Inside the student-exclusive screening of Project Hail Mary

As part of Escape Studios’ 2026 Welcome Week for new and returning students, on Thursday 17th September the Student Community Team treated us to an exclusive An Evening With* event at the Cineworld at the O2 in Greenwich. As a student, attending a private screening felt incredible - it really made me feel like a valued part of the Escape community. I hadn't actually seen the film yet, but as a fan of space and sci-fi I couldn’t pass up the affordable ticket. Now, I am officially a fan and would gladly watch it over and over. 

The highlight of the evening was a behind-the-scenes talk with Framestore, an industry-leading visual effects studio renowned for their world-class character and creature animation. We were joined by Daniel Blacker, an Animation Supervisor at Framestore UK with over 20 years of experience, who was recently shortlisted for a 2025 Academy Award for Mufasa: The Lion King.

Daniel took us through the fascinating animation process for Rocky, the alien character from the film, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The central challenge was a profound one: how do you give soul to a faceless alien? Daniel explained that because there was no traditional model sheet, the team had to figure out how to convey "emotion through motion." They began with concept art ranging from sea creatures to geometric shapes, studying real animal movements to build a unique "toolbox of ideas" for Rocky's idiosyncrasies.

We learned that Rocky wasn't just a digital creation. The production used a mix of puppetry and CG. A full-sized animatronic puppet was controlled on set by multiple puppeteers operating devices inside each limb. To keep a consistent, believable eyeline and understand how Rocky navigated his terrain, the team practiced movement heavily with the puppeteers.

They even 3D-printed a practical version of Rocky's snub cube to study its physics because they couldn't roll the original prop around.

My absolute favourite takeaway was learning how seamlessly the production combined this physical puppetry with cutting-edge CG. It completely changed my perspective. Moving forward, I will definitely keep a more open mind about how films are crafted behind the scenes, appreciating the immense artistry that goes into making an alien feel so entirely human.

*‘An Evening With...’ events are an exclusive series of talks for Escape Studios students delivered by industry guests and partners, arranged via our Student Community Team. Previous guests have included multi-Oscar-winning Visual Effects Supervisor, Paul Franklin and Industrial Light & Magic Animation Supervisor, Kiel Figgins.