Escape Studios 3D Animation Demo Reel 2025

We're proud to present the 2025 Escape Studios 3D Animation Demo Reel, a selection of the best animation completed at Escape Studios over the past year.  This year Animation Career Review ranked us #5 for Animation in the UK, #12 for Animation in Europe and #17 for Animation Internationally.  To see more student work at Escape Studios, follow this link. 

"Socks To Be You" Wins "Best VFX" at Kodaikanal Fest

"Socks To Be You" wins "Best VFX" at Kodaikanal Fest

Congratulations to the makers of "Socks To Be You", which has won "Best VFX" at the Kodaikanal Film Festival.  

Directed by Josh Popusoi , and produced by Erik Bocsor,  "Socks To Be You" was a collaboration between undergraduate animation students and VFX students at Escape Studios, working together to create an original story.  

This is its second festival award. 

Developing "The Zoo"

Development drawings for "The Zoo"

Back in the late 1990s I did some early development work for a Warner Bros Feature Animation feature film provisionally titled "The Zoo".  

The Zoo never made it to production, but the experience taught me a lot about the creative development process of a major studio. 

It also taught me an early lesson in the unpredictable nature of our industry, and why some projects never get made. 

"The Hunt" Wins "Best Animation" in Milan

"The Hunt" wins "Best Animated Film" in Milan

Congratulations to the makers of the short animated film "The Hunt" which has won "Best Animated Film" at the Milan Gold Awards. 

"The Hunt" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  

The Hunt was directed by Eva Gifford and produced by Grace Chandler.  Rose Brooksby-Conroy was the art director.  This is its first festival award. 

"Shapla" Wins Best Animation at Paris Film Awards

"Shapla" wins "Best Animation" at Paris Film Awards

Many congratulations to the makers of "Shapla", which has won "Best Animation" at the Paris Film Awards.

"Shapla" was created by our graduating class of animation students. "Shapla" was directed by Ruksar Rowza Aziz and produced by Charlie Seeviour.  Erica Sanches was the art director and Tom Price composed the original score.  This is its second festival award. 

Why Animators Avoid Symmetrical Poses

Mickey Mouse from "The Illusion of Life"

One of the most common mistakes made by junior animators is for their character poses to be too stiff and symmetrical.  One of the fastest ways to make a character feel stiff and lifeless is to pose them symmetrically.  

Perfectly mirrored limbs, identical angles, and evenly balanced weight all scream “mannequin,” not “living being.” Real life — and good animation — is full of asymmetry.

"For Better or Worse" Wins "Best 1st Time Director"

For Better or Worse wins "Best 1st Time Director" in Hollywood

Congratulations to the makers of the short film For Better or Worse, which has won the "Best First Time Director" award at the Hollywood Film Awards.

For Better or Worse was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001 in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  It was directed by Danielus Sileikis and produced by Amelia Chwesiuk. This is its second festival award. 

Live Action Ref Shd Match Camera Angle in Maya

Anim Ref and Anim by Elin Berrio Pena

Most experienced animators know about the importance of shooting live action reference to create great animation. 

However, to get the best out of your reference, you should always be sure to match the correct camera angle in your shot. If you don't, the reference you shoot won't be nearly as useful.

"Hubris" Wins "Best Animation" at EEFF

"Hubris" wins "Best Animation" at the EEFF

Congratulations to the makers of "Hubris" which has won "Best Animation" at the Eastern Europe Film Festival.  

"Hubris" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  "Hubris" was written and directed by Sohaib Mehar and produced by Secander Sadat.  The editor was Gleb Migas, and the art director was Leona Lu.  This is its second festival award. 

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

Congratulations to the makers of the short film "Vivid" which has won an award for "Best VFX" at the Future of Film Awards. 

"Vivid" was created by our third year graduating class of VFX students.  Vivid was written and directed by Kia Claire, and produced by Amber Coventry.  Samuel Greer was the 3D VFX Lead and William Griffith was the 2D VFX Lead.  

This is the latest of many festival awards. 

Antonia Palmer Compositor at ETC

Antonia Palmer

Many congratulations to Escapee Antonia Palmer who has joined Electric Theatre Collective as a digital compositor. 

While at Escape Studios, Antonia studied the Art of Visual Effects, specialising in 2D compositing in Nuke.  Antonia directed the short VFX film "Gnaughty Gnomes", which won many festival awards.

