Amazon Studios Virtual Production Engine Engineer

Job Description

Amazon Studios Virtual Production (ASVP) is looking for an ASVP Engine Engineer for our Unreal-based system. You will be going to work at the historic Culver Studios - where Gone with the Wind, King Kong, and ET were shot, to name a few. Come help move this rich tradition forward. Your job will be interfacing with production to meet their demands of the Unreal system. This includes supporting, developing, and hosting virtual production visualization services. This includes pitch-vis, virtual location scouting, tech-vis, sequence blocking, location capture and world building, and more. You may be asked to work with the director, DP, VFX Supervisor, and Virtual Production Supervisor to make adjustments in Unreal for creative planning, prototyping, and storytelling.
When you have your developer hat on, you will be creating VP tools, real-world interfaces from photography equipment to the digital realm, workflows, and integration of existing workflows into the ASVP cinematic world. Much of this will require blueprinting. Knowing python and C++ is not required but can part of your training if you so
desire. We want to make the filmmaking process as accessible and as powerful as possible so that Amazon Originals Movies and Episodic filmmakers love working here. Just as virtual production is production, we are also filmmakers. We help storytellers make their films.
In addition to blueprinting, you may be asked to overlap into VAD territory. You will draw on your DCC experience to create digital assets: environments, vehicles, digital sets, props, FX systems, animation, everything and anything you can bring to the table. Photo-reality is key, so your best asset here will be your keen eye for photo-realism or team up with one whose job is photographic output. Useful tools to execute this vision is an understanding of ray-tracing, lighting, composition, and everything else that will aid in making it REAL. Constantly advancing the Unreal system is an enormous effort and you will have enormous support.
ASVP is helping 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. We 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 the development of VP filmmaking services, filmmaker tools, and the cultivation of talent behind the magic. On Day 1, we 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.
• Assist the ASVP Production Supervisor in building a robust departmental structure for managing the virtual production needs.
• With the ASVP Engine Supervisor, you will work with creative teams in creating virtual worlds and maintain engine operation in all facets of VP.
• Track assets from internal teams/external vendors and integrate into ASVP engine department.
• Assist with maintaining version control for all digital assets.
• Execute technically difficult work while maintaining a productive and constructive attitude under the high pressure of production.
• Assist in creating pitch-vis and materials for production plans.
• Assist in creating pre-production art, pre-vis, and final pixels assets for live action VP 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 when necessary 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 testing new world building software, plug-ins, and methodologies.
• Maintain a high level of visual quality as well as signal quality of digital assets.
• Participate in daily and weekly reporting of production work.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
• • You MUST deal very well with production people - excellent communication, interpersonal and diplomacy skills are required.
• Advanced Unreal operator and developer. You will be working directly with Epic/Amazon/AWS/other engineers.
• Thorough understanding UE4 Blueprint. Extend the tools in the box with UE4 Blueprinting to make the ASVP system more efficient, faster, and robust.
• Must be a builder, self-starter, curious, deep diver, big thinker, honest, resourceful, inventor, story-teller, have tremendous bias for action, and work well in a small, multi-disciplinary, specialized team.
• High ability to trouble shoot complex integrated systems of computers, video recording systems, software, and other sensor driven systems

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Good understanding of a variety of concepts, practices, and procedures used in VFX, live-action film production, and the game industry
• DCC experience a plus: Maya, Houdini, Blender, 3DSMax, Nuke, Zbrush, Substance Painter
• Working knowledge of version control systems, eg., Perforce, Git.
• Familiarity with raytracing and other rendering techniques.
• Familiarity with ACES/OCIO
• Knowledge of C++ and Python
• Knowledge of USD platform/pipeline
• On-set experience, live television, and/or Post-production, Game tech experience.
• VFX CG/Light/Comp department workflow experience at a VFX facility.
• Knowledge of physical lighting protocols such as DMX, artnet, and sACN a plus.
• Highly computer literate with Windows and Linux/Mac Operating systems.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and have the ability to efficiently multi-task.
• A keen eye for photo-reality a big plus

Pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/disability/us.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rv4x40-18-119-162-67-42 in your application.