COMPANY: Blue-Zoo Animation.

FAVOURITE MOVIE ONE LINER: Ooh tough one…maybe "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle" from Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

PROJECTS : One of the first jobs I did as a freelancer was some work on a corporate experience for BP as part of their Olympics showcase. They wanted a mixture of live action and CG projected and aligned onto 3 walls and the floor, of a specially built room. It was a baptism of fire but really rewarding to see it all come together in the actual space!

WHY VFX? I've always loved computer graphics. Games initially caught my interest but I became more and more interested in the effects used in films. I love the blend of artistic creativity and technical prowess that's needed to make it all come to life on the big screen. I honestly wouldn't want to work in any other field.

ABOUT? I did a degree in Information & Communications Technology at Trinity College, Dublin and worked for IBM for several years after that. I did well there and learned a huge amount, but didn't find it stimulating in any way. So I began to wonder how well I would do working in a field that really interested me. After some research and recommendations,  I packed it all in, moved to London and did a VFX course at Escape. It’s been tough, but hugely rewarding.

ADVICE: Be prepared for some stiff, (but healthy!) competition. One of the nice things about this industry is that everyone puts in 110%, which can be exhausting, but there's a real camaraderie about it, and it never seems as bad when you're all in it together. It has to be something you really want to do.

COMPANY: ILM (Industrial Light and Magic).

FAVOURITE MOVIE ONE LINER: King Leonidas (300): "Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... For tonight, we dine in hell!"

PROJECTS : To pick my favourite project is not an easy task, because honestly I take a lot of pride in all the projects that I do.

WHY VFX? Actually entering into the VFX industry was a great surprise for me, and not something I had planned. First, while studying Industrial Design in Portugal, I started using 3D for University work, mainly Product Visualization. While at University, opportunities arose to do some Architectural Visualization work and that's basically how I started in the CG Industry, but far from what I thought I would be doing a few years later.

When I finished University, I felt I wanted to dive deeper into the CG Industry but it was quite hard to do so in Portugal. At that time I had been to London quite a few times and it was a city I really enjoyed. I was already aware of Escape and it looked like the courses were pretty solid and the tutors quite experienced in several fields of the industry.

After a few emails back and forth I decided to join Escape Studios to do the Visual Effects Production course. I must admit it was the best decision I could ever make. I've always been quite fascinated by the VFX part of the industry but before joining Escape I never really got into it. Escape showed me the way and allowed me to release the beast within...

ABOUT? Putting VFX aside, the things I like the most are photography, traveling and sports. What motivated me to come to ILM Singapore was not only the company itself (obviously!) but the possibility of traveling around the South East Asia. I must say, you can get the most awesome pictures around here. I'm quite a sports addict. I love tennis, football and any water sports, something that London didn’t cater for!

ADVICE:

1) Be passionate and take pride in what you do.
2) Learn to accept and grow from criticism.
3) Have goals and fight for them. Don't put limits in yourself.

COMPANY: The Mill

FAVOURITE MOVIE ONE LINER: My favourite one liner is probably from ' White men can’t jump'… “just because you put a cat in the oven, don't make it a biscuit”   and if I’m allowed two, Han Solo’s classic line in Star Wars has to make it in there… “Boring conversation anyway."

PROJECTS : My favourite project to date has to be working on the Christmas special of Doctor who 2012, because I got to animate the snowmen for the show. This was quite simply, awesome!

WHY VFX? I chose to enter the VFX industry as I have a long term goal of becoming an animator. I took the position as a runner at the Mill and worked extremely hard to get known, making my passion and dedication known to as many of my peers as possible. The hard work eventually earned me a place at Escape Studios, which gave me the tools to work with some of the most talented and professional artists I have meet.  I’ll be honest; I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get that promotion if it wasn't for the training at Escape, who knows!

ABOUT? Aside from working in VFX, I recently got engaged to my long term lady, I had promised her that once I become and artist, I’ll propose! Otherwise I play Basketball, hit the gym, and play Xbox with some of my closest friends and family. More or less every weekend  I spend my Sunday morning, first thing, animating something new or working on my personal short that I have created. So watch this space!

Ryan's Top Tips

1) For those who want to enter the VFX field I would personally recommend starting out as a generalist,  I feel that the industry at the moment is looking for more Jacks than Masters! 

 2) As cheesy as it may sound if you want it that bad go and get it, period!  It’s such a competitive market and it’s extremely cut throat. I feel that there is a difference between skill and talent, know which one you have and use it to your advantage.

