We have been catching up with the team over at Hoxton Redsox after the completion of "Transmission", the final video in a series of viral films as a part of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus BluRay release.
All-change at Escape Studios!
Another month and a half has flown by, and this afternoon we hosted the end-of-course presentation for our latest round of escapees. Gathered in our breakout space, the afternoon has been filled with laughter and applause. The quality of work on show has been, as ever, astonishing—it never ceases to amaze just how far our students progress in such a short period of time; and we feel confident these bright young things now stand in good stead to polish up those all-important industry-cracking showreels.
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year...Maybe Not?
We are coming up to that time of year, the time of year that fills single people with dread, fills kids with joy and will empty out most people's wallets. Yes we are in the run up to Christmas...in fact you only have 45 days to prepare yourself.
Robin Squires VFX Course Diary - WEEK 2
Having just started the VFX for Production course here at Escape Studios, I've been keeping a diary to share how the course is going for me so far. And here's an update on week two. The class is truly in full swing, and when it came to writing my diary, it seemed to be over before I knew it had started. Time flies when you're having fun!
Getting the pints in with The Pixel Farm
Just over a week ago we let you know that we are hosting “A Pint With The Pixel Farm” an exclusive event in Soho.
The evening of the 21st of November will be the first chance since IBC for the UK users to get up close and personal with The Pixel Farm's new 2d to 3d conversion and depth map creation software, PFDepth. The above video is a little sneak peek of what you can expect to see at The Sun & 13 Cantons, Great Pultney St.
Welcome to the family...Phoenix FD for Maya!
It has been well known that The Chaos Group would be releasing Phoenix FD, their grid based fluid dynamics simulation tool for 3ds Max, for Autodesk Maya.
A career in VFX… What’s stopping you?
As Training Advisor here at Escape Studios, I speak with a lot of people looking to take the leap into VFX. Although everyone’s situation differs considerably, I do find that many have the same concerns. So after speaking with past student Ashley Miles about his experience on the VFX for Production course, I thought I should share some pearls of wisdom, to help clear up any concerns you have about embarking on this new career path.
The Hobbit ‘lands’ in ‘Orcland’ - New Zealand!
We’ve all been on-board an aeroplane watching with little interest, the safety demonstration given by the air stewardesses. Or if you have a sense of humour like mine, you try and make them laugh during their demonstrations by any means necessary.
Over the Top Shots (revisited)
We all know the importance good VFX play in films. They can turn scenes of total disbelief into ones leaving you asking how on earth did they do that?
Escape on BBC Breakfast!
It’s been quite a busy morning here at Escape! Our CEO Dom Davenport was interviewed alongside Framestore’s Sir William Sargent at their motion capture studio by BBC Breakfast. The lovely Steph McGovern who presents the breakfast slot conducted the interviews dressed fully in motion-capture gear and Irish danced as the famous Harry Potter animated character Dobby!
Think outside the Box
Thinkbox, the makers of Deadline & Krakatoa, have developed a large number of application and plugins designed to extend existing pipelines and operate seamless with each other to create new workflows. Many of the software platforms that Thinkbox have created started in-house to refine dozens of VFX feature films over 15 years of production.
Robin Squires VFX Course Diary - WEEK 1
Having just started the VFX for Production course here at Escape Studios, I've been keeping a diary to share how the course is going for me so far. And here's the first week.
Prime Focus World launch new web series 'Close Up'
Here at Escape Studios, we know how you all enjoy getting to the heart of what makes up a stunning VFX shot. So imagine our delight when hearing that Prime Focus World have just released the first of a new behind-the-scenes web series, ‘Close Up’. And let me tell you, these nuggets of geekiness will not disappoint.
A Pint With The Pixel Farm
Want to get up close and personal with PFDepth? You are in luck!
We are pleased to announce that The Pixel Farm team, the creators of industry favourites PFMatchit and PFTrack, will be over in the UK for an exclusive evening with Escape Studios Technology at The Sun & 13 Cantons in Soho on the 21st of November 2012.
An impressive body of work
Japanese art student Choo San, blew quite a few minds this week when she uploaded her latest side project to internet forums.
The VFX Festival, a storming success!
With the help of some top class industry speakers, cinemas in a handful of the world’s most prolific post houses, a dedicated team of Escape staff and some fantastically helpful VFX Marshalls, it is no surprise the UK’s first ever VFX Festival, was a storming success.
VFX for Production Course… 8 Weeks In!
As a design graduate with 7 years’ experience working within design departments in architecture and retail I spent what time I could learning how to model and animate to create short sequences influenced mainly by films I like. Although fun, learning that way means progress is very slow as is the rate of improvement - at least in my case anyway. I wanted to get better quicker and that's why I signed up for the VFX Production course.
The VFX Festival's tutor-led workshops
Last week saw the UK’s very first VFX Festival, hosted by Escape Studios—a four-day spectacular exploring the breath-taking world of visual effects. Our industry pals and we celebrated the last decade of VFX with a jam-packed schedule of exclusive events, and it was our tutor-led workshops at Escape HQ that seemed to particularly whet the appetites of all those budding VFX artists out there.
RealFlow 2013 Previewed in London last week
Last Thursday for the first time ever, the entire RealFlow team travelled over from Spain to host an exclusive event at the MPC screening rooms to preview RealFlow 2013.