I grew up with parents who couldn’t bear driving around in a dirty car. It just wasn’t socially acceptable in Ireland amongst that generation. And so, many a weekend during my childhood was spent polishing car windows. However, little did my parents know, we were washing away free art materials. Yep, that seems unlikely right? I thought the same, until I read about Scott Wade, the Da Vinci of dust!

To get a real good grasp of compositing and the discipline that surrounds it, there’s no better way than seeing the process in action for yourself. And if this is something that sounds right up your street, the only other thing to add is that your guide for this comp session is none other than NUKE devout, Simon Richardson.

Lincoln is very much a hit with the award bodies this year. Having only just recently hit the cinemas, the film has already scooped up a Golden Globe and a BAFTA as well as being nominated for 12 Oscars. And although this is all very lovely, we’re more interested in the stunning results achieved by Framestore for this epic biopic. Providing the backdrop of 1865 America, a country ripped in two by civil war, Framestore worked alongside the filmmakers to make a historically accurate recreation that was both invisible and believable. And having already proved their expertise on Spielberg’s previous project War Horse, Framestore have obviously earned the trust and respect of Steven and his team.

Recruiters in any company will be sent hundreds of applications on a weekly basis, and when it comes to getting your application noticed, just try putting yourself in their shoes for a moment. For example, their first job is to sort through the good from the bad. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to impress at a glance.

We’re back, and with that we’re preparing some exciting events, bringing you the very best in VFX education. Kicking things off as we mean to continue we're holding a live interview and career talk, and look forward to an exciting 2013 filled with creativity and VFX know-how. We look forward to sharing the latest goings-on within the industry. But most of all, we look forward to seeing what you lovely people are creating or will create with the right training behind you.

We've invited Head of 3D at Framestore Commercials and Escape graduate, Diarmid Harrison-Murray, to kick off the New Year with a live interview, speaking about his latest work on the Skyfall opening title sequence, and his overall journey as a VFX artist.

How does someone go about getting a Junior Compositor role at an international VFX studio like The Mill? Well in this month’s tutorial Simon Richardson reveals how it all started for him. From experimenting with Adobe’s After Effects at University, Simon was introduced to basic keying techniques in a layer based system. And this was when the seed was planted that would flourish into him conquering NUKE, and working at one of the top VFX studios in the world.

Next Monday, November 19^th, we welcome Victor Perez back to our studio for a demonstration on his top tips and tricks when working with Python in NUKE.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us on October 24^th as Davi Stein set about getting to the heart of compositing. This webinar was hugely popular, proving that there are a lot of folks out there looking to discover what sets compositing apart from other 3d elements in VFX.

This month’s free tutorial is a sneak peak of a workshop presented at the VIEW conference in Turin, Italy. Earlier this month one of our VFX tutors, Daniel Shutt, led a 6-hour workshop to demonstrate camera mapping, transforming a still photograph into a photo realistic animated shot. A technique used in film, commercials and broadcast television, it’s now time to apply this process to your own projects.

Some of you may have been feeding off the trickle of teaser footage in circulation for the Iron Man triquel, coming to a cinema screen near us soon! And if you are one such person, you’ll be delighted to learn that a ‘full’ teaser trailer is now doing the rounds, showing off the abundance of action in store for us upon its release in April 2013.

Looking to learn something new? If that’s the case, then we have two webinars coming soon that deserve your attention. Both webinars range from beginner friendly, to the more advanced, where NUKE operators can learn more about how to apply Python to their projects. Both webinars are at either end of the spectrum, concentrating on the art of compositing in all its different forms. So to get a better understanding of skilful compositing, make sure you tune in for either or both presentations.

Anyone who knows Escape Studios will know how valued our Studio Assistants are. Representing the heart of Escape, they keep this VFX academy a well-oiled machine. From supporting current students with their projects, making sure deliveries go out on time, to editing showreel videos, no job is too big or too small. And in return they are in the best place to ready their showreels for that next step in to the CG industry.

Described as ‘this decades The Matrix’, the phrase alone has already set very high standards for it’s audience.  Possibly a bold statement to make, The Matrix was pretty groundbreaking for it’s time. At first glance, the statement seems a cheap marketing gimmick, and one with little to support it. But if ever a marketing gimmick was doing it’s job right, it is now… because it definitely grabbed my attention and intrigued me enough to find out more about the film.

