Facecap Supervisor

Job Description

Position Summary

The Facecap Supervisor works independently and under the VFX Supervisor as the leader of a project's facial capture team. The Facecap Supervisor approves shotwork, advises layout artists on aesthetic changes, and manages the final aesthetic look and accuracy of the facial capture solves sent to the VFX Supervisor. The supervisor works closely with production to schedule and cast shotwork, bid new or existing shots, and help estimate crewing needs.

The Facecap Supervisor mentors artists, teaches show specific training courses, and troubleshoots shots/pipeline issues if the Facecap artist cannot. The Facecap Supervisor oversees all outsourced Facecap work, ensuring that any vendor's work is held to the same standard as work completed internally or at any ILM facility. In addition to supervising duties, the Facecap Supervisor will complete their own shotwork. This includes testing out new technology and software on the first handful of shots, tackling difficult and easy shots depending on the needs of the team and show.

Ideally, the Facecap Supervisor will have experience in the matchmove and matchanim areas as well as some experience in layout work. This is a key aspect as the Layout department encompasses matchmove, layout and facecap.

What You'll Do
• Responsible for the most complex facial capture shots and initial setups; work independently with minimal supervision
• Provide leadership, guidance and direction to the facecap team to ensure the VFX Supervisor's direction is realized; making sure the consistency and quality is upheld across the body of work produced by their team.
• Create documentation to aid training and provide reference material for the team
• Work with other departments such as pipeline, creature dev and modeling to help guide the facial shapes, troubleshoot Facecap and Layout issues
• Work with the CG, VFX Supervisor and Production Manager to bid, schedule, and cast shotwork
• Give the facecap team technical and aesthetic instruction for a shot or sequence
• Convert background plates to create digital motion files that match the plate photography, including animating any live action character or relative object in the scene
• Generate 2D Compositing elements, while maintaining the accuracy of the camera perspectives
• Model the set geometry used to create the matchmove and environment for other departments
• Create original all CG camera animation

What We're Looking For
• At least eight years of relevant professional VFX experience and at least a college level diploma or higher in computer graphics, fine arts, design, or photography, or related field; OR 10 years of relevant professional VFX industry experience in lieu of education.
• Good written and oral communication skills including strong interpersonal skills
• A strong knowledge of facial muscles and movements, with proven experience of replicating expressions and feelings that are key in many shots
• Experience of either solving facial performances or modeling face shapes
• Confidence to supervise and mentor a team of artists
• Clearly communicate and proactively engage other discipline supervisors, including CG Supervisor and VFX Supervisor, to attain the best looking results possible for the client
• Deliver feedback to artists, both constructive and positive
• Must have a willingness to learn new tools, proven ability to be detail-oriented and to work efficiently within a production environment
• Excellent problem solving skills including the faculty to work to tight deadlines
• Understanding of photography principles and the effects of different lenses on perspectives
• Nice to have:
• On-set experience
• Background in previz or rough layout a plus
• Advanced knowledge of LINUX, 3DE, Maya, Nuke, front end pipeline knowledge (Asset development, Capture), and/or proprietary tracking software

JoinILM
• • • var jobInfo = {

category: 'Animation-and-Visual-Effects',

location: 'Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada',

req: '10023026',

}

This position is with ILM (Vancouver) Inc., which is part of a business we call Industrial Light & Magic.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d80q0m-3-144-16-254-42 in your application.