Pixar, renowned for their cutting edge animation, know better than anyone the advantages of saving time where possible. The technical directors and supervisors on Cars 2 were faced with the challenge of building locations for this feature length animation. Those of you who have seen the sequel will remember that the lead character, Lightning McQueen, is being sent around the globe to race in the world Grand Prix. The challenge for the Pixar creative team was to build recognizable cities, on a very broad scale.
News Round-Up: Monday 12th Sep 2011
For some time now, I have been doing a weekly round up of news for our own internal use at Escape Studios. I never actually thought of sharing it more widely until someone pointed out to me last week, that actually, maybe it would be useful to the people who read this blog.
FPV at The Scrubs
A couple of us tutors at Escape Studios like to go to Wormwood Scrubs (yes near the Prison) to fly model aircrafts with cameras on.
Scratch-and-Sniff
I suspect that readers of the Escape Studios Blog will not be the type to rush out to the big screens to see Spy Kids 4D. Or at least admit to it...
23 MARI Tips In 23 Days on Twitter
MARI is a relatively new piece of software, and is becoming more popular with artists as its reputation for efficiency and adaptability becomes more widely known. As with any piece of new software there is a period of trial and error before you really get to know its full capability. It is in light of this that Henry South, lead texture artist at Framestore, is offering to share his top 23 tips when working with MARI.
A Triptych of Travel Films : MOVE, LEARN & EAT
Following a commission from STA Travel Australia, director Rick Mereki, DOP Tim White and actor Andrew Lees, set off on an epic journey to shoot three short films. Themed around the basic elements of travel: moving, eating and learning, they somehow cleverly capture the enormity of their subjects, all within one minute of footage per film, quite some feat by anyone's standards.
Reporting Back on HP7 in 3D
Last weeks I wrote about Harry Potter and asked you whether or not you would be watching the last instalment it in 3D (The Harry Potter finale: 2D or 3D?). Many of you replied back through Facebook and on this blog – thanks to all of you who took the time to do so.
Hollywood Composer Hans Zimmer on Writing for 3D
Behind every great director is a great composer; where Steven Spielberg had John Williams and Sergio Leone had Ennio Morricone, it might be said that Christopher Nolan has Hans Zimmer.
Gaming Gets Emotional With LA Noire
No doubt you’ve heard about Rockstar’s latest release LA Noire - apparently a completely new type of video game. Up until recently, most games have been all about hand eye co-ordination but in LA Noire, which is set in the late 40s, the main skill is about being able to judge body language and characters’ faces to figure out if they’re lying or not - or ‘emotional perception’ as some are calling it.
James Cameron on Great Underwater Adventures
Those of you who are fans of The Terminator, The Abyss, Avatar or even Titanic, will enjoy watching this video of James Cameron in which he explains what actually drove him to film making and the people and things that provided inspiration to him along the way.
Just Another Comic Book Hero Movie? Maybe Not...
Ok, so there I was, happy in my comfort zone, knowing that the Green Lantern could never be a great movie and that nothing could ever live up to the comic book.
Rushes Lead TD Mark Pascoe talks to Escape Students
This week Escape is very pleased to welcome Mark Pascoe from Rushes to speak to our current classroom students. Mark joined Rushes 5 years ago off the back of the Visual Effects Production Grade course at Escape, doing the Maya comprehensive course before that. He is currently in the Film and TV department at Rushes, taking up a technical role on projects. He has also been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Series.
Escape Studios in a Live Q& A at the Guardian
The chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’ve got more than a passing interest in the film industry. Alright, specifically the VFX part, but still, you’re keen to know as much as you can about the industry, and possibly how you can break into it (hopefully with our help…).
Top Ten Uses of Special Effects for Great Storytelling
I came across an interesting little article yesterday on PodcastFilmReview.com about the top ten uses of special effects for story telling. It was refreshing to see someone looking at this from the angle of the story telling rather than just for the special effects themselves.
UK Games Industry in Need of Help
We were all delighted for our friends at Double Negative on Sunday, as they scooped an Oscar for their VFX work on Inception, and the whole country was feeling a touch of national pride as Brits dominated the ‘big’ awards. No matter what your thoughts on the future of British film, it was certainly a good day to be a part of the UK film industry.
Nvidia Cleans up at the Oscars
There may have been only one winner for the Best Visual Effects award at the Oscars, but it was the top line-up of nominees that gave NVidia a real cause to celebrate.
WETA Run Auction for Victims of the NZ Earthquake
WETA are doing what they can for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake by hosting an auction on ebay of some famous collectibles. So, if you fancy getting your hands on some pretty cool and rare film memorabilia while doing your bit for charity, now is your chance. Check it out here.
Brit Success at the Oscars
The winners of the 2011 Oscars were finally revealed yesterday amidst the usual pomp and ceremony that we are accustomed to, and I have to say, it was a pretty good night for Britain.
Save 16mm Film
Deluxe Soho labs, formely known as Soho Images, have ceased taking orders for the printing of 16mm film!!