverden and performed by Kiersten Nielson. 

Character Creation Evening Class: 22 June 2026

Gorilla by Michael Davies

Our Evening Class in Character Creation returns to Escape Studios on 22 June 2026.

The Evening Class in Character Creation teaches students how to design and create their own character designs, and bring them to life.  Students learn to design, model, texture, rig and animate your own character.

The Character Creation Evening Class course is taught by Aidan Lonergan.  Aidan's screen credits include The Hunger Games and Aquaman.

"Save Yourself" Wins "Best VFX" at Roshani Film Fest

Congratulations to the makers of VFX short Save Yourself which has won "Best VFX" at the Roshani Film Festival.  Save Yourself was created by our third year graduating class of VFX students at Escape Studios.  

The short film was written and directed by Jasmine Patel and produced by Charlie Cope. Harrison Davies was the 3D VFX lead, and Fiona Lee was the 2D VFX Lead.  Cinematography was by Irene Gomez-Emilsson.  Industry feedback was generously provided by Industrial Light & Magic.  This is the latest of many awards for Save Yourself. 

"Am I Dreaming?" By Jake Lee

Introducing "Am I Dreaming?" directed by Jake Lee, and produced by Escapee Emmanouil "Manos" Zervoudakis.  "Am I Dreaming?" is an animated musical featuring an original song written and composed by Lilianne Coeverden and performed by Kiersten Nielson.  Am I Dreaming? is currently being entered into film festivals; to see more, watch the trailer above.

"Save Yourself" Wins "Best Sci-Fi Film" at 1st Film Fest

Congratulations to the makers of VFX short Save Yourself which has won "Best Sci-Fi Film" at the 1st Film Festival.  Save Yourself was created by our third year graduating class of VFX students at Escape Studios.  

The short film was written and directed by Jasmine Patel and produced by Charlie Cope.  Harrison Davies was the 3D VFX lead, and Fiona Lee was the 2D VFX Lead.  Cinematography was by Irene Gomez-Emilsson.  Industry feedback was generously provided by Industrial Light & Magic.  This is the third award for Save Yourself. 

"Save Yourself" Wins "Best Super Short" in London

Save Yourself wins "Best Super Short Film" in London

Congratulations to the makers of Save Yourself, the latest VFX short from Escape Studios, which has won "Best Super Short Film" at the London Movie Awards.  Save Yourself was created by our third year graduating class of VFX students at Escape Studios.  

The short film was written and directed by Jasmine Patel and produced by Charlie Cope.  Harrison Davies was the 3D VFX lead, and Fiona Lee was the 2D VFX Lead.  Cinematography was by Irene Gomez-Emilsson.  Industry feedback was generously provided by Industrial Light & Magic.  This is the second award for Save Yourself. 

"Save Yourself" Wins "Best VFX" at EEF Fest

Save Yourself wins "Best VFX" at EEFF

Congratulations to the makers of Save Yourself, the latest VFX short from Escape Studios, which has won "Best VFX" at the Eastern Europe Film Awards.  Save Yourself was created by our third year graduating class of VFX students at Escape Studios.  

The short film was written and directed by Jasmine Patel and produced by Charlie Cope.  Harrison Davies was the 3D VFX lead, and Fiona Lee was the 2D VFX Lead.  Cinematography was by Irene Gomez-Emilsson.  Industry feedback was generously provided by Industrial Light & Magic. 

Introducing the 3D VFX Team at Escape Studios

3D VFX Team at Escape Studios

Meet the 3D VFX Team at Escape Studios. VFX is at the heart of Escape Studios; it's where we began 20 years ago - when the industry was just starting to expand and grow.

Back in the early 2000s there were few places in the UK where students could learn the necessary skills to land that crucial first job in the VFX industry.  Below are our talented tutors who teach the art and craft of VFX at Escape Studios, helping to ensure we remain the UK's leading centre for the study of VFX.

Introducing "Save Yourself"

Introducing Save Yourself, the latest VFX short from Escape Studios.  Save Yourself was created by our third year graduating class of VFX students at Escape Studios.  The short film was written and directed by Jasmine Patel and produced by Charlie Cope.  Harrison Davies was the 3D VFX lead, and Fiona Lee was the 2D VFX Lead.  Cinematography was by Irene Gomez-Emilsson.  Industry feedback was generously provided by Industrial Light & Magic. 

Escape Studios' Mission: "Studio-Ready Talent"

VFX by Emmanuel Rahman

At Escape Studios our mission is to produce "Studio-Ready Talent".  That means equipping our graduates with real-world skills, ensuring that our Escapees are capable of filling entry-level positions in industry in positions that are currently in demand, especially in growth areas of new tech and new software. 

Part of this is what we call "The Escape Method"; this has five main pillars: Intensive classroom teaching, online tutorials, constructive feedback, industry engagement, and group projects.

CR5001 Specialism Module Returns 13 Jan 2025

Leopard animation by Melissa Coarezza

Module CR5001 "Animation Specialism" starts on January 13th 2025 (you can see our 2024-25 term dates here).  The second year of animation studies at Escape Studios is where our students begin to focus on individual proficiency in the craft of animation.

The Specialism Module (Module Code CR5001) is a largely self-study module in which students select an area of specialism and develop their skills.  CR5001 runs for five weeks, culminating in a portfolio presentation.  The final deadline for submission is Wednesday 8 February 2025. 

AN5002 - Animal & Creature Animation Module 2024

Chameleon animated by Dave Novis

Our 2nd Year Undergraduate Animators are working on their latest animation module AN5002, in which students learn to animate animals and creatures.  

The AN5002 Assignment is due on Thursday 19 December 2024.  The Assignment Brief is to create 10-15 seconds animal or creature animation, combining a motion cycle with a performance.  

The Retrospective Assignment is due on Monday 23rd December 2024.  To find out more about how to write a great Retrospective, read this blog post. 

Character Creation Evening Class Starts 3 March 2025

Goblin by Paul Strachan

Our Evening Class in Character Creation returns to Escape Studios on 3 March 2025.

The Evening Class in Character Creation teaches students how to design and create their own character designs, and bring them to life.  Students learn to design, model, texture, rig and animate your own character.

The Character Creation Evening Class course is taught by Aidan Lonergan.  Aidan's screen credits include The Hunger Games and Aquaman.

How a Bear Walks - Quadruped Locomotion

Bear Walk by Amanda Costa

How does a bear walk? All animators need to learn how to animate a quadruped walk cycle.  All quadrupeds walk in more or less the same way, allowing for anatomy (herbivores have less flexible spines than carnivores). 

To the left is a bear walk cycle animated by Amanda Costa, showing the live action reference used to create the animation.  

Priya Shah Wins Disney/Blue Zoo Pitch Competition

Many congratulations to Escapee Priya Shah whose pitch to the Walt Disney/Blue Zoo Pitch Competition has been successful. 

Priya Shah, currently a Studio Assistant at Escape Studios, is one of the winners of the Success Story Competition by The Walt Disney Company and Blue Zoo Animation Studio.