Live online learning

Please note that our evening courses will be running live online in 2021 as access to our campus is limited in line with government guidance. For more information, please visit our live online learning page or contact our Admissions team.

3D Animation (Evening - 20 weeks)

Spend your evenings learning a new skill with our new 3D Animation evening course.

This online evening course has been developed by Alex Williams, whose film credits include Who framed Roger Rabbit, The Lion King (1994), The Iron Giant, Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. You'll be taught by one of our industry-trained tutors who’ll share their wealth of experience with the class.

This course is suitable for anyone looking to break into the industry or enhance their skills. You'll cover essentials, such as locomotion, mechanics, character and creature animation so you can start to create work for your own animation showreel.

Location: Live online
Start dates: 3 August 2021
Tuition fees: £3,196
Mode of study: Part-time (Tuesday and Thursday evenings 7pm - 10pm)
Programme duration: 20 weeks
Entry requirements: Aged 18 or over, a good understanding of written and spoken English.

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Online course requirements

Why choose this course

Evening studies - study in the evening for more flexibility to get your study/work/life balance right.
You'll get hands on experience with 3D Animation techniques, such as creating simple geometry, basic texturing, dynamics, reaction shots, dialogue shots, lipsync, trot walks and runs.
Learn from award-winning tutors - our tutors have not only been behind some of the best new talent in their field, but have an impressive array of achievements from their time practicing what they preach.

Module information

Week 1: General introduction to Maya - animation basics
- Bouncing ball
- Lamp hop
Week 2: Animation locomotion - walks and character walks
- Basic walk cycle with basic biped
- Basic human walk
Week 3: Advanced locomotion - runs, hops, jumps and skips
- Basic run cycle
- Human biped run cycle
Week 4: Advanced locomotion - jumps
- Basic jumps
- Human biped jump
Week 5: Flexibility and overlapping action
- Foxy bouncing ball with tail
- Helicopter overlapWeek 6: Weight and balance
- Weight shiftWeight lift
Week 7: Animation mechanics - physical actions
- Person throwing a ball - use of live action reference
- Person throwing a ball - develop and recap
Week 8: Animation mechanics - physical actions
- Lifting a heavy object - develop
- Lifting a heavy object - refine
Week 9: Character poses
- Creating thumbnail sketches
- Creating character poses
Week 10: Pantomime animation
- Thumbnail sketches for pantomime animation
- Pantomime animation
Week 11: Introduction to character animation
- “Phone Booth Man” - key poses for character on stepped curves
- Add breakdowns to “Phone Booth Man” using Tween Machine
Week 12: Introduction to Character Animation
- Reaction shots - animate a “take” with Monty
- Reactions - animate a “take” with a human biped
Week 13: More on character animation - building and blocking a shot; parenting and constraints
- Very short dialogue shot with Monty
- Very short dialogue shot with human biped – Norman, Morpheus or Eleven
Week 14: Character animation - dialogue
- Block medium dialogue shot
- Refine medium dialogue shot
Week 15: Character animation - dialogue and lipsync
- Block advanced dialogue shot
- Refine advanced dialogue shot
Week 16: Animal locomotion, trots walks and runs
- Quadruped walk
- Quadruped trot
Week 17: Animal locomotion continued
- Quadruped run
Birds Week 18: Animals and creatures - using live action
- Animal locomotion using live action reference
- Animal locomotion using live action reference
Week 19: Animals and creatures
- Spiders and scorpions
- Vehicles and machinery
Week 20: Demo reel, website/blog, jobs and careers
- Assemble the first draft of demo reel.
- Create a blog to host it
- Demo reel review, recap

How to apply

Entry requirements

We welcome and encourage applications from students with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

To study an Escape Studios short course, you must:

Be over 18
Have a good understanding of written and spoken English
Feel comfortable using a computer

Apply

Evening (part-time) courses can be purchased directly via our online shop - just click the Buy Now button at the top of the page.

