HaZ Dulull: How to Set Up Your Own Indie Studio

HaZ Dulull "How to Set Up and Run an Indie Studio"

At last week's EscapeVerse Live event, HaZ Dulull - founder and director at "Beyond The Pixels" - explained "How to Set Up and Run an Indie Studio with Your First Game".  

HaZ's journey into the games industry has been one of an independent entrepreneur, setting up his own company, his first game "AstroBurn" and figuring out the nuts and bolts of running a business. 

Comics Industry Panel - How to Break Into Comics

Last night Escape Studios in London hosted a "Comics Industry Panel" part of the 2026 "EscapeVerse Live" event.

Comic Book UK's Mark Fuller chaired the panel discussion, which was titled "Comic Industry Careers". 

Mark Fuller was joined by comic artist Lyndon White, comics publisher Andrew Mark Sewell, head of B7 Media Ltd, and manga artist Elena Vitagliano.  The panel explored the challenges and opportunities around working in the comics industry, focusing on how to earn a living in a highly competitive landscape.

Escapeverse Live Continues Today

Escapeverse Live, the in-person and (free) online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, continues today. 

Escapeverse Live shares insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today's lineup starts with Haz Dulull on "How to Set Up an Indie Game Studio". Then, at 12.30pm Simon Carr introduces "Invisible VFX". 

At 2.30pm Dan Shutt explains "How to Create Live Events".

EscapeVerse Live Starts Today

Escapeverse Live starts today

Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online (free) event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, starts today. 

Escapeverse Live  runs from today. Tuesday 24th February to Thursday 26th February 2026.  

Escape Studios will be sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today starts at 10.30am with "My Journey to a Career in Animation" with Rebecca Meilak.  At 12.30pm Charmaine Chan from ILM will present "Jurassic World: Rebirth". 

London Animation Club is Back Monday 23 Feb

London Animation Club meetup on 23 February 2026

Calling all our London-based students and alumni! Why not come to the next London Animation Club meetup on 23 February 2026 at The Green Man pub, 36 Riding House St at 7.30pm.

To find out more, visit the London Animation Club Facebook page here. 

Judging the "Young Cartoonists of The Year" 2025

Cartoon Museum hosts Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards

Last night was the judging for The Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards, the annual competition hosted by the Cartoon Museum and the British Cartoonists' Association. 

This year the deadline for submissions was 31 January 2026; the winners will be announced at the Cartoon Museum on Thursday 26th March.

Spring Class Starts 2 March 2026

Spidey animation by Anand Sembhi

Our Spring Animation Class begins on Monday 2nd March 2026.

It's not too late to book a place; all you need to do is visit the main Animation Apprentice site and go through a few simple steps.

If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.

Festivus Podcast with Alex Williams

Festivus has released a podcast interview with me recorded at the end of last year. Julian Scott from Film London did the interview, which you can listen to above.  The interview is part of a series in which Festivus explores careers in animation, how people in our industry have developed their careers, often through slightly circuitous routes.  

Remembering Roger Allers 1947-2026

Roger Allers by John Mueller

I was lucky enough to work with Roger Allers on two of the films he co-directed: Lion King and Open Season. Both movies were challenging projects with very standards - and very high expectations of the artists who worked on them.  Despite these challenges both films were a great experience for me - made better by working under Roger Allers' direction.

There is a reason that so many in our community will miss Roger Allers so much.  He was not just a very talented artist who expected a great deal from those who he worked with, but he also managed to do this without ever being unkind or mean-spirited.  

Festivus Returns on 24 Feb 2026

Festivus: Tuesday 24 February 2026 at The Porterhouse

Festivus is back! London's regular animation networking event is an opportunity for our students and recent graduates to get to know people in the animation industry, find out who is hiring, and where the jobs are. 

The latest Festivus event takes place on Tuesday 24 February 2026 at The Porterhouse, 21-22 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7NA from 6pm.  

MIP London is a multi-genre international market at IET London and The Savoy Hotel designed to unite digital creators, television producers, platforms, distributors, buyers, and brands from across the globe. 

Deepo's 3D Undersea Wondershow - Teaser

"Deepo's 3D Undersea Wondershow" - Teaser for the 4D animated short film that was for many years screened at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.  The animation & Visual Effects were executed by Digital Dimension in Montreal for Gary Goddard Entertainment.  

