Here we go:
Position Description: Lighter/Compositor
For: “Gnomeo and Juliet” and other productions
Reports to: Lighting Supervisor and Head of Lighting/Compositing
Position Description and Requirements:
Light production shots based on creative direction from Lighting Leads, Lighting Supervisor and VFX Supervisor
Ensure that shots meet the highest quality
Ensure to meet production shot quotas as required by Supervisor and production schedule
Troubleshoot and debug shot problems as required and communicate
Identify to the Supervisor problems that lighting could potentially present with respect to timelines and delivery schedules
Ensure shots meet rendering criteria
File management - organize work/files efficiently
Remain current and up-to-date in lighting techniques
Work collaboratively with other departments including technology, surfacing, fx and character finaling.
Experience Required
Thorough knowledge of Maya, and Compositing (Digital Fusion preferred), Mental Ray experience preferred
Degree/diploma in fine arts or equivalent experience
3+ years experience as a Lighting Artist
CG Feature film experience preferred
Demonstrable ability to communicate creative and technical thoughts and ideas and work well within a team
Demonstrable ability to multi-task and prioritize as well as handle the pressures of production and deadlines well.
Position Description: Technical Surfacing Artist
For: “Gnomeo and Juliet”
Reports to: Surfacing Supervisor and Head of Surfacing
Position Description and Requirements:
Helps establish and/or guide the look and qualities of characters, props and environments for an animated film with direction from the VFX Supervisor, Art Director and Surfacing Supervisor.
Ensures that Surfacing files are complete and ready for lighting
Spot and flag creative and technical issues as they arise – fix them where possible or work closely with TDs to adjust. Assist other surfacing artists with technical demands as required
Communicate with other departments to convey Surfacing needs (primarily Modeling) and provide for other departments needs (primarily Lighting).
Maintains awareness of the broader show needs as they relate to the Surfacing Department (schedule, complexity of setups, shader issues, technical aspects etc.)
Experience Required:
Minimum 7 years of high-end production experience on feature films
Strong painting skills and artistic eye for detail combined with a strong understanding of the technical side
Detail oriented and the ability to understand the complexity of a 3D pipeline and work closely with TDs
Familiarity with mental ray as a renderer
Familiarity with Polygonal texturing using image maps
Strong uv-ing skills is a must
Familiarity with construction of shaders and utilities
Experience with hair, fur, cloth systems
Ability to debug complex shader networks
Strong photoshop knowledge
Experience with mudbox or zbrush
Some experience with mel scripting or python scripting would be an asset – minimum requirement is to be able to read scripts and debug with TDs assistance
Openness to existing workflows
Ability to solve problems independently
Takes initiative and enjoys learning from and teaching others
Ability to work well in a team setting, guide/mentor others as needed
Position Description: Layout Finaler
For: “Gnomeo and Juliet”
Reports to: Scene Prep/Layout and Finaling Supervisor
Position Description and Requirements:
Layout Finaling prepares final files for lighting/rendering and compositing. This includes all set dressing elements, final animation and camera tweaking.
Experience Required:
Strong skills in layout (planning and asset management), animation & cinematography are required.
Excellent communication skills, written and oral
Basic understanding of modeling and lighting
Ability to keep detailed notes and track information in data base
Excellent ability to manage assets within the files
Solid Maya Software experience:
Able to use the Maya tools fluidly
Proprietary tools will be taught
Solid understanding of production priorities
Ability to problem solve and share solutions
Willingness to accept direction and changes from Supervising Animators
Position Description: Character Finaling Artist
For: All Projects
Reports to: Head of Animation
Position Description and Requirements:
Support the creative performance in a shot with the appropriate technical requirements as follows:
Remove undesirable geometric penetrations, folds and creases from rigged assets.
Ensure that rigged assets are in contact with one another and their environment appropriately.
Ensure that rigged assets are prepared for FX simulations when required.
Ensure proper continuity of motion for the calculation of motion blur.
Experience Required:
Good artistic eye.
Detail oriented.
Good communication skills.
Good organization skills.
Technical aptitude.
Previous production experience or exceptional abilities in CGI.
Familiarity with skeletons.
Experience in Modeling
An understanding of the principles of animation.
Experience with Maya Deformers, Constraints, and Blend Shapes.
Thorough knowledge of Maya’s Graph Editor and connection editors (Hypergraph, Hypershade..)
Must be able to work in a collaborative environment, taking direction from the Sequence lead(s), Supervisor and feedback from Directors(s) as necessary.
Bonus: Ability to script in Mel and/or Python to fix recurring issues.
Bonus: Rendering experience with stand-alone packages (Mental Ray, Renderman etc…)
Position Description: Scene Prep Artist
For: All Projects
Reports to: Scene Prep/Layout Finaling Supervisor
Position Description and Requirements:
Scene Prep Artists provide production ready files for the flow through the pipeline to animation, lighting and FX.
Experience Required:
Solid foundation in Maya
Mel scripting/batch scripting experience an asset but not required
Experience working in other areas of production especially lighting, & comp an asset
Ability to identify and resolve technical problems/issues as it pertains to continuity
Able to rapidly learn and assimilate new technologies
Must be able to respect schedules and artistic guidelines.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
Willingness to accept direction and be open to changes from animation supervisors
Ability to work cooperatively within a creative team environment
Must be detail oriented
Position Description: Jr. Lighter/Compositor
For: “Gnomeo and Juliet”
Reports to: Lighting Supervisor and Head of Lighting/Compositing
Position Description and Requirements:
Light production shots based on key shots from Lighting Leads
Ensure that shots meet the highest quality = matches key shot
Ensure to meet production shot quota as required by Supervisor and production schedule
Troubleshoot and debug shot problems as required and communicate per our protocol
Identify to the Supervisor problems that lighting could potentially present with respect to timelines and delivery schedules
Ensure shots meet rendering criteria
Remain current and up-to-date in lighting techniques
Experience Required:
Degree/diploma in 3D computer animation (digital animation) or equivalent experience
Thorough knowledge of Maya, and Compositing (Digital Fusion preferred), Mental Ray experience preferred
Demonstrable ability to communicate creative and technical thoughts and ideas
Works well within a team
Demonstrable ability to multi-task and prioritize
Ability to handle the pressures of production and deadlines well
Position Description: Technical Director
For: All Projects
Reports to: Supervisor, Pipeline Architecture
The Technical Director is responsible for designing, developing and improving production focused pipeline workflow processes. Technical Directors may also be called on to do shot work when necessary during production.
Position Description and Requirements:
Design, prototype and implement artist-focused production tools, using Maya, Mentalray, Fusion, Python, MEL, and C++.
Collaborate with Production Management on utilization of production tools and workflow processes.
Troubleshoot production problems, and proactively work to minimize their impact.
Design and execute project work plans to produce known deliverables on a pre-determined timetable.
Be aware of new technologies, techniques, and processes that will benefit studio’s production processes for current and future projects.
Share and present new research, ideas and technology with others in the studio.
Perform shot work/fixes as required during production.
Experience Required:
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent job experience
3+ Years of (CG) Experience, Feature Film experience preferred
Experience working with Maya, Mentalray, MTMR, Fusion, or equivalents.
Experience with WxPython
Experience using various scripting languages - primarily Python, Mel, CShell
Experience in C/C++ or some other object-oriented programming language
Experience with subversion, cvs or another revision control system
Experience designing user interfaces
Excellent troubleshooting/debugging skills
Strong communication skills
Superior time management and prioritization skills
Self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision
Flexible and adaptable to change
Coach and mentor junior coworkers as required
If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit a resume indicating which position you are applying for to:
sat.jobs@starz.com
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