Alternatively, you can:

Call our Admissions Advisors on +44 (0)203 441 1303
Email us at admissions@escapestudios.com
Reach us on LiveChat Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Following your application, you will need to agree to our terms and conditions before your place on the course can be secured.

Where will this get me?

All students will graduate with an Escape Studios Certificate of Achievement, a well-respected qualification within the industry, demonstrating you've studied an industry-based course and have the practical, hands-on skills studios are looking for.

Our animation students go on to work in many areas of the industry including 3D animation for films, TV, games, and visual effects. See some of their success stories.

Junior animation roles include:

Runner
Junior Animator
3D Animator

Fees and funding

Fees: £3,196

Payment Plan for UK students

Please contact Admissions to discuss a possible payment plan. Call on +44 (0)203 441 1303 or email admissions@escapestudios.com.

Funding for international students

We recommend you visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs website. The Council doesn’t provide funding directly, but it will give you all the information you need about studying and living in the UK, including visas and funding.

We do our best to find funding solutions for overseas students. For example:

If you’re from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Burma, you may be able to get funding from the Charles Wallace Trust, to help towards your living costs and educational development in the UK. Find out more at wallace-trusts.org.uk.

Get in touch

We can help with any problems or questions you have with course fees and funding. Speak to one of our Applicant Advisors via phone or email today! Call us on +44 (0)203 441 1303 or email admissions@escapestudios.com.

Next steps

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Find out more about our courses. Meet our tutors, admission advisors, alumni and current students.

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Taster courses

Try before you buy and get a hands-on feel for what it's like to study with us.

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Meet us

For a one-to-one chat or a personal tour of our industry-like studios, contact our Admissions team.

Get in touch

Meet our tutors

Our tutors have all sculpted their own careers in successful studios in the industry and are now sharing their expertise in the classroom. Packed with everything from Thor: Ragnarok, Black Mirror and Black Panther to the original Lion King and multiple PlayStation titles, their CVs don't get much cooler! They know exactly what skills you need – teaching you real-world tips and tricks, as well as the latest industry software and techniques to kick-start your career.

Meet our tutors

Industry partners

Industry partners and advisors influence everything we do, from the curriculum we teach and how it's delivered to our webinars and events.

We work alongside an impressive list of VFX, Games and Animation studios including Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, Blue Zoo, MPC, Jellyfish Pictures, PlayStation London Studio and Creative Assembly and many more across all our courses at Escape Studios.

With exclusive professional feedback, intensive software training and much more, our industry-led courses give you up-to-the-minute, inspirational knowledge and experience, tailored to the work you’re passionate about. Our Escape Studios Alumni (Escapees) can be found working at a variety of studios including Pixar, MPC, Industrial Light & Magic, DNEG, Rockstar Games and Electric Theatre Collective.

Find out more about our industry partners

Why Escape Studios?

Learn industry-relevant techniques from the experts, in a studio-like environment.

Industry-experienced tutors. Our tutors have worked at studios including DNEG, Walt Disney Animation, EA, Rebellion and Framestore and their credits include Captain America, Black Mirror and Bond: Spectre. They speak at international conferences, like B’Ars (Spain) and VIEW Conference (Italy), write for industry-recognised blog Befores&Afters, and are authorised trainers for software like Unreal Engine, Autodesk or Houdini.
State-of-the-art facilities. Our central London campus is surrounded by world-leading studios and fully equipped with high-end hardware and the latest software.
Industry partners. Our studio partners, including DNEG, Framestore and PlayStation London Studio, help design and develop our courses to make sure that what we teach is relevant to the current industry practices. You’ll also have access to events and webinars ran by our Student Experience team with industry speakers.

Live online learning

3D Animation (Evening - 20 weeks)

Next steps

Open events

Taster courses

Meet us

Meet our tutors

Industry partners

Why Escape Studios?

Escape Studios prospectus

Pearson Business School prospectus

Contact us

Study with us

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