ASVP Engine Supervisor

Job Description

Amazon Virtual Production (AVP) is looking for an AVP Engine Supervisor for our Unreal-based real-time system. Your office will be on the set of a massive stage in Culver City driving gorgeous photo-real worlds onto our new AVP LED Volume. You will supervise the operation of Unreal during shooting and maintain version control of on-set assets. You will prepare the various UE4 levels for in-camera VFX shooting in collaboration with the Virtual Production Supervisor. In pre-production you will identify custom code/blueprints to be created. In production you will oversee the Unreal setup, calibration, and operation during shooting. Work with the AVP Camera Supervisor to QA the real-time tracking data and integrity of captured data. Work with the VAD and VFX teams to ensure the quality and integrity of digital assets. Work with the AVP Engineering Supervisor to define, build, and maintain a color pipeline for Production. Work with all departments to establish on-set workflows and support all relevant stakeholders with GUI interfaces relevant to their on-set responsibilities.

During non-shooting times, you will research and advance the Unreal system. Pushing the hardware and software with raytracing and other rendering methodologies to achieve fast, photo-real results. Our goal is photo-reality, so your best asset here will be your keen eye for photo-realism (or bring in the proper visual evaluators). This will be a team effort as you will also be working with LED, video, camera, and other departmental techs/engineers. This includes working with other Amazon/AWS engineers and external vendor collaborator engineers. This is an enormous effort and you will have enormous support.

As part of Amazon Studios, AVP is leading a creative plan to help filmmakers bring their projects to life in a safe, innovative, and inspired art facility. You must be a builder at heart and a collaborator in spirit. This position will work closely with key creatives, production, and the insanely talented technology crew of Amazon/AWS to constantly inspire the filmmaking process. Join us at the beginning of our global Virtual Production initiative. We will obsess over the filmmaker and the filmmaking process. Our goal is to enhance the traditional ways of filmmaking and invent new ways to use technology to enhance the art of storytelling. This is ground zero for creating the Amazon Global Filmmaking Network, inclusive of stages, services, filmmaker tools, and the cultivation of talent behind the magic. Spearheading this monumental effort is the opening of our new AVP LED Volume stage. On Day 1, the stage will connect globally to teams of collaborators in the cloud. Our new filmmaker workflows will ensure safety, limit exposure, add flexibility to schedules, and bring creative talent together in innovative ways.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Assist the AVP Production Supervisor in building a robust departmental structure for managing the virtual production needs on the set of an LED Volume.
• This includes familiarity with the creation of virtual worlds on a live action set for a demanding slate of multi-genre programming.
• Lead the team that operates the Unreal system on set and maintain version control for on-set assets.
• Execute technically difficult work while maintaining a productive and constructive attitude under the high pressure of live action production.
• Collaborate with creatives and production in creating pitch-vis and production plans for greenlighting and prepping projects.
• An example of production planning would include deciding between photographing a location, recreating a location via photogrammetry, building a CG location utilizing GIS data, building a CG location utilizing DCC software, and any combination of the aforementioned processes.
• Assist VFX producers with VP/VFX breakdowns from scripts, storyboards, and production photos/artwork.
• Work with other departments in creating pre-production art, pre-vis, and final pixels assets for live action photography.
• Contribute to the development and operation of the Amazon digital asset management system for locations, vehicles, architecture, characters, props and any other CG asset for the story.
• Contribute to the development of custom pipelines for projects with specific creative and/or technological needs (including new technology) in collaboration with Amazon's engineering teams and existing, turn-key solutions.
• Constantly be finding and testing new world building software, plug-ins, and methodologies.
• Manage department schedule, resourcing, and delivery of asset creation
• Track vendor asset creation, delivery, and integration into AVP department.
• Review and maintain a high level of visual quality as well as signal quality of digital assets.
• Assist in talent recruitment, VP education, and AVP technology publicity.
• Manage reporting of all work to AVP Production Supervisor.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
• Must have expert knowledge of UE4 and a thorough understanding of UE4 blueprinting.
• Must be a builder, self-starter, curious, deep diver, big thinker, honest, resourceful, inventor, story-teller, have a tremendous bias for action, and work well in a small, multi-disciplinary, specialized team.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and diplomacy skills, especially during the fast paced shooting environment.
• High ability to trouble shoot complex integrated systems of computers, video recording systems, software, and other sensor driven systems.
• Good understanding of a variety of concepts, practices, and procedures used in VFX, live-action film production, and the game industry.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• A keen eye for photo-reality
• Familiarity with ACES/OCIO
• Knowledge of C++ and Python
• Knowledge of USD platform/pipeline
• Working knowledge of version control systems, eg., Perforce, Git
• 3+ years of on-set experience, live television, and/or Post-production
• 3+ years of VFX CG/Light/Comp department workflow experience from a VFX facility.
• 3+ years of Game tech experience
• Working knowledge of raytracing and other rendering techniques.
• DCC experience a plus: Maya, Houdini, Blender, 3DSMax, Nuke, Zbrush, Substance Painter
• Shader-writing experience a plus.
• World building software (procedural, GIS-based, other) experience a plus.
• Photogrammetry experience a plus.
• Knowledge of physical lighting protocols such as DMX, artnet, and sACN
• Highly computer literate with Windows and Linux/Mac Operating systems
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and have the ability to efficiently multi-task

For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/disability/us

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rzo7k3-3-144-109-5-42 in your application.