It’s full steam ahead here at Escape…
When the pencil is mightier than the pixel - Quietly questioning 'the Croods' production choices...
I haven't yet seen the Croods, but my four year old's pester power means a trip to the cinema is inevitable this Easter. When I saw the first trailer a number of months ago, however I was left a little cold and felt little compulsion to make the effort to see it. It seemed rather predictable, not particularly lovable characters and no real 'hooks' to grab me. I did change my mind completely a few weeks later when Chris Sanders started releasing his story boards for the Croods. They are nothing short of stunning.
Davi Stein meets Davy Jones!
This morning, Escape Relationship Manager Anita Gribble and Head of 2D Davi Stein, took students on a trip to the heart of the West End – to see the newly opened Double Negative facility in Great Portland Street, which opened just 3 months ago! As is always the case with our studio visits, everyone set off early with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a hunger for adventure.
Project Green Screen!
Most film lovers out there will be well vested in the work of legendary director and writer, Robert Rodriguez, and especially if you’re a fan of the grindhouse double bill, then it’s fair to assume that you are probably an owner of at least one Rodriguez DVD.
Check out this Stash!
A great mash up of some amazing VFX, motion and animation work collated by the guys at Stash. Titled ‘Stash 98: Another 100 minutes of motion brilliance’ this one and a half minutes of footage is a showcase collaboration of clips that are tantalising for the eyes.
Getting Wavey!
With my on-going love of all things oceanic and particularly wave related, I really loved this sculpture created by David Bowen, shown in Poland’s National Museum. It uses data accrued by a buoy in real time to mimic the ocean surface.
James Cameron gets lost in Pandora.
Godzilla finds a home!
Those who are as pumped as we are about the prospect of a rebooted sci-fi tinted Godzilla movie, hold on to your seats, as the latest news on the project is that it’s found a home for filming!
Lee's App Of The Week: Zombies and Trains
OK I know I talk a lot about zombies and these days the topic of a zombie apocalypse is fairly meh BUT how could I ignore an app called Zombies And Trains?! This is the latest game app from Norwegian based Dragonhead Games and it is a corker!
A hell of a lot of animals!
Regardless of the controversy surrounding the recent Academy award for Best Visual Effects, given to Life of Pi last month, it is important to remember that R&H was not the only studio to have had creative influence to the film.
Conference on VFX, Animation, Videogames and Digital Architecture seeks work from Animators!
One of the beautiful things about the internet is the ability to translate any language to your own with the click of a button. Meaning we get to find out about more awesome events like this...
More more Jurassic Park 4!
Those who follow our blog will have had their whistle whetted by our recent post about the progress of Jurassic Park 4, as well as last week’s ‘Lee’s App of the Week’, which we bet increased your thirst for Dinosaur action by a fair amount!
Snapshots of the Serengeti
After watching my favourite geek show this last weekend, (BBC's ‘Click’ – If you haven’t heard of it, sort it out!) and found myself mesmerised by this wonderful project.
The Queen of Donkey Kong!
Well isn’t this just delightful?
A father who often plays video games with his daughter has used his technical skills this week to change an arcade classic and in turn become the best Dad ever…
Heads up!
Front of house was entertained today, as a group of Visual Effects TD students transformed the break out space into a film location for the afternoon. The ‘TD’ stands for Technical Direction and these guys are currently working on a scene which they have created using our state of the art 3D design technology. They are learning about camera tracking and match moving, (among other things) and today they were filming footage which they will have to place into the scene they have already designed.
Escape Academy Tours, an Open Day for Open Minds…
So it’s that time again… time to tempt, entice and hopefully ensnare a fresh batch of enthusiasts to come tame the beast that is VFX, here at Escape Studios. Hosted by recruitment and training team Flora and Nick, today is all about giving our potential Escapees a feel for what life at Escape has to offer, from our accelerated Classroom courses to the oh-so important free tea/coffee and, of course, the after hours bar downstairs!
Kinetica Art Fair - London
London is a bustling hive of culture over the weekends and if you’re looking for some activities to do over the weekend, then the Kinetica Art Fair is for you, if you’re a fan of moving, interactive art and sculptures then will truly have a whale of a time!
"The best movie of 2013"
While we’re blogging away about this year’s upcoming feature films, here is a few words about another one, but this isn’t just any old movie, it’s allegedly going to be the best movie of the year.