Question about Escape Studios

[Zamberro]

Originally Posted by noktek

Hei there its been almost a year from last post and i was wondering if there are some more opinions...? im about to finish my (disappointing) bachelor here in switzerland and i tought i could goto the uk to learn some english and pack that gamecourse with it aswell... . Ive been working with 3dmax and mudbox and i know i should look a bit into maya and zbrush aswell, would complement well i guess... given my mediocre proficiency with english would it make sense to follow such (expensive) course or not? after one year is there someone else with feedback about Escape studios?

regards
Raffaele

My take on all this is:

I generally share the same kind of opinion that a couple others here have expressed about these types of really expensive schools, I do feel are somewhat exploitive... "to a degree" (but than again what isn't, to a degree exploitive). And it seems as though (imo) much of their appeal comes from the hefty price tags they carry. Sometimes I wonder if their price was in the vein of lets say a community college, or State School... if people would still regard them as "Relevant Quality Educations"?

One of the questions I've always asked my self is: How did the likes of artists such as Steve Lambert, Pascal Blanche, Kevin Lanning, Geovani Nakpil, etc... become such acclaimed and accomplished artists?

None of these artists came out of escape, or Gnomon. Some of these guys even have formal educations outside the realm of CG altogether: many share the same kinds of humble educations and beginnings as many of us do. So, How did they do it without schools such a Escape, or Gnomon you have to ask yourself?

Much of what I here from the likes of said individuals/artists (in regards to mastering ones craft, or positioning ones self for the industry) .... Is having a good amount of exposer to traditional practices and principles (life/figure drawing, painting, design, color theory, traditional animation etc). This opinion seems to be pretty much across the board from most (if not all) of the industries top talent, as it goes a looooooong way I believe. In fact... I have not come across an add as of yet, that did not stress this.

Having this exposer, and experience gives one the foundation to think and see, in a more creative and artistic light; where the challenge of CG becomes more about learning to apply the tools (technical) in a creative and effective way.

Technology and tools will continue to change, while the principles of Art and Design won't.

Im not suggesting that a school such as escape would be a waste of time or money, no not at all (not that I carry any clout that would effect your decision anyway). I just wanted to take the opportunity to throw out some other considerations, and share my thoughts as an active voice in/of the community, before anyone takes on such a long term financial burden (which is none of my business anyway), that may not be as necessary as one may think.

Looking at allot of WIPs throughout the community, Its been my observation that many of them (wips) seem to lack the experience that comes through a substantial amount of exposer and practice with the core principles of art and design; that make an artist more effective in his/her capacity to carry out a vision successfully (believability). i.e. essential to meet the needs of a commercial project.

With that: Sometimes I think its just a matter of someone spending several months or so (and only several hundred dollars) enrolled in some local life/figure drawing and or painting courses to cultivate oneself as an "Arteest" (learning to see and express things in an interesting and unique way)... where applying whats learned from it, to ones CG game art would make a world of difference (with time and practice of course), in turn making one a stronger candidate for a position.

Overall, at the end of the day: I think confidence plays a very important role in all this too. And how one goes about gaining that confidence varies greatly from person to person (depending on what feels right for you at the time)... whether its through an expensive, highly specialized, and focused education: or taking up the task of conquering a specific industry standard tool set/workflow, or simply spending several months or so in some life drawing and painting courses at a local community college. Its clearly a subjective and sensitive matter overall, that requires some introspection and honesty I believe. In addition: I think the underlying message or principle being expressed through all this is; regardless of how, where, what, monetarily, emotionally, spiritually, or whatever... one must invest in his/her cause substantially, before anyone else will.

With that being said: I found this article very helpful to me, when I was doubtful, having concerns about what is the "right education", and "what tools, traits, and skills" should be at the core of my focused efforts to gain better ground when positioning ones self for the industry. I thought it was as fair and informative as anything I've heard to date, brought me allot of clarity regarding these matters. I've read it a dozen times already... almost serves as inspiration in a way

Anyway.... Im sure some (if not all of you) have came across this. If not, great, I think you will find it helpful! If so... give it a second, third, and or fourth look, before you take on the burden of debt that would come with going to one of these expensive schools

CGTalk - FORUM PRIMER: The Unofficial Truth about The Industry

[Philly13]

You mentioned Kevin Lanning, legend! I totally agree, I haven't got a background in traditional art but I try to draw and paint when I can. I think its really important, as artists, for us to get a firm grounding in traditional art principles in order to be able to use 3D Apps/tools to help us apply that artistic knowledge to our work, since they are just that - tools that help you nuture your art.