Cartoon Museum Seeks Volunteers

Cartoon Museum seeks volunteers

Calling all London-based Animation Apprentice students and graduates - London's Cartoon Museum is looking for volunteers to help out at their Wells St home. 

The Cartoon Museum is one of London's artistic treasures, and a great place for cartoonists and animators to meet like-minded members of our tribe.  If you're interested in getting involved, email us for details at info@animationapprentice.org

How To Fix Floaty Animation Curves in Maya

How To Fix Floaty Animation Curves in Maya. A common mistake made by beginners in Maya is "floaty curves". So how do you fix floaty curves? The answer is simple - with the Flat Tangents button in Autodesk Maya. 

Young Cartoonist of the Year Awards 2025

The Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards are back.  This year the deadline for submissions is 31 January 2026.

Hosted by the Cartoon Museum in London, the annual Young Cartoonists of the Year competition seeks to reward rising cartoon talent. 

Judges include Martin Rowson (The Guardian),Christian Adams (Evening Standard), Banx (FT), Peter Brookes (The Times), Nick Newman (Private Eye), and Matt Pritchett from the Daily Telegraph. Entry to the contest is free.

Entries can be mailed via hard copy to the Cartoon Museum at 63 Wells St, London W1T 3PT, or by email to hello@cartoonmuseum.org.  

As always, we encourage all our students to enter competitions such as this one. 

2026 Animation Apprentice Demo Reel

Above is our 2026 student demo reel, a selection of the best work done at Animation Apprentice over the last year. This selection of our students' best animation includes work by Alice Bishop, Arnand Sembhi, Briony Davies, Mark Wong, Mike Acosta, Lisa Springett, Maeva Israel, Matt Lawson-Hall, William Roberts, and William Thomas. Congratulations to them all on their excellent work.

Alex Williams Animation Supervisor Reel

Above is a selection of shots I supervised (but did not animate) on "Racing Stripes", "Underdog", "Beverly Hills Chihuahua", "Charlie & Yip", "Deepo's Undersea Adventure" and "Marmaduke". The animation was completed at a number of studios, including Cinesite, Digital Dimension, Hybrid Animation, Tumblehead and Digiscope.  

Why Animators Must Ignore Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome affects almost everyone

I'm always looking for opportunities to bring my current or former students onto productions, ideally for a paid job but, failing that, for an internship.  

Recently I brought a student onboard the feature film I'm working on, only to find that he almost backed out of the job because he wasn't sure he could pull it off.  In short, he is suffering from "Imposter Syndrome". 

The thing is, almost everyone suffers from this at some point in their career, especially early on.  The trick is to push through - and get help from others for the bits you can't tackle yourself.  Like the T Shirt says - you can do it. 

Alex Williams 3D & VFX Animation Demo Reel

Above is my updated 3D Animation & VFX Animation Demo Reel, including as many HD copies of my work as I can find. Some of the shots, such as those from Monster House, are still pretty low resolution, but most of the others are decent. This reel includes clips from Robots (my first 3d animated feature) Open Season, Monster House, Underdog, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Marmaduke, Voyage of The Dawn Treader, and two of the Harry Potter films.  Edit by Miguel Teixeira. Music from Pixabay. 

Why Failure is Feedback

Why Failure is Feedback

Failure is feedback.  Every time you apply for a job in the animation industry, the chances are high you will be rejected.  

Most likely, the studio isn't hiring right now, so don't be disheartened. Just apply again in a few months. If they are hiring now, and you didn't get the job, ask for feedback. What was missing from your demo reel? What needs improvement?

Now you have feedback - information. You can work on your weak spots, improve your work, and apply again. 

 

Alex Williams 2D Animation Reel

Recently I've been digging around online to find HD copies of some of the best shots I have done on various 2D animated feature films over the years (my existing 2D animation demo reels were of doubtful quality, with low resolution images). Above is a selection of my best work on films from "Roger Rabbit" in the 80s and 90s all the way through "Thief and The Cobbler", "Iron Giant" and "Sinbad" (my last 2d feature) in the early 2000s.  Edit by Miguel Teixeira, music by Pixabay.  All in full HD. 

What I Learned Animating on "The Lion King"

"I know that your powers of retention..."

In the summer of 1993 I had the great good fortune to work at the Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles on The Lion King, animating under the guidance of lead animator Andreas Deja, who supervised the animation of Scar, voiced by Jeremy Irons.

For a junior animator, it was a dream job, and an education in character animation.