2D Animation Supervisor

Job Description

About Us:

With studio locations in Sydney and LA and partner studios all around the world, Flying Bark operates as a full-service 2D & 3D production facility, creating award-winning original independent feature films and series. Recent hits include the feature film 100% Wolf and TV series 100% Wolf: The Legend of Moonstone with both the sequel feature film (200% Wolf) and TV series (100% Wolf: The Legend of Hath) underway as well as FriendZSpace, Maya: The Bee and Blinky Bill: The Movie.

Flying Bark also provides world-class animation services for global clients including Paramount (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Nickelodeon (Glitch Techs, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Marvel (What If...?), Lego (Monkie Kid) and Disney+ (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur).

Exceeding 400 artists across our Sydney and Los Angeles studios, Flying Bark Productions is one of the largest studios in Australia, with plans for further expansion across both locations and into Europe. Flying Bark is wholly owned by Studio 100: a vertically integrated entertainment powerhouse based in Europe, with family theme parks, theatrical productions as well as live action and animation studios in Belgium, Germany, France and the USA.

Overview:

The Animation Supervisor’s role is to guide and direct the animation for the Program/s at an episodic level from character layout through to compositing under the direction of the Animation Director and Client. In this role you will work closely with the Animation Director to define the final animation; the Producer to ensure that the animation for the Program/s meet the schedule and budget requirements; the Pipeline team to ensure that the animation tools and processes optimise workflow and that the technical requirements of the Program/s are met; and the animation crew to ensure the successful execution of the animation for the Program/s.

Key Responsibilities:

Work closely with the Client and Animation Director to establish and drive every episode’s animation performance and look to the agreed quality benchmark and within the schedule whilst maintaining budget; Maintain a close and positive client relationship with the Client’s creative team; Supervise all episodes assigned to you within the series, watching animatics ahead of production start to discuss performance and production limitations or concerns with the Client; Attend episodic handovers and complexity workbook meetings with the Client to ensure a full understanding of the creative and technical requirements for each episode; Brief Character Layout, Animation, FX, Cleanup, Ink & Paint and Compositing Lead/s and Supervisor/s at the start of each episode, ensuring that their approach to the episodes will get the best result within budget limitations; Consider reuse and work with the Rigging Dept so that best animation is always sourced and placed in shots for reuse, and best ways to get great performance with non-heavy animation rigs so that economies are maximised; Be available for regular reviews and feedback sessions with the Client; Undertake animation reviews, ensuring quality control and consistency across the series, giving clear and nurturing direction to artists; Direct, inspire and mentor all crew assigned to their team, ensuring optimal quotas are met, mentoring in a candid, discerning and actionable manner, showing empathy for the challenges faced by artists in understanding production demands; Ensure all submissions to Client are of quality, free from mistakes, and technically sound; Quote for each episode’s tasks diligently, and grow to learn the team’s capabilities by periodically checking how they performed vs the bids; Assist with training initiatives and performance drives across the Production; Clearly understand the creative requirements of the Program/s and help develop and manage workflows and techniques that will ensure that these requirements are met; Work with the pipeline team to develop tools and processes to maximize the efficiency of several stages of the animated pipeline; Work alongside Pipeline TDs to ensure animation tools are developed and applied correctly; Assist with the creation and maintenance of QT scripts in Harmony Script Editor; Work cohesively within a team environment ensuring high levels of communication at all times; Work closely with the Producer/s and PM to ensure the optimal allocation of budget within schedule; Be cognisant of balancing production and budgetary limitations with the desired visual outcome for the Program/s, clearly communicating any issues that may impact the budget with the Producer/s; Maintain strong communication with the Production Crew, flagging in advance any issues that may impact on successful timely delivery of material or shots; Ensure all work remains confidential per code of conduct and security forms. And all other duties and responsibilities as reasonably required by the Production Company.

Education, Skills and Experience:

A minimum of 1 year’s experience as an Animation Lead and a minimum 2 years’ experience as a Senior 2D Animator working in the area of television or film animation; Strong sense of composition, animation timing and narrative storytelling; Extensive experience and understanding of Toon Boom Harmony in a production based environment; Extensive experience in character animation, 2D animation and effects animation workflows in a production based environment; Ability and enthusiasm for leading and mentoring an animation team; Personable and positive client facing personality; Ability to consistently meet deadlines; Excellent communication skills and willingness to share information in a team environment; Flexibility and ability to be responsive to change; Passion for great storytelling and animation.

Salary: $80k - $100k

Location: Alexandria, NSW 2015

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-dy2400-216-73-216-202-42 in your application.