The Oscars is on Sunday (anyone staying up for them?) and in preparation, the team over at Weta Digital has released a couple of pretty awesome behind the scenes/breakdown featurettes, discussing the creation of ‘The Goblin Caverns’ and ‘Rivendell’.
Googly Eyes
Contrary to the title of this blog post, we're not writing about these googly eyes, no, this post is about the busy week we've had technologically. HTC unveiled their latest flagship smartphone here in London, the HTC One (not to be confused with the One X, One X+, One S, One V...). Sony announced the Playstation 4, boasting some serious specs as expected, although we don’t actually know what it looks like yet.
Now THAT'S a portfolio!
Tomorrow, Escape Studios will be hosting another industry visit to the heart of Soho, where our friends over at Cinesite will be showing attendees exactly where the lifeblood of UK VFX is pumped from.
An Insight to Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light and Magic was created back in 1975 by the legend that is George Lucas, and has kept going ever since, racking up work on over 300 movies to date.
Lee's App of the week: The Walking Dead: Assault
I officially love The Walking Dead but hate the long breaks in between series (can I get an Amen to it's return this month!) so thankfully Skybound - the same company that publishes TWD comics - has produced a top-notch game app to see us through those tough times and give us our zombie slaughtering fixes.
Hoth in your front room.
This rather charismatic chap called Barry has made his very own diorama model of the battle sequence on ice planet Hoth, from the Empire Strikes Back.
View Conference announces cash prizes for 2013 winners!
Our friends over at View Conference Italy, last week unveiled that they will be providing cash prizes for winners of their different awards. The prizes vary from top of the range tablets to a lump sum of 2000 Euros. The categories for application are as follows (complete with direct links)
You water believe it!
Heinz Maier is an amateur photographer who has undertaken a rather unique project.
Animation Ireland
And how has this happened? Well a decade of tax breaks and investment basically. Tax breaks to aid production costs and funding for development prior to production from various sources. Very interesting given the impending tax breaks around the corner in the UK. Could this be a new dawn in film and broadcast for us here?
I was amazed by how many companies are turning out real quality work in Ireland. The tax breaks have not affected the passion for excellence. In fact I would say it has merely fuelled it - the companies are competing against eachother to produce the best work. And as the industry steadily grows there are now whispers of full length animated movies being made there.
If you are curious about what has been happening in Ireland check out the Animation Ireland showreel on their website...
Here's something you may not know. Ireland has a booming animation industry. No I didn't know that either until I went to the Cartoon Finance conference in Dublin last year. In fact the animation industry is doing so well, that in the face of the downturn, it has become one of their major exports. At the conference, it was quipped that the animators are now the ones with the proper jobs.
JJ Abrams takes on Star Wars Episode VII
Too much Apple for Ashton Kutcher?
Ashton Kutcher has unveiled that he got himself into a a real pickle, taking on a method actors approach when preparing for his latest role in a film set to hit screens in April 2013, which will follow the life and times of Steve Jobs.
A giant robot, loud music, and plenty of explosions, what's not to like?
The office here at Escape is usually bustling with an array of different musical sounds, and it’s rare we fully agree on what radio station to keep on for more than an hour and a half.
Escape this Summer
While the days are cold, the nights are long, and we’ve seen the back of Christmas and New Year festivities, at one point or another, we all find ourselves daydreaming about the return of the summer sun. The smell of sun cream, the call of the beach, and the excuse to whack on a pair of shades, making ourselves look AT LEAST 20% cooler, is but a dream away at this, the tail end of January.
FINALLY, The Rock has come back, to the big screen!
Dwayne Johnson, known to most as wrestling icon ‘the Rock’, is to play the role of a snitch in his new movie, aptly named, ‘Snitch’, set for release February 22nd..
It's Superman, but not as you know it...
This project has amazed and dumbfounded us this morning, as a) We've had to deal with the whole concept of a Superman movie – directed by Tim Burton and starring Nicolas Cage, that never was, and b) We discovered that a documentary is set to be created, about this semi-mythical piece of film history.
It's paper, but not as you know it...
We’re fans of art all across the spectrum here at Escape, and these sculptures, created by Chinese artist Li Hongbo are rather mind boggling.
What appears upon first viewing, to be a set or porcelain sculpted heads, are actually a set of heads that are crafted out of thousands of layers of soft white paper,
A form that was originally used to make Chinese toys and decorations – book editor and designer Li Hongbo, became intrigued by their form and took the medium to another level. Check out this site for videos and snaps!
Home-made CG Speed bump!
Joy riders are a worry in many communities, and at a time of year when the icy roads have us all thinking twice about our speed, here’s a little bit of CG that lowers the speed limit.
Using a Green Screen to help kick the habit!
Regardless of whether or not you’re a smoker, there’s a fair chance that you’ll be rather sick of the uninventive advertising, encouraging people to quit - that uses revolting images to repel people from indulging in the habit,
Toy Story - Remade!
Someone once told me, that life is like a marmalade sandwich; the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.
Total Rigging in Total Recall: Webinar
On 7th of February 2013, Escape HQ will be welcoming Jakub Krompolc, who is head of rigging at London’s Prime Focus world.