The VFX Festival Masterclass

This part of the festival includes late afternoon and evening talks, presentations and hands-on workshops. It is dedicated to industry professionals looking for knowledge-building and networking opportunities; and young professionals looking to progress their career in the screen industry.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS NOW CLOSED

Escape Studios Undergraduate Game Art student work by Jamie Pitcher

What to expect

Hands-on sessions delivered at the Escape Studios facilities
Learn from industry professionals
Explore exciting topics
Have fun while improving your knowledge

Programme

Please find information about each session of The VFX Festival Masterclass below.

Please note that the masterclass sessions will need to be booked individually. All of them are taking place at the same time. If you are The VFX Festival Emerging Talent ticket holder, you can book The VFX Festival Masterclass free of charge.

MASTERCLASS 1: Introduction to Unreal Engine 5 with Christian Avigni, Game Art tutor at Escape Studios

Date: Wednesday, 22nd February 2023

Time: 17:30 – 21:00

Unreal Engine enables game developers and creators across industries to realize next-generation real-time 3D content and experiences with greater freedom, fidelity, and flexibility than ever before. During this session Christian will cover:

What is Unreal Engine 5: key features such Nanite & Lumens;
Introduction to Interface & Navigation;
A quick look on materials and how to create/use them;
Lighting: Types of lights & Lumens;
Q&A at the end.

Christian Avigni, Games Art tutor at Escape Studios

Christian has a wealth of experience, creating game assets for the next generation consoles such as the racing game ‘Formula Fusion’, and writing numerous published books about Unreal Engine including; UDK Basics, Level Design and Documentation and UDK Games scenarios integration.

MASTERCLASS 2: The Art of Character Rigging with Jordan Coles, Rigging/Generalist Artist at Time Based Arts

Date: Wednesday, 22nd February 2023

Time: 17:30 – 20:00

Rigging is one of the most crucial stages of the VFX production pipeline. Without it, we would not have many of our beloved animated characters come to life. This session is designed to break down the steps needed to rig a 3D model with the goal of making static objects come to life through rigging deformation systems.

Jordan Coles, Rigging/Generalist Artist at Time Based Arts

Jordan is a Rigging/Generalist Artist working at Time Based Arts. He studied at Escape Studios where he also worked on a variety of award-winning short films, such as Box Bots and Death from Above. He gained his experience in high-budget TV shows & films at MPC and more recently, he has been working on commercials at Time Based Arts.

"Rigging is a creative discipline and underappreciated art form. This is what I have gathered from my years of rigging. It’s my mission to bring rigging into the mainstream and show you why this could the artist-role for you."

- Jordan Coles

MASTERCLASS 3: Money into Movie and Words into Shots with Dasha Sherman, Film Producer, Director and the Co-Founder of Koala FX

Date: Wednesday, 22nd February 2023

Time: 17:30 – 20:00

During this session you will:

gain knowledge on creating a small breakdown for a piece of the script/budget
learn about what influences it and how to identify VFX in the script
understand how much it’ll cost to do the VFX
how to increase / decrease the budget and what influences it

Dasha will cover a case study during her session so you will be able to see a real-world example.

Dasha Sherman, Film Producer, Director and Co-Founder of Koala FX

In 2016 Dasha joined Phenomen Films, as a post-production producer for DAU - one of the boldest and most ambitious film projects of the previous decade. It resulted in 13 feature films and 700 hours of interactive media platform content, which were under Dasha’s direct supervision. She successfully led the post-production team in tackling the 3200 VFX shots spread across 700 hours. Two of Dau’s features (Dau:Natasha and Dau:Degeneration) received awards at the Berlinale 2020.

In 2021 Dasha debuted as a producer for the UK-Georgia arthouse feature BEBIA, which premiered at Rotterdam IFF.

Since the foundation of Koala FX a little less than 3 years ago, Dasha has already worked with such iconic industry players as BBC, HBO, Netflix and Disney among others. Her portfolio as VFX Producer includes projects starring Ben Kingsley, Elton John, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Shawn Mendes and Dame Maggie Smith.

MASTERCLASS 4: Crafting Believable Character Performances for Feature Animation, Kat Seale at DNEG Animation

Date: Wednesday, 22nd February 2023

Time: 17.30

Kat’s masterclass is aimed at providing animators with the tools to create performances that feel unique, believable and specific. We will discuss the various tools and considerations that help animators make good acting choices and review how to film and analyze your own reference. Live action film clips will be studied to show examples of superb, believable acting.

Kat is a Lead Animator at DNEG Animation, with over 10 years experience working in and around London, UK at studios like Framestore, Studio AKA, Miros, Axis Studios and Jellyfish Pictures. Their most recent project is the much anticipated feature film adaption of best-selling graphic novel, Nimona. Kat’s past credits include animated features Ron’s Gone Wrong and Spirit Untamed. Currently, they are working on the film, That Christmas.

Kat's passion lies in helping to tell meaningful stories through believable character performances that reflect the diversity of our society and that will help future generations feel seen and understood

Black and white image of a person with short hair in a woolly hat by the seaside

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QUESTIONS?

Please contact vfxfestival@escapestudios.com with any questions about the event.

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About the organiser: Escape Studios

From VFX to Game Art, Animation to Motion Graphics, Escape Studios is recognised for supplying the industry with fresh studio-ready talent through a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses developed by industry experts.

Now approved and endorsed internationally as an Unreal Engine Authorized Training Center, as well as both Rookies and Houdini certified schools, we take students with raw talent and shape them into the creative professionals demanded by today’s employers.

The VFX Festival Masterclass

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS NOW CLOSED

What to expect

Programme

Christian Avigni, Games Art tutor at Escape Studios

Jordan Coles, Rigging/Generalist Artist at Time Based Arts

Dasha Sherman, Film Producer, Director and Co-Founder of Koala FX

FAQs

QUESTIONS?

Your Data

About the organiser: Escape Studios

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