3) Absorb as much information as you can and network and put yourself out there. Also, any Soho pub on any Friday is a great place to meet other people within the VFX industry!  

COMPANY: FRAMESTORE

FAVOURITE MOVIE ONE LINER:  “my favourite movie one liner is from a gentleman called Arnold Schwarzenegger, in cinematic masterpiece ‘Predator’… "Get to da choppa!".

PROJECTS: Recently, ‘Ronin’ (featuring Keanu Reeves)

WHY VFX? Since a young age I have loved VFX, but once I had a real idea of the working environment, I knew I wanted to get involved in this industry. The team I'm working with at the moment are absolutely amazing, and we do a lot of things together: football, drinks (a lot of drinks!) clubs, movies, you name it! You feel like part of a big engine that’s creating something really cool. It's very rewarding!

ABOUT: Maxime is a recent Escape graduate, who took a year out to travel in New Zealand last year, perfecting his English, and came to England to pursue his dream of a career in VFX. Now working at the world renowned Framestore, we asked Maxime to share his journey, and how he got to where he is today; because it’s always good to get tips and advice from escapees who have made it.

ADVICE: 1) My best advice for students is to work hard, work as hard as you can, and when you’re finished doing that, work hard some more. Dedicate yourself entirely to whatever you’re doing.

2) Being able to take criticism is extremely important as well; some people are a bit defensive when someone else criticises their work. Accept and embrace the critiques, because your work is going to be criticised on a daily basis in the industry.

3) Probably the most important piece of advice though, is to love what you do. This isn’t an easy job, there is no place for lazy people, but if you are passionate about VFX, you will love every second of it.

Maxime's Showreel

CGI Artist - Rushes

Escapee Mark Pascoe is no stranger to practical thinking. When asked what film he’d take with him if stranded on a desert Island he replied “Robinson Crusoe, to get some pointers!” The nature of such an answer is uncannily reflected in his career path.

“It wasn’t until i was at university doing an unrelated degree that I saw a friend using Maya for part of a module on a computing course, and that’s when I knew it was what I wanted to do”

A swift change of direction found Mark at Escape studios, pursuing his dream of a career in VFX, and throwing himself into one of our 12 week production courses.

“The intensive courses rather than over several years suited me down to the ground. Also the industry links and knowledge which Escape has are invaluable… the content of the course was current and very much geared towards being able to help you get a job afterwards. The tutors knew their stuff having been in the industry, and being surrounded by other likeminded students was a huge plus.”

During our most recent catch up we discovered that Mark, (now a CGI Artist for ‘Rushes’ in Soho) has applied his skills to a number of different projects, including the UEFA Champions League title sequence, the BBC’s ‘Inside the Human Body’ and 13 episodes of ABC’s ‘Combat Hospital’. His pick of the bunch though has been his work on Emmy nominated, (yes that’s Emmy nominated) ‘Human Body: Pushing the Limits’.

“Not only was it a fun project to work on, with good clients… but being able to go to the awards in LA and walk down the red carpet with the team is going to be an experience that’s hard to beat”

Not bad eh? It’s fair to say Mark’s decision to study with Escape has played a vital role in directing him to success, as it is an experience he speaks very highly of. We asked him about his reflections on the time he spent with us, and his thoughts on an industry he is now well and truly a part of…

“It can be a competitive industry, but I have no regrets about my decision to train at Escape. If you are prepared to put in the work and willing to show your worth then you will give yourself more than a fair shot at success.”

As with most of our escapees, the proof is very much in the proverbial pudding and we wish Mark plenty of continuing success in the future! An excerpt from his last interview serves as an excellent closing note any prospective escapees of the future…

“If you're reading this, you must be considering doing a course at Escape… the best advice I can give you is book an appointment to go and see the place first hand!”

3D Artist at The Mill

“Having a passion for something and the constant opportunity to share it, enjoy it and build upon it is the best thing about my job”.

Many great Visual Effects artists have been through our doors here at Escape Studios, the vast majority of whom completed their study and rapidly immersed themselves into the world of VFX. And Allyn Lawson is no exception to this..

Having studied  VFX with us back in 2010, he’ s now a 3D Artist  with Industry legends ‘The Mill’ and has worked on a plethora of projects, from major brand names such as Nike, Ford, BT ,and  Virgin (to name a few!) to renowned TV shows such as Merlin and Dr Who. We recently contacted Allyn and asked him where it all began…

“The apparent magic of VFX really captured my imagination from an early age. I think the defining moment would have to be seeing Jurassic Park for the first time.  Later on, films like the Matrix came out and then Lord of the Rings. I didn't just enjoy the VFX, I wanted to figure out how they were done and create my own.”