Compositing in regards to VFX can be a difficult process to explain unless seen in action. Although the term may seem quite self-explanatory to those working in the industry, that’s not generally the case for those starting out, looking to break into the industry. And as we speak with budding CG artists every day, we feel it’s important to understand what sets compositing apart from the 3d modelling elements of VFX. As it’s only when you truly understand the range of departments that exist in the visual effects industry, can you make the right career decision.

Last month, the lovely Alexander Swann graced us with a simply brilliant webinar about his time working on Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. As a 3D Paint and Roto Artist, Alex gave an incredible insight into what this role involves, while also revealing the very fun side of working in the film industry.

We've invited Victor Perez to share some of his top tips and tricks when working with Python in NUKE. Having studied our Compositing for Production course back in 2009, Victor has gone on to master NUKE to a highly professional level. Voted this year’s second most valuable nukepedia.com contributor, and one of the first official Nuke certified trainers, Victor has prepared a webinar to show you what’s possible when you apply Python scripting to a project.

If you’re an avid reader of 3D Artist magazine, then make sure to look out for an article on Escape and the VFX course we run here. Released in this weeks issue (issue 46, September 12^th), this is a rather lovely article. The 'Course Focus' section is a regular feature in this mag, so we’re pretty chuffed they wanted to include our VFX course in this issue.

How much can you learn over 12 weeks? Well hopefully after seeing some student work in yesterday’s blog you’ve realised, quite a lot actually! Learning the tools that create impressive 3D visuals is the hard part. After that, it’s a process of applying what you’ve learnt to more ambitious projects and making sure you push yourself to continue learning.

When the award winning VFX team at The Mill approach a new project, they certainly don’t cut any corners. Setting out to create nothing but their absolute best, while pushing the boundaries of technology, these guys are serious about what they do. And you don’t win as many VFX awards as these guys without putting in the hard graft to make heads turn.

A few weeks back, August 14^th, we said our farewells to another class of Compositing graduates, ready to embark on a professional career in VFX. An exciting day for all involved, we had the opportunity to check out their end of course projects. Presented to tutors as well as fellow students, each project got some constructive feedback from the pros on where improvements could be made, and where their talents excelled.

If a movie is a massive studio blockbuster, then the Prime Focus World visual effects team have most likely had some involvement in its making. Prime Focus was responsible for creating the stunning effects for titles such as Men in Black 3, Dredd 3D, Mirror Mirror and Total Recall…to name just a few! And of course, every new VFX project comes with its own challenges. Len Wiseman’s remake of Total Recall was one such project that allowed the team to flex their creative and technical muscle.

Ever found yourself pondering over a possible career in VFX? We’ve all had those moments when we’ve seen some awesome CG visuals and thought ‘how did they do that?’ The people who created these effects all started out somewhere, and that starting point is usually the time they started learning the tools they needed to get the job done.

Our visual effects and compositing students have gone on to work on some pretty awesome projects over the years. These include the many studio blockbusters that light up cinema screens around the world. Seeing escapee names in the rolling credits at the end of such films never fails to give us that warm fuzzy feeling of pride – proud to see they have achieved the goal they had when we first met them on our courses. And this was very much the case when some of the Escape team went to an exclusive screening of Snow White and The Huntsman at Framestore a few months ago.

“Big things have small beginnings”, was an idea acknowledged in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, released earlier this year. And for us, this statement couldn’t be more true. Taking the art of visual effects as a prime example, the spectacular CG you see on screens today was born from the most basic of concepts, and the people who created those effects invested significant time and energy to become the talented artists they are today. Every creative talent has to start out somewhere, and with the right levels of care and determination, it can evolve into something magnificent.

A film currently bringing an interesting element of humour to cinema screens in Ireland has been described as the heir to the “Shaun of the Dead” throne. This statement may not be far wrong. I won’t lie to you, the plot is a tad mental, but in that great tongue-in-cheek way that makes it the kind of film that will surely cheer you up at the end of a tough week. The film in question is Jon Wright’s Grabbers, and it’s one I hope you’ll all get a chance to see.

August’s free tutorial goes out to all the Compositors. Take this opportunity to breathe a little life into your projects, using some NUKE trickery. Based on a technique applied while working on Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Compositing tutor and Head of 2D at Escape, Davi Stein looks at how to enhance basic elements within your scene for a more filmic look.

