Have you always wanted to learn more about Houdini? Are you in Los Angeles? Does the idea of attending a two-day boot camp float your boat? You're in luck!
News Round-Up: Monday 30 Jan, 2012
As Oscar fever is mounting up, there were lots of stories related to awards last week - no surprise there. But there were also lots of goodies such as a very cool video from TedTalk, an interview with the VFX Supervisor on Hugo and much more. Here's my take on last week...
Letting Houdini out of the Box
Sometimes called the industry's best kept secret Houdini is a 3D program that should have better recognition. That’s why I’ve decided to run this webinar: to let the secret out of the box and dispel some of the myths surrounding the software.
Escape Students Visit New Deal Studios
As part of their classroom course with us, our students (who we affectionately refer to as escapees), get a chance to visit working studios to get a taste of what they will be faced with when they start working in the VFX industry. We took our first bunch of escapees to New Deal studios last week, and rather than giving you my thoughts on how the visit went, I asked Greg Pilon - who is taking our Compositing for Production course - to give us a quick summary of his visit.
What Does it Take to Make it in VFX?
With a rapidly growing VFX industry, there has never been a better time to think about carving out a career of your own. So we’re inviting you to come into Escape Studios, LA’s newest VFX training facility conveniently located in Santa Monica, to listen to VFX recruitment expert Pam Hogarth.
Escape Studios LA Celebrates the Season
It’s hard to believe we’ve been holding classes for six weeks already. To celebrate that and the holidays, we had a little gathering of friends, students and colleagues. We appreciate all the hard work that’s gone into getting things off the ground and with the pending holiday season, that’s cause to celebrate. Cheers to all and thanks—it’s truly been a team effort.
Watch the CG Whiz Reveal Event Video
The winners have been revealed! Last Thursday in London at Escape Studios headquarters, we announced the winners of the CG Whiz 2011 competition at our now annual Reveal Event. Amidst free flowing champagne and much celebration, Daniel Danielsson was announced as the winner of the Amateurs Category. With general manager Mark Cass and head judge Lee Danskin on hand, his demo reel was shown. Daniel was left speechless as the team explained why he was elected to be this year’s winner. One small point to share, Daniel created his reel with no professional training—he taught himself how to use the software to create his piece.
Looking Forward to Working with The Foundry in LA
Today our friends from The Foundry came by to discuss some great stuff that we'll be doing together here in LA in the new year. It was great to see Claudia and Tom and enjoy some great Thai food from our fantastic local restaurant Pot and Pan. Tom will be moving to LA in the new year and we're really looking forward to working closely with them. Look out for some really great collaborations in 2012!
Special Event: How to Succeed in a Growing VFX Industry
Join us on Saturday, February 4, 2012 for an exclusive presentation Do you have what it takes to make it in VFX? Pam Hogarth who has done placement and recruiting in the industry for more than 15 years will share this interesting case study and we'll have experts from Escape Studios on hand to answer all your questions. From how to map a carreer path to succeed in VFX, to discussing the changes in the industry--you'll find out what you can expect when searching for a job in the area.
2011 CG Whiz Winners Revealed!
After our best year yet, the 2011 CG Whiz competition has officially come to a close with the announcement of our talented winners from all over the world! Escape Studios and its judging panel were totally wowed by the quality of this year’s entries and the incredible level of talent across all categories.
VES Education Committee to Host Free Event at Escape Studios
Are you interested in learning more about compositing? The VES Education Committee is hosting a presentation on Basic CG for Compositors at Escape Studios on December 17, 2011 at 10:00 am. Guest speaker Martin Hall will present some basic techniques that he used on recent projects including passes engineered in Vray and Mental Ray to complete his composites.
News Round-Up: Monday 28 Nov, 2011
Here is my usual Weekly Round-Up of News, with stories that I have picked up over the past week. If you have suggestions for stories I missed, just drop me a line or post a comment.
10th Annual VES Awards Are Coming Soon!
February 7, 2011 marks the 10th annual VES Awards ceremony. I always look forward to the Awards Ceremonies - an opportunity to get all dolled up and fête my visual effects colleagues in a manner most worthy of their efforts.
News Round-Up: Monday 14 Nov, 2011
Here is my usual Weekly Round-Up of News, with stories that I have picked up over the past week. If you have suggestions for stories I missed, just drop me a line or post a comment.
CG Whiz 2011 Has Closed for Entries:: Start Voting Now!
CG Whiz 2011 is now closed to new entrants, and it’s been an incredible third year for the competition. We’ve seen our highest-ever number of entries (almost 200!), including an impressive showing in the new Young Pros category. The standard this year has been higher than we’ve ever seen before, and it’s been amazing to see the amount of talent that’s out there in the world of digital creativity.
Enlightening Evening With Digital Domain & the "Real Steel" Team
On Thursday last week, our friends from Digital Domain came by to breakdown their work on "Real Steel". The house was packed to capacity, and the Q&A sessions were lively as Erik Gamache, Geoffrey Baumann, Justin van der Lek and Blake Sweeney explained the process behind animation, environments, crowd duplication and lighting.
CG Whiz Entries Heating Up: Spotlight on Young Pros
Since kicking off CG Whiz last week we’ve been amazed by the high calibre of entries so far and wanted to share some of the highlights so far with you.
Attend “The Making of Real Steel” Event
Want to take a sneak peek behind the scenes to see how the movie “Real Steel” was made? Join Escape Studios in partnership with Digital Domain, The Foundry and Chaos Group at our Santa Monica campus to hear this unique story.
FREE Hands on MARI Training at Escape Studios in Santa Monica
The Foundry's new application "MARI" is on everyone's lips these days. Would you like to learn how it works? Join us for a FREE workshop at our Santa Monica office on October 24 or 25.
CG Whiz 2011 Call for Entries
We’re excited to announce our talent discovery competition, CG Whiz, kicks off today for its third year in a row! CG Whiz helps ignite the careers of computer graphics and visual effects fanatics from across the world.
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