David Puttnam Involved in Escape Awards - page 2

24-12-2007 13:56

Not only do the awards recognise the incredible work taking place in the UK today but they also shine a spotlight on the stars of tomorrow with the categories catering to professional companies and studios as well as students from all over the country.

Escape Studios CEO Dominic Davenport said: "We're honoured that Lord Puttnam and all the judges are so keen to be involved. We've had nothing but support from everyone we've spoken to proving that a major annual event that brings together the UK CG community is long overdue.

Currently working on the Government’s environmental policy, Lord Puttnam will join the rest of the judges to vote for the pick of the entries. His own role call of films includes hits such as The Mission, Chariots of Fire and Midnight Express.

The worldwide explosion in the use of CG imagery has seen the UK become a centre of excellence and expertise with barely a film now made that doesn’t pass through the world renowned post-production facilities in Soho.

Alongside this, world-leading architects based here use CG to visualise their award-winning concepts and British game developers create awe-inspiring titles that sell millions of copies worldwide.

Central to the Escape Studios ethos is their desire to fuel creative potential and in addition to the professional categories are three student categories that represent an ideal way for up-and-coming CG talent to showcase their projects to a high profile audience of industry professionals.

Escape Studios itself is Europe’s first dedicated computer graphics and VFX school that opened its doors in London in 2002 to attract a new generation of creatives.

It was launched by Dominic Davenport in response to the lack of training facilities outside of the US and has been endorsed by Oscar-winning movie director Ridley Scott and some of the biggest names in film, games and animation - including Pixar and the Sony.

No stranger to big name Hollywood blockbusters many of the world’s major movies, such as X Men 3, Harry Potter and The Golden Compass have all had their effects and postproduction worked on by graduates from Escape.