How to get into and survive Film, Advertising and TV post-production is topping the charts on free Kindle downloads, out-doing Star Wars. Pretty epic! If this tells us anything, it’s that there are still a healthy number of talented people looking to break into the post side of production. The author of this very popular book is none other than Klaudija Cermak, a compositing tutor who previously taught here at Escape Studios, and she certainly knows her stuff!
Just 2 weeks left to apply for MPC internships
Those who study VFX, listen up! There are only 2 weeks left to apply for MPC’s ‘Comp Academy' and ‘Global First Step’ internships.
2013, the year of the special effects film?
It’s no secret, here at Escape, we love special effects. For that reason, we are especially pleased that someone (Cinefex) has taken the time to find out what VFX clad films we’re set to expect in 2013/14, and compiled them into a succinct, chronological list for our (and your) perusal.
A-level results 2012: top marks drop for first time in 20 years
A-level results 2012: top marks drop for first time in 20 years
The number of students awarded top marks at A-level has dropped for the first time in 20 years, suggesting the biggest decline in A grades since records began according to the Telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/9479182/A-level-results-2012-top-marks-drop-for-first-time-in-20-years.html
I’m not sure this is so sensational especially given that the overall pass rate increased for a successive 30th year but the papers have to report it all!
There are always lots of facts and figures banded about when it comes to results and I guess we can get a little lost in them all. However we do know the importance of getting good grades. There is no doubt that it is increasingly more difficult for graduates at any level to find work and the competition for jobs is at its highest level.
It’s also true outside of the mainstream, for our industry, VFX, students want to go to the best Uni’s to learn their trade and need the results to do so. They need to put in those extra hours, take on additional learning and finally focus on their show-reels… These are the ones putting themselves in the strongest position for work in one of the coolest industries on the planet (and beyond)!
Whatever your results today, we send you our best wishes and hope that if gets you your place in University or to whatever path you have chosen. Good Luck!
The number of students awarded top marks at A-level has dropped for the first time in 20 years, suggesting the biggest decline in A grades since records began according to the Telegraph.
Work Experience Scheme: Brilliant Idea or Forced Labour?
I guess that few of you will have missed the media furore caused by the government's new Work Experience Scheme. It has been dominating the headlines over the past few days and every time I turn on the TV or radio, it seems there's another story about a well-known company 'dropping out' of the scheme.
Free Download: An Artist’s Guide to a Career in CG
Are you an aspiring CG artist who’s trying to get your CG career off the ground? Are you working in the creative industry and want to transfer your skills to VFX? We know how difficult it can be to make decisions and chose the right path, but that’s where our Careers Guide can help. By revealing the many opportunities that exist within the CG industry, the guide helps you overcome some of the hurdles you might face when you start making career choices.
Let’s hear it for the girls!
So many of our escapees succeed in getting jobs once they've finished a course with us, and it’s so good to hear that lots of them are very talented young women. As a result, we thought some congratulations were in order, starting with Evgenia Golubeva who accepted the role of Director at Animated Storyboards, a fantastic position and one which we want to wish her every success in!
Cutting it in VFX - The Mill Explain What it Takes
As Escape’s Recruitment Manager, it’s my job to know exactly what employers are looking for when they’re hiring candidates. The thing to remember is that it’s different for every company – you have to tailor your showreel and CV to the position and company you’re applying for (Tips you can check out here). We place lots of escapees and freelancers at The Mill and last week, I caught up with Claire Anderson their Talent Manager, who explained exactly what it takes to cut it at their company. For those of you eager to secure a position, pay attention and check out the interview.
Getting Into the VFX Industry
Our friends over at Ceiga recently started a feature entitled 'Getting into the Industry', as Escape Studios have been training people in VFX for 10 years, they asked if our Recruitment Manager Garreth Gaydon would be kind enough to kick things off and answer a few questions.
Freelancers Wanted Across the Board!
After the usual slow down over the festive & new year period, here at Escape Studios recruitment department we're now experiencing a big surge in demand for freelancers, right across the board.
Video: Jobs at Double Negative
For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, here is a great video that shows life behind the scenes at Dneg. It is a really good way to get an idea of what it would be like to work for a world class Visual Effects house like Double Negative. They are one of the fastest growing Visual Effects houses in the UK and one of the top Visual Effects houses in the world.
Escape and Dive Into The Blu
When Wemo Media launched theblu.com a few weeks ago they quickly attracted a lot of attention. But what exactly is it?
Escapee Maxwell Smith Sets Off Into The Industry…
When we caught up with Maxwell Smith about his new position as a Matchmove Artist at Framestore, he wanted to make it clear that he owed a lot of his success to his tutors Gideon Corby and Dan Shutt. They were ‘his greatest influence’ while he studied here at Escape Studios and according to him are ‘Masters of their craft’. Max proved to be a very talented artist and once he completed his VFX Production course, he actually came to work with us as a studio assistant.
Escapees in far-flung places
It turns out that our escapees are never prouder than when they are wearing an ‘escapee’ T-Shirt, as you can see in this photo of Mentored VFX Course student Ricardo Vianna. Whenever I’m out and about in Soho, I’m always surprised by how many escapees stop to tell me that they continue to wear their T-Shirt, even after we have placed them in jobs. Some have mentioned that they’ve even taken them on holiday. All of our Classroom and Mentored Course students get a T-Shirt and they are becoming a bit of a phenomenon – well, put it this way, it’s very easy to spot our graduates when out and about in the industry. It turns out that one of our students has a picture of herself standing outside the pyramids with it on! (Picture coming soon…).
New Employment Legislation - How This Will Impact Your Business
Over the last month the Recruitment team here at Escape have been working hard to make sure that our Freelancers and Clients are fully compliant with the new UK employment legislation that comes into effect on October 1st 2011.
Dom Davenports Writes for The Guardian About Careers in the Creative Industries
With the launch of our Creative Futures report, we have been giving the topic of 'Jobs in the Creative Industries' a lot of thought lately. We have been talking to many professionals in sectors as diverse as Graphic Design, Architectural Design, Web Design or VFX. Ultimately, the majority of men and women we have been talking to are interested in getting tips and advice on how to get better jobs and further their careers. Seems it's quite a hot topic. So much so that Dom - our CEO - was asked to write a piece for The Guardian about what young professionals needs to do to improve their changes of getting a job in the creative industries.
Escapee Giuseppe Candido Secures Job at FIPLAB
Giuseppe Candido is not only a recent character animation course escapee, but now also a very talented animator and a skilled Maya Generalist. He has put together one of the most charming demo reels we have seen here at Escape Studios. Giuseppe combined many of his student exercises into a circus project - creating a stunning short film in the process, and all completed from scratch in just six weeks.
Career Changes Ahead for Creative Pros
A few weeks ago we launched our Creative Futures report, which looked at people in the creative industry and how they were prepared to take pay cuts and self fund their own training if it meant getting ahead in their careers.
The Telegraph Interviews Escapee Alex Swan
Louisa Peacock, the Jobs Editor at The Telegraph, recently interviewed one of our escapees who is working as a compositor at Framestore. Alex Swann loves his job and explained what a day in the life of a compositor entails – everything from roto all the way through to rig removal.
The CG Industry Needs You
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how buoyant the VFX industry is and how Senior NUKE Compositors are in high demand. Well, the surge in demand for mid-level and senior artists is continuing. With some of the biggest releases for 2011 and 2012 (films like The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn and War Horse) being worked on in London's Soho, the post houses have never been busier.