Blog

Last night we hosted an event in our Santa Monica studio with our friends from a52 and the Chaos Group. Andy Hall and Kirk Shintani from a52 showed us some amazing commercials they created for the holidays for the Red Cross. The campaign, called "Holiday Giving with Fred" looks like it was shot stop-motion, but in reality it's entirely CG. They shared all of the behind-the-scenes details, including the tools and techniques they used. We got a special treat at the end when they shared a commercial they recently completed for VISA for the Olympics. Using old footage from past Olympic races - which cannot be altered in any way - they created slow motion scenes where four athletes win their respective races. Those sequences look completely real, though they're entirely CG. The spot is gorgeous and inspiring.

Last Friday, some of the Escape staff & students were given the opportunity to visit the El Segundo studios of Rhythm & Hues, one of the premier studios in the VFX industry. Rhythm & Hues has led the way in CG animation with their work on such features as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Golden Compass and Hop. Currently they are working on Ang Lee's next film Life of PI and awaiting release of the much anticipated Snow White and the Huntsman.  

An enthusiastic group arrived at the Escape Studios in Santa Monica the morning of February 4th to hear industry veteran Pam Hogarth talk about what it takes to succeed as an artist in the VFX industry. Always entertaining and informative, Pam gave the audience solid, practical advice that they can use as they pursue their careers in VFX.

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.

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.

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.

Our Key Concepts in Compositing Webinar, presented a few weeks back by Davi Stein, our Compositing Instructor at our UK campus, is a must see if you missed it. The webinar concentrates on a shot that involves Roto, Paint and Rig removal.

We often hear from fine artists that they’d like to find new and creative outlets for their artistic talents and passions. So, with that in mind, we put together a webinar that addresses just that. If you have a passion for fine arts and possibly a degree as well and would like to try your hand at working in the visual effects industry, you’ll want to attend our upcoming webinar—Fine Artist to VFX Artist. You’ll learn how to take the creative skills you’ve already mastered and apply them in the world of computer graphics. And, you’ll learn how to take what you’ve already created and make it stand out amongst the other artists in the crowd so your fine arts work will wow those in the artistic world of VFX.