Lead Previs Animator

Job Description

Description

Position at Industrial Light & Magic

The Lead Previs Animator collaborates closely with the Previs Supervisor and VFX Supervisor to design and create shots and sequences ensuring the Director and Clients vision are met through dynamic camera movement, animation, composition, staging, lighting and editing.

Primary Responsibilities and Accountabilities
• Responsible for one or more of the following areas
• Storyboarding: Development of either hand drawn or maya based storyboards.
• Asset Dev: modeling, texturing, shading of assets.
• Set Dressing: Preparation of environments for animation and layout.
• Rigging: Development of in-shot pipeline compatible rig solutions.
• Animation+Layout: Designing and animating shots over an entire sequence.
• Lighting+Rendering: Preparation of low tech, fast render aesthetic solutions.
• Tool Dev: Creation of tools to assist the previs team.
• Editing: Compiling of sequences + sound design within Adobe Premiere.
• Troubleshoot assets and shots, continually looking for and suggesting improvements to increase overall efficiency and productivity
• Maintain or exceed consistent level of productivity while meeting deadlines and producing high quality work
• Comfortable leading a team of artists, some of whom may be working remotely from other ILM locations
• Must have a passion for camera animation and understand how to design camera motions for real world shoots
• Demonstrate strong character/creature animation abilities and switch between quality levels of anim from rough blocking to higher polish if and when necessary
• Able to contribute or interested in developing generalist skills to elevate the aesthetic of the previs, including basic modeling, lighting, rigging, fx, etc.
• Comfortable communicating and collaborating with other departments across ILM
• Demonstrate flexibility with iterative process

Reporting Relationships

Reports to the CG Talent Manager, works under Previs Supervisor

Job Requirements

Education/Experience
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent degree in Computer Science, computer visualization, or computer animation required.
• 5+ years of experience in visual effects and/or feature animation film

Required Skills / Competencies
• Proficiency with Linux and Maya
• Advanced problem solving skills
• Experience in animation, previs and/or layout
• A reel demonstrating strong creative and technical ability in photo-realistic 3D with a focus on animation, previs or layout; basic competency in modeling, texturing, lighting, camera, layout and rendering

Preferred Skills / Competencies
• Basic knowledge of Nuke, Mari, Arnold, V-Ray, Zbrush and Photoshop
• Experience in modeling, rigging, texturing and lighting

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r74w8p-3-144-113-30-42 in your application.