As readers of our blog will know, we grab any Star Wars news by the horns, grind it into a couple hundred words, and blog the Sith out of it.
This occasion is no different, and while just last month, Star Wars fans everywhere were petitioning to get a death star built and launched into space, Industrial Light and Magic (VFX Brainchild of Star Wars creator George Lucas) were busy putting together a timeline of their journey, creating the Death Star for it’s first appearance in ‘Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope’.
It shows the milestones of an iconic studio as well as the creation of one of the most iconic images in cinematic history.
Industrial Light and Magic - Path to the Death Star
Framestore Recreate 1865 America for Lincoln
Lincoln is very much a hit with the award bodies this year. Having only just recently hit the cinemas, the film has already scooped up a Golden Globe and a BAFTA as well as being nominated for 12 Oscars. And although this is all very lovely, we’re more interested in the stunning results achieved by Framestore for this epic biopic. Providing the backdrop of 1865 America, a country ripped in two by civil war, Framestore worked alongside the filmmakers to make a historically accurate recreation that was both invisible and believable. And having already proved their expertise on Spielberg’s previous project War Horse, Framestore have obviously earned the trust and respect of Steven and his team.
Make 2013 your own! New course dates launched
2013 is set to be a massive year for film, (take a look at our recent blog post to see what cinematic delights we’re yet to sink out teeth into) so why not make it a massive year in film for you too?
Paying homage to a VFX legend
The legend that created the lab process of travelling mattes, (that’s blue/green screens to the rest of us) sadly passed away last week, at the grand age of 96.
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)
Bad Robot & Valve - Oh yes!
My goodness, it’s only January but for games and scifi fans dare I say it, Christmas is coming early.
Photoshop goes (even more) 3D
Fans of 3D and users of Photoshop will be delighted this week, with the announcement that 'Photoshop CS6 Extended' is on the market, it allows you to create 3D shape text using extrusions as a 3D layer... "similar to CS4 Extended" I hear you say! But alas, according to this write up, we are told that this works far more 'natively', with 'the usability you’d expect from an integrated Adobe toolset'.
WFTV: Women in Technology Networking
A big thank you to the ladies from WFTV (Women in Film and TV) for organising a networking event last night for women who work in technical roles across film and television. Three of us (Davi Stein, Anita Gribble and myself) from Escape went along to see what was going down! We had a great time meeting women from lots of different fields. Among them was a DOP, a few editors and to our delight two effects TD’s from MPC.
Truly EPIC God of War trailer
We were enticed this week when we saw this epic live action trailer for Sony’s game ‘God of War: Ascension’, It was made by creative studio and production company ‘Imaginary Forces’, a firm who have worked on a huge amount of projects, spanning from commercial work to television and film,
Google Chrome, Powerade, Transformers, Minority Report, and Boardwalk Empire, are but a few of their accolades to date. Impressive stuff!
If the game is half as epic as this evocative ad, viewers will no doubt want to get playing right away!
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!
Webinar: Kick starting your career in CG with Anita Gribble and Garreth Gaydon
Recruiters in any company will be sent hundreds of applications on a weekly basis, and when it comes to getting your application noticed, just try putting yourself in their shoes for a moment. For example, their first job is to sort through the good from the bad. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to impress at a glance.
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.
VES Cinematic Color White Paper!
Cinematic Color: From Your Monitor to the Big Screen, documents current state-of-the-art practices for accurately working with color throughout the visual effects and animation process.
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,
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.
Jurassic Park 4!
Students who have entered the doors at Escape (and left as artists) draw their inspiration from a number of VFX pioneering films, many cite movies such as Blade Runner, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings, as the reason they wanted to master the art of VFX.
Robin Squires VFX Course Diary: Week 12, Final week!
Having started a VFX course here at Escape Studios, I’m keeping a diary to share with you on how the course is going. Here's my update from my final week!
London's VFX Artists become Superheroes!
VFX fans and readers of WIRED magazine will have noticed a special feature in this month’s edition, as Soho’s VFX teams are made into super heroes by, well, themselves.