I definitely think a lot of people put a lot more stress on learning a 3D app or sculpting program instead of the more important artistic principles like drawing, painting, color theory, perspective, etc. the list goes on

[Schmung]

Speaking personally, the thing that stopped me (exorbitant cost of course and living in Lahdahn aside) was the question 'am I good enough artist'. I've no problem with tools and learning stuff and tech side of things is no issue either - I did a bunch of that at Uni years ago and I'm fine with it. I guess the appeal of somewhere like Escape is that you get the answer to that question. You're in an environment where you're working on and learning that stuff for 8 hours a day with the same tools and tuition as everyone else there and you can see what they're doing. You've got a solid metric to put yourself up against. The internet and places like this - for all their advantages and diversity are incredibly frustrating in some ways because you don't know anything about the person behind the screen. You see WIP threads flying up and the pace of their improvement etc, but you know nothing about them, their background and their life. It's disheartening, you see people improve more quickly than or post completely incredible work and you wonder if it's just because they have more natural talent than you, or a better work ethic, or more time or whatever.

Something like Escape gives you a pretty concrete answer to that question and you'll know by then end of it if you're good enough or not. It's just a very expensive way of finding out.

[creationtwentytwo]

I just checked out the games showreel and to be honest, the level of work on display is pretty disappointing, and if I was producing that level of work after spending nearly £9000 I would be gutted to say the least.

That sounds harsh I know but I think if people were brutally honest they'd say the same.

Ok so the work isn't bad, but it's really nothing special and just having a quick browse around this forum, and PolyCount and Game Artisans will show that many people have gone from beginner to at least the level demonstrated in that showreel in a very short space of time. If you compressed the couple hours a night one might spend in their own time into full time weekly sessions, it may even work out less than the 12 weeks.

Seriously, I think the best advice, and some I hear regularly from some industry pro's, working for both huge studios and some of the up and coming indie studios, is to go to uni if you have the chance, but study a creative course in something like art or design, and practice game specific art in your spare time. Communicating on the forums I mentioned is like having tutoring from some of the best people in the business.

When you've got people from the likes of Blizzard, Rockstar etc critiquing your work and offering advice, and it's costing you absolutely nothing, you've gotta question the benefits of a £9k course.

[Zamberro]

Originally Posted by creationtwentytwo

I just checked out the games showreel and to be honest, the level of work on display is pretty disappointing, and if I was producing that level of work after spending nearly £9000 I would be gutted to say the least.

That sounds harsh I know but I think if people were brutally honest they'd say the same.

Ok so the work isn't bad, but it's really nothing special and just having a quick browse around this forum, and PolyCount and Game Artisans will show that many people have gone from beginner to at least the level demonstrated in that showreel in a very short space of time. If you compressed the couple hours a night one might spend in their own time into full time weekly sessions, it may even work out less than the 12 weeks.

Seriously, I think the best advice, and some I hear regularly from some industry pro's, working for both huge studios and some of the up and coming indie studios, is to go to uni if you have the chance, but study a creative course in something like art or design, and practice game specific art in your spare time. Communicating on the forums I mentioned is like having tutoring from some of the best people in the business.

When you've got people from the likes of Blizzard, Rockstar etc critiquing your work and offering advice, and it's costing you absolutely nothing, you've gotta question the benefits of a £9k course.

Hehe.... I didn't actually look into escape studios, and assumed it was in the same vein as GNOMOM (66,000 edu, but offer 8-9 week topic specific courses for around 1,200): people where expressing concerns about the price, so I assumed it was much higher.

Anyway, All this is irrelevant, Regardless.... of what school one attends... without giving yourself a strong background in fundamentals... you are at a major disadvantage to anyone that does (why many pros suggest just taking a standard Art or Design Major at UNI).

One of my prerequisites for any school (to take seriously as a school that creates competitive artists) would require strong focus on these fundamentals, as the building blocks of any career path in the visual arts. Without it... you will be at a loss.... regardless of how much technical knowledge you acquire of software, and pipelines.