Antonia joins the many Escapees who have found work as compositors in the animation and vfx industry, which is currently experiencing significant growth. 

Dusty Memories Wins "Best Super Short" at Int'l Fest

Dusty Memories wins "Best Super Short Film at Int'l Gold

Many congratulations to the makers of "Dusty Memories", which has won "Best Super Short Film"  at the International Gold Awards.  

"Dusty Memories" was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects.  

"Dusty Memories" was written and directed by Grace Lam, and edited and produced by Max Ebdon.  This is its first festival award. 

Escapee Amanda Costa Animator at Framestore

Amanda Costa Animator joins Framestore

Many congratulations to Escapee Amanda Costa who has joined Framestore as an animator.  

Amanda Costa took our short course in Computer Animation at Escape Studios, taught by veteran animator Lee Caller.  

After graduation, Amanda became a Studio Assistant at Escape Studios.

Character Animation by Akasha Devlin-Clovering

We're enjoying this excellent example of character animation (above) by Escapee Akasha Devlin-Clovering, who graduates this summer with a degree in the Art of Computer Animation.  While at Escape Studios, Akasha worked on a number of award-winning short films, including the short film "Set in Stone", which she produced.  Akasha also worked on the award-winning short films Ongo, and Order Up!

"For Better or Worse" Wins Florence Award

For Better or Worse wins Best Super Short in Florence 

Congratulations to the makers of the short film For Better or Worse, which has won Best Super Short Film at the Florence Film Awards. 

For Better or Worse was completed as part of Studio Module PR5001, a collaborative module in which second-year animation students work together on short film projects. It was directed by Danielus Sileikis and produced by Amelia Chwesiuk. This is its first festival award. 

"Shapla" Wins "Best Super Short" at NYC Awards

"Shapla" wins "Best Super Short" in NYC

Many congratulations to the makers of "Shapla", which has won "Best Super Short" at the New York Movie Awards.

"Shapla" was created by our graduating class of animation students. "Shapla" was directed by Ruksar Rowza Aziz and produced by Charlie Seeviour.  Erica Sanches was the art director and Tom Price composed the original score.  This is its first festival award. 

Escapee Alberto Scotti FX Artist at ETC

Alberto Scotti FX artist at Electric Theatre Collective

Many congratulations to Escapee Alberto Scotti who has started work as a junior FX artist at London’s Electric Theatre Collective.

Alberto Scotti took the MA in Visual Effects Production (3D) at Escape Studios, discovering the power of Houdini and its procedural workflow and simulations.

While at Escape Studios, Alberto Scotti produced the VFX short film “Mechamorphosis“, which has won many festival awards in international film competitions.

"AFK" Wins "Best VFX" at Makizhmithran Awards

"AFK" wins "Best VFX" at Makizhmithran Fest  

Congratulations to the makers of the VFX short film "AFK" ("Away From Keyboard"), which has won "Best VFX" at the Makizhmithran Film Festival.  

Directed by “Moses” Tsz Yau Ho, and produced by Emily Newton, AFK tells the story of two video games characters who escape from the screen and do battle in the human world.  Industry Feedback was generously provided by Industrial Light & Magic.  

This is its first festival award. 

Escape Studios Houdini Certified School 2025

Escape Studios is proud to announce that SideFX Houdini have confirmed Escape Studios as an approved Houdini Certified School for 2025.  

Houdini is a 3D animation software application developed by SideFX,  and is widely used in the VFX industry for procedural animation such as smoke, fire, water and other effects. 

Being a Houdini Certified School means a deepening relationship with SideFX, an ever-closer partnership in which our students benefit from being taught by expert tutors and exclusive access to Houdini technology, webinars and presentations.  

Escape Studios is also an Unreal Engine Authorised Training Centre (ATC). 

Top Ten Mistakes When Pitching Animation

Pitching - Hit the Bullseye

What is a pitch? A pitch is defined by Wikipedia as "a short summary used to quickly and simply define a profession, product, service, organization, or event and its value proposition". Our student animators pitch their projects all the time, hoping to get picked for one of our Studio Projects. 

A great pitch is funny, interesting, grabs your attention, and makes the listener think "wow, that could really work".  A great pitch leaves the listener wanting more.  But pitching is harder than it sounds. Below are some of the most common mistakes in pitching.