Bring Your Own Animation is Back! 26 Oct 2022

BYOA on Wednesday 26 October 

BYOA (Bring Your Own Animation) is back - taking place in London on Wednesday 26 October at the Newman Arms in Rathbone St, London W1T 1NG.

Organised by the London chapter of SIGGRAPH, BYOA is an animation event that takes place every month at a pub in central London.

Grass Waving Tutorial in Maya

Below a is a free tutorial on how to animate grass waving in Maya using the Paint Effects Tool, part of our series of tutorials on FX Animation. 

The tutorial shows how to use wind speed to simulate a light breeze in a grassy field.  

Also covered is how to export a geo cache and re-import the cache back into Maya. 

"Joe" Wins "Best VFX" at Future of Film Awards

Joe - Best VFX at the Future of Film Awards

Many congratulations to the makers of Joe, which has won Best VFX at the Future of Film Awards. 

 "Joe" is a short film directed by Callum Reeve and produced by Aidan Lonergan, completed as part of animation Module PR6001.

Joe is a story about a cleanup robot that goes wrong.  

Joe has won many festival awards, including a "Director's Choice" award at the Sci-On film festival and a "Four Stars Award" at the British International Amateur Film Festival.

Do Online Job Portals Actually Work?

Michael Morgan teaching at Escape Studios

Veteran animator and Escape Studios tutor Michael Morgan posted recently at LinkedIn about the trouble with Online Job Portals.  Do they actually work?  Or is face-to-face networking still the key path to employment, even in this digital age?

As part of our regular series on finding work in the animation industry, see Michael Morgan's guest blog below.

Animation Careers Evening 26th Oct at 5.30pm

On Wednesday 26th October 2022 at 5.30pm we're hosting a free online Animation Careers Evening at Escape Studios. 

Tune in to get exclusive career advice from our special guests at Blue Zoo Animation, one of the UK's leading animation houses. 

Our guests are Oleksiy Popov, Lead Animator at Blue Zoo, and Katie Slack, Talent Acquisition Manager at Blue Zoo.

"Our Ocean" Wins "Best Animation" at DMOFF

Best Animated Short Film at DMOFF

Congratulations to the makers of "Our Ocean", which has won an award for Best Animated Short Film at the Direct Monthly Online Film Festival (DMOFF).

Our Ocean was created by our fourth year animation and vfx students, studying the Art of Computer Animation and VFX.   Written and Directed by Priya Shah, and produced by Ethen Dent, Our Ocean was a collaboration with the charity "Ocean Generation".  This is the latest of many festival awards.

"Over Under" Wins Best Sci-Fi at Art Film Awards

Over Under wins Best Sci-Fi Film at the Art Film Awards

Many congratulations to the makers of "Over Under" , which has won an award for "Best Sci-Fi Film" at the Art Film Awards. 

This is the latest award for Over Under, a short fantasy sci-fi film directed by Lucy Harris and produced by Aidan Lonergan, as part of their graduation year Studio Project.

The lead animator was Billy Allen, and Jack Thompson was the Head TD.

Short Course and PG Open Day Sat 22 October 2022

Open Day at Escape: Saturday 22 October 2022

We're hosting a Short Course & Post-Graduate Open Day at Escape on Saturday 22 October 2022 at 12pm.  

Open Days are a chance to find out about what we do, and how we can help you develop your career in the creative industries.

To book your free place, follow this link.

"March of the Potguins" Wins Best VFX (Hon Mention)

Best VFX (Honourable Mention) in Tokyo

Congratulations to the makers of March of the Potguins, directed by Michael Vodden and produced by Daniel Brooks, which has won an award for Best VFX (Honourable Mention) at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

March of the Potguins is about two penguin salt & pepper pots who embark on an epic journey across the kitchen counter top.  Adikah Patterson was the 3D VFX Lead and Diogo Teixeira  was the 2D VFX Lead.  The Lead Animator was Lucy Harris.  March of the Potguins has won many festival awards. 

"Giles & Rupert" Best Trailer at Golden Eagle Fest

Best Trailer at the Golden Eagle Indie Festival Awards

Congratulations to the makers of Giles and Rupert's Prehistoric Predicament, which has won another festival award - Best Trailer at the Golden Eagle Indie Festival Awards.

Giles and Rupert's Prehistoric Predicament is a teaser/trailer for an original animated TV series created at Escape Studios by director Toby Haslam and producers Samia Chowdhury and Georgia Baird.  Giles and Rupert are Victorian inventors whose time machine invention goes horribly wrong - creating a world of Jurassic trouble. 

