Escape Blog

As I’m sure many of you are aware, last Friday saw the Avatar trailer hit cinemas around the world before its official release in December this year. James Cameron’s epic has caused much hype within the film industry lately, with many claiming the sci-fi movie has the potential to change the face of 3D cinema forever.

However split reactions are already emerging following the 15 minute preview. Film reviewer, Kevin Maher, thought the trailer only managed to reveal how 3D is the ideal format for demonstrating the laws of diminishing returns. According to Maher, there was nothing in the footage to suggest that “3D is anything other than a trick to squeeze more out of the giddy, yet increasingly wearisome thrills, of point-of-view movie chases.” Whereas, Paul Carter, head of cameras at Axis, believes that with more money now in the system we should see 3D cinema move forward on the back of Avatar’s release.

As far as I’m concerned the future success of 3D cinema is by no means certain, but with advances in 3D tools such as Maya, Nuke and ZBrush, there is real potential to dramatically enhance the quality of the viewing experience. However, I can understand why the scepticism exists. In the past, 3D blockbusters have gained a bad reputation with the visual effects adding little to the poor scripts and storylines. Like any major box office smash, it’s only when great directors, producers and storylines align that I think we’re going to see an era defining motion picture. Avatar definitely has the potential to be groundbreaking, and I’m looking forward to its release later this year, but its success will all come down to how good the story is – no amount of technology is going to improve a movie which lacks that basic principal.

If you’d like any information on how to get into the 3D film industry, check out our classroom courses and online 3D courses we currently have available:

Nuke for 3D artists

Visualisation with 3ds Max

ZBrush Foundation

Maya Core Training

We’ve got a new set of evening classes at Escape Studios, starting at the end of September. The Compositing Evening Course will allow experienced freelancers and amateur beginners alike to learn all they need to know about compositing in Nuke in twice weekly sessions, helping develop the skills required to becoming a top notch VFX compositor.

Nuke is now recognised as the likely successor to Shake as the industry’s compositing tool of choice, and this new course demonstrates Escape’s commitment to providing training that gives people the tools to carve out a career in the CG industry. The course, running over 22 weeks, will cover all the compositing basics, from mattes and keys to paint effects, as well as exploring Nuke’s 3D camera projection capabilities.

If you’re keen, click here to find out more.

Escape Studios offers first visual effects course combining the
best of Nuke and Maya 3D imaging software

Escape Studios has moved quickly to offer the industry’s first combined Nuke and Maya training course to give any aspiring 3D visual effects artist the “must have” skills to pursue a career in the visual effects industry.

We have designed a highly interactive online course – “Nuke for 3D artists” – which is perfect for those with a working knowledge of Maya and anyone looking to gain extra training to help further their visual effects career. Nuke is fast becoming the leading 3D compositing software and is regularly used by film and television post-production companies to create cutting edge visual effects for epics like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and King Kong.

The Nuke application, developed by The Foundry, is poised to become the industry standard following Apple’s decision to halt further development of Shake in 2007. While the Shake application was suitable for 2D design, Nuke’s compositing environment has been tailored to suit 3D environments, bringing extra design capabilities to the world of visual effects.

During the 11 hour course, students will gain valuable insight into how computer graphics work is rendered in multiple passes, and rebuilt in the compositing environment – key techniques for any visual effects artist. The unique training course can be adapted to suit individual needs and preferred learning styles. The course encourages students to speak with Escape’s world class tutors and other students undertaking the training, which provides useful feedback and collaboration at every stage. To make learning easier, Escape has also designed an animated character to provide additional tutorial throughout the course.

Ben Minall, Training & Demo Manager, The Foundry, highlights the benefits further: “The high quality tutorials are presented in a slick format and show the workflow from Maya into Nuke in a way that lets you see both sides of the coin. The content is delivered clearly, at a relaxed pace, in easily digestible chunks.”

Lee Danskin from Escape Studios commented: “From 3D enthusiasts to professionals, the “Nuke for 3D artists”, course provides vital training in the software and techniques required to make it in the visual effects industry. It has been specially created to replicate the production environment, which means our students get to taste what it’s like to work in this exciting industry and the necessary training to help them stay ahead of the competition.”

“Nuke for 3D artists” is available now. The online course costs £249, please visit www.escapestudios.com for further details.