We’ve been catching up with lots of the escapees from over the years, and one story in particular has been hugely inspiring to us. Having studied a ten week Maya comprehensive course at Escape Studios back in 2003, Alenka Abraham has paved a very exciting career for herself. Taking on an R&D software project at Glassworks, Alenka met her future business partner, Adam Cubitt. Together they set up Existential Ltd., a company that develops both real-time and off-line computer visualisation and animation technology. Collaborating with leading post-production companies like MPC, and many others across the UK, they’ve been involved in pioneering projects and are making quite a name for themselves.

We’ve just had some exciting news from the lovely people at Creative Skillset. The creative industries’ sector skills council are currently running a pilot scheme for short courses that provide training in areas such as TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer graphics, facilities, photo imaging, publishing, advertising and fashion & textiles. By making training in these areas more readily available, they hope to open up these industries and create a more diverse pool of talent right here in the UK. And we’re delighted to play a part in that ambition.

After a previous visit to Double Negative, James Dower and his class mates really got a taste for the high standard of work that DNeg set.  And on this, their second visit, they were all keen to get some professional feedback for their own VFX Production projects.

Doing a VFX course can lead your career in many directions. For many of our students it has been the launching pad for a career in post-production, for film, TV and commercials. Many students have also gone on to work in other areas such as games and architectural visualisation. We teach the fundamentals and practicalities of working in CG, paving the way for what you will eventually specialise in.

We live in a time of minimalistic female role models. Gone are the days where young females looked up to icons like Florence Nightingale, Rosa Parks and The Pankhurst Sisters. If you look at our culture today we are inundated with reality TV role models. In no way do I have any issues with reality TV, everyone needs a little light relief in their lives and if watching the current episode of Made in Chelsea or TOWIE does it for you, then who am I to judge?

Finally we can take a glimpse at the new Pixar feature animation, Brave. We’ve heard great things about the film, and so we’re all completely psyched about its upcoming release later this summer. This is Pixar’s first time to tackle a fairy tale, and it’s set to be much darker in tone to their previous Pixar releases, as it takes inspiration from the masters of whimsical storytelling, Hans Christian Anderson and Brothers Grimm.

The 9^th annual Architectural 3D Awards, hosted by CGarchitect.com, are taking place on July 4th 2012 and a last call for entries has just been sent out, with only three weeks remaining. The competition is open to everyone in the Architectural Visualisation industry, and looks to award the best imagery, animation and real-time projects created over 2011 and 2012. This year there are five categories for the award, and only five entrants will be shortlisted for each category - Image (Commissioned), Image (Non Commisioned), Film/Animation (Commissioned), Film/Animation (Non Commissioned) and Real-Time.

Every year Sci-Fi London runs a competition inviting Sci-Fi fans and filmmakers to take part in a 48hrs film challenge. Armed with a title, a line of dialogue, a scientific theme and a specified prop, competing teams have two days to develop and make a 5 minute short film. The winning film is premiered during the London Sci-Fi Film Festival, and also benefits from a promotional platform through The Guardian newspaper website, as well as a development deal with independent UK production company, Vertigo Films.

Last night, Thursday 29^th March, was the Art of 3D Visualisation event at the Barbican Centre, and we’re delighted to report it was a great success. To start with, the setting was spectacular. The Barbican is an inspiring setting for architectural design. The event kicked off in the conservatory terrace, a hidden treasure in the heart of the Barbican and a lavish space with a back drop of decorative tropical plants. This time was spent wisely, arming ourselves with a cold drink the proceedings moved to Cinema 3 where we and our guests were treated to four presentations from five fantastic speakers.

HP has partnered with DreamWorks since the beginning, helping the business mature into the well-oiled animation machine we know today. HP is responsible for the hardware platforms at the very heart of the company, with a storage infrastructure that allows the team to share data quickly and easily over a global network, as well as state of the art workstations and monitors for creating detailed and realistic effects. In the video above, the team at DreamWorks discuss how HP technology has contributed significantly to the company staying on the cutting edge and how this technology brought to life the 2011 production of Puss in Boots.

Last weekend I stumbled across an album cover with the VES (Visual Effects Society) logo on it. For those of you who don’t know, the current logo for the VES is the iconic image of the moon from the film Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), a 16 minute black and white silent film from 1902. It was a revolutionary film for its time, being not only the first sci-fi but also using special effects that were very high tech at the turn of the century. Though the film was distributed predominately in black and white there was also a hand-coloured version that was thought to be lost for quite some time until the only surviving print was found in Spain in 1993.