Pixomondo has expanded their impressive global network of VFX studios yet again. Recently they established their twelfth facility at the Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to service local film and commercial productions as well as provide support to the other international studios. With over 150,000 square feet of design-built stage spaces, the Celtic Media Centre is perfect for meeting the demands of any production. This is the largest studio facility in Louisiana state, and with the generous tax incentives currently in place in that region, this looks to be a great move for the Oscar winning VFX company.
Industry Coaching with The Mill
The current VFX Professional class were assigned The Mill as part of the ‘Industry Coaching’ scheme, which is a new initiative for us here at Escape Studios. The main idea behind the scheme is that we invite established post-production houses in Soho to mentor our students as they prepare to enter the industry as VFX artists. The VFX Professional course is our more advanced course for students who have completed the VFX Production course or artists already in the industry who are looking to further their knowledge in the field. For these students, getting advice from professionals working in the industry is golden, helping them prepare better for what is to come. Emmy Castelain was among the group during this visit, and this is what she had to say about their time at The Mill…
Who's That in the Spotlight?
Every month, Develop review the brightest and best courses and colleges in the world of Computer Graphics. And this week, we've found ourselves in the spotlight!
Escapees Day Out with Framestore, Part 1
Last Friday, 23rd March, the students at Escape Studios had a much deserved break from the studio in Soho. It was nice to finally catch a bit of sunlight as all of us have been cooped up indoors, out from this amazing weather. However, the blast of sunshine was short lived as we were to enter one of the largest VFX studios in Soho.
Work Experience Scheme: Brilliant Idea or Forced Labour?
I guess that few of you will have missed the media furore caused by the government's new Work Experience Scheme. It has been dominating the headlines over the past few days and every time I turn on the TV or radio, it seems there's another story about a well-known company 'dropping out' of the scheme.
@Escape_Studios Follow: @Indi_Pops
Five questions finding out more about our Twitter followers, how and why they got started and what they feel about the industry, with @TobyJOYdigital our Social Media Manager.
Free Download: An Artist’s Guide to a Career in CG
Are you an aspiring CG artist who’s trying to get your CG career off the ground? Are you working in the creative industry and want to transfer your skills to VFX? We know how difficult it can be to make decisions and chose the right path, but that’s where our Careers Guide can help. By revealing the many opportunities that exist within the CG industry, the guide helps you overcome some of the hurdles you might face when you start making career choices.
Electric Escapees
James Sindle first studied design at Kingston University, before training in CG here at Escape studios. Upon completion of his course James joined The Mill in 2007, he quickly then became a senior 3D operator leading multiple award winning commercials, before branching off last year with Lee Pavey, Dan Stanhope Marum and Giles Cheetham to form their own power house, the Electric Theatre Collective.
Escapee Amy Cuthbertson now Head of Tracking at Mill Film and TV
When Amy Cuthbertson finished her degree in Music Technology, she didn’t expect to find herself starting a career in CG, but that’s exactly what happened. Wandering around a careers fair, Amy spotted the Escape Studios stand, got talking about her love of animation and the rest is history, as they say.
Let’s hear it for the girls!
So many of our escapees succeed in getting jobs once they've finished a course with us, and it’s so good to hear that lots of them are very talented young women. As a result, we thought some congratulations were in order, starting with Evgenia Golubeva who accepted the role of Director at Animated Storyboards, a fantastic position and one which we want to wish her every success in!
Cutting it in VFX - The Mill Explain What it Takes
As Escape’s Recruitment Manager, it’s my job to know exactly what employers are looking for when they’re hiring candidates. The thing to remember is that it’s different for every company – you have to tailor your showreel and CV to the position and company you’re applying for (Tips you can check out here). We place lots of escapees and freelancers at The Mill and last week, I caught up with Claire Anderson their Talent Manager, who explained exactly what it takes to cut it at their company. For those of you eager to secure a position, pay attention and check out the interview.
Getting Into the VFX Industry
Our friends over at Ceiga recently started a feature entitled 'Getting into the Industry', as Escape Studios have been training people in VFX for 10 years, they asked if our Recruitment Manager Garreth Gaydon would be kind enough to kick things off and answer a few questions.
New Animation Software Market Report Shows Growth in New Sectors
Not sure how many of you picked up on this story, but a new report on the Global Animation Software market was released last month. The cost of the full report is a little steep at 3,983 Euro, but the press release did have some interesting snippets of information, which I thought I would share with you.
Freelancers Wanted Across the Board!
After the usual slow down over the festive & new year period, here at Escape Studios recruitment department we're now experiencing a big surge in demand for freelancers, right across the board.
Video: Jobs at Double Negative
For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, here is a great video that shows life behind the scenes at Dneg. It is a really good way to get an idea of what it would be like to work for a world class Visual Effects house like Double Negative. They are one of the fastest growing Visual Effects houses in the UK and one of the top Visual Effects houses in the world.
A Great iPhone App From MPC
For anyone with an iPhone or an iPad here is a great app from our friends at MPC. If you are interested in entering the VFX industry, this is something which I would highly recommend. MPC's app shows the jobs they have available as soon as they are published, and is a great way of finding out about those entry level positions that aspiring artists are after.
Escape and Dive Into The Blu
When Wemo Media launched theblu.com a few weeks ago they quickly attracted a lot of attention. But what exactly is it?
Compositing Escapee Carlos Conceicao Gets Internship at The Foundry
I'm really pleased to bring you a first look at one of our student's work from our new Compositing Professional 18-week course. Carlos finished the course in August and after taking a well earned short break he has already secured an internship working as a Paint Artist on MARI at The Foundry.
New Employment Legislation - How This Will Impact Your Business
Over the last month the Recruitment team here at Escape have been working hard to make sure that our Freelancers and Clients are fully compliant with the new UK employment legislation that comes into effect on October 1st 2011.
More Job Success for our Escapees
Seems like August was a great month for many of our recent graduates, who were quite literally snapped up as soon as they finished their courses.
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