Like most of our students, before he became an ‘Escapee,’ Allyn possessed a creative passion and an unadulterated desire to learn, which, coupled with the knowledge and support of our Tutors, was nurtured intensely, and more importantly - specifically to industry requirements.

“Escape was the clear choice for me, I wanted to create visual effects and that's exactly what the course has allowed me to do. The format and content of the course was very appealing; in this industry you never stop learning so the course is like a massive boost into that. You learn exactly what you need to create shots for your show reel and, importantly, this knowledge allows you to be useful and therefore employable straight after the course. Another major attraction to Escape is the links they have with the industry”.

Escape’s role in Allyns progress has been intrinsic, but as he points out, an appetite to master the art of VFX is equally as important for success. When describing his current role, we are given a true glimpse of the nature the business, and the skills he has honed in order to adapt and flourish in this role.

“My working day can vary significantly from job to job. On a typical day I'll have a number of shots I'm working on whether it’s FX, modelling, camera tracking, lighting, rendering, the list goes on”.

Allyn’s final words of advice are essential for any budding VFX artist and truly encapsulate the key to his successes.

“Make yourself as useful and as dedicated as possible, and enjoy finding your strengths”.

A true example of how the right attitude and direction can deliver a person to such platforms.

Head of Maya Development, The Mill

“Escape is brilliant. It’s just such a hub for this entire industry… they’re pretty well connected.”

Fascinated by Pixar’s Toy Story back in 1995, Suraj Harrington-Odedra began to realise his ambitions for CG at the age of twelve. Fast forward six years, Suraj took his first steps in 3D by enrolling on an Animation degree at Swansea Metropolitan University. The degree taught him a lot, but he needed more, so the VFX Production course at Escape Studios seemed the perfect stepping-stone between university and working in the industry. And by Jove it was. On completing the then five month course in 2008, Suraj landed a job at The Mill and has never looked back. Over the past five years Suraj has made an incredibly quick transition from junior tracking artist to a senior position in their commercials 3D department. Over that time, Suraj earned himself the impressive title of Lead 3D Artist, and is now the Head of Maya Development.

“I remember thinking to myself… wait, this could be a career? That’s kind of awesome! Finishing my course at Escape, I immediately started at The Mill and was put to work on a job for Infiniti, which is an American brand of car. I was brought in to help with tracking, and over time I got quite good at it. However, having made a name for myself in this area, I got labelled as a tracker for the first year or so, and ended up spending most of my time tackling various difficult tracking jobs. After a while I had to put my hands up and say to the guys that I wanted to try something else.”

Life at The Mill

Luckily for Suraj he was working with a lovely group of people who completely understood his frustration and admitted to having taken advantage of his patience and his talent for tracking for far too long. During that fist year at The Mill, Suraj was co-leading a project for the commercials department, giving him the opportunity to dip his toe into other areas. This got him noticed by the rest of the team as being someone who was equally talented in a range of areas. As a result, Suraj was entrusted with many of the more technically demanding jobs, helping him to push himself that extra bit further, and getting him where he is today.

As Lead 3D Artist for the commercials department, Suraj was responsible for leading projects, laying out pipelines and generally figuring out the quickest and cheapest way to complete the job. One of the advantages to working somewhere like The Mill is the range of work that comes in and of course the fact that they have international facilities.

“The beauty of working in the commercials department is that you’re faced with a different problem to solve every week. It definitely kept me on my toes. The schedulers are all really sympathetic to the kind of work you want to do, because ultimately they know if you’re doing a project you want to do, then you’ll put your heart into it, and give it so much more.”

Over the past five years Suraj has undoubtedly ranked up an impressive list of credits, but here’s just a few of his proudest moments: Audi A8 Advanced State of Mind (the first major stereo job at The Mill - London), Muller’s Wonderful Stuff, Tetley's Reanimation, Wrigley’s 5 React Gum and Samsung’s Incredible Journey.

Have you been trying to imagine yourself in his shoes? What a great thought, that you too could work in an industry as dynamic and as fun as this. If you’ve had even the tiniest inclination to get into this line of work then maybe its time you got in touch with us. Escape could well be the start to your new career. Make sure to check out our courses and other success stories in more detail.