"Street Ratz" Wins "Best Sci-Fi" at Future of Film Fest

"Street Ratz" wins "Best Sci-Fi" at Future of Film Fest

Many congratulations to the makers of "Street Ratz", which has won "Best Sci-Fi" at the Future of Film Festival. 

This is the latest award for "Street Ratz", which tells the story of Tal, a young girl locked in a dystopian universe who must avoid the clutches of a gangland mafia boss to escape the city underworld. 

Street Ratz is a teaser/trailer written and directed by Austin Hill,  and produced by Jack Wright.  The lead animator was Piotr Noworyta. 

Street Ratz has won many festival awards. 

"Our Ocean" Wins Audience Choice Award

"Audience Choice Award" at Athvikvaruni Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Our Ocean", which has won the "Audience Choice Award" at the Athvikvaruni International Film Festival.  

Our Ocean was created by our fourth year animation and vfx students, studying the Art of Computer Animation and VFX.  

Written and Directed by Priya Shah, and produced by Ethen Dent, Our Ocean was a collaboration with the charity "Ocean Generation".  This is the latest of many festival awards.

Graduation Day 4 November 2022

Friday 4th November 2022 at the Mermaid Theatre

Graduation Day is coming; this year's ceremony will take place on Friday 4th November 2022 at the Mermaid Theatre,  Blackfriars, London. 

We look forward to welcoming all our graduating students from for the graduation ceremony and reception afterwards. 

The graduation ceremony is a formal occasion to celebrate our students' achievement, and has only been possible at last since the relaxation of Covid restrictions. 

Free VFX Careers Event 10 October at 5.30pm

VFX Careers Event Monday 10th October at 5:30pm

Join us for a free virtual Visual Effects Careers Event on Monday 10th October at 5:30pm. 

Guests will be offered career advice from our special guests Brad Blackbourn (Virtual Production Manager) and Scott Pritchard (Associate VFX Supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic).  To sign up for this free event, follow this link.

"The Crash" Wins "Best 2 Min Challenge" at Wild Indie

The Crash wins "Best Two Minute Challenge" at Wild Indie

Many congratulations to the makers of "The Crash", a short VFX film created by students at Escape Studios, which has won an award for "Best Two Minute Challenge" at the Wild Indie Film Festival.

"The Crash" is a sci-fi VFX short written and directed by Lewys Rhodes, and produced by Daniel Rowe.   The Crash has won many festival awards. 

CR5001 Animation Specialism Starts 9 Jan 2023

Character Animation by Sunny Asada

Module CR5001 "Animation Specialism" starts on January 9th 2023.  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 2023. 

Introducing "Chosen" by Pietro Mignione

Chosen from Pietro Mingione on Vimeo.

Introducing the short animated film "Chosen", animated and directed by Escape Studios animation student Pietro Mingione.  "Chosen" is a short animated film about growing up, acceptance, and the power of faith.  Pietro took our MA in 3D Animation at Escape Studios, taught by veteran animator Lee Caller.  "Chosen" was created as part of Pietro's final studio project, in which students create a short animated film, many of which have gone on to win festival awards.  

"Little Gestures" Wins Best VFX at Art Film Awards

Little Gestures Best VFX at the Art Film Awards

Many congratulations to the makers of "Little Gestures", which has won the award for Best VFX at the Art Film Awards.

This is the latest award for "Little Gestures", a short story about an artist's maquette which comes to life. 

The film was directed by Richard O'Hanlon and Daniel Brand-Sinyinza, and produced by Nickoel Izharudin and Dominic Strachan. 

"Little Gestures" was completed as part of the third year animation Module PR6001, a Studio Project worth 60 Credits, overseen by UG Program Leader Michael Davies.

Online Animation Taster Tues 11 Oct 2022 at 5pm

We're running a free online Animation Taster at Escape Studios on Tuesday 11 October 2022 at 5pm, taught by our award-winning animation tutor Lee Caller.

Taster Classes are a great chance to learn about character and creature animation, and find out what an animator's job is all about.

You will learn how to use Autodesk Maya and get a hands-on introduction to 3D Animation techniques. No prior knowledge of Maya - or any software - is required.

Rookies Ranks Escape Studios No2 in the UK

The Rookies, the international competition for aspiring VFX artists, has ranked Escape Studios No 2 in the UK and No 10 globally for VFX & Animation Production Excellence.

Production Excellence is an accolade awarded to the best schools that focus on working in teams. 

Teamwork is something we take seriously at Escape Studios, one of the five pillars of "The Escape Method". 

The animation industry is a collaborative one. Well-organised teamwork helps prepare our students for the realities of life in industry.

Escape Studios has been ranked by The Rookies in the top ten for VFX and Animation Production for the last four years, since 2019.