FX

Job Description

FX (Inkline Artist)

Sony Pictures Imageworks is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. We are committed to respecting traditional lands, and working with communities towards reconciliation.

Sony Pictures Imageworks Canada Inc.

725 Granville Street, 5th Floor

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V7K 1Y4

Project based, Full Time

Language in work environment - English

Benefits per company policy: include healthcare, tuition reimbursement, RRSP's, Sick and Vacation leave, standard increases as applicable

Sony Pictures Imageworks are currently seeking FX (Inkline Artists)!

What are inklines?

Just like in traditional comic book art, inklines play a critical role in defining the style. Our latest project is pushing the bar and expanding upon the use of inklines. To achieve this we are using a set of Houdini tools called ''Kismet''. These tools procedurally create a hand drawn inkline look. They will be used extensively to help define the look of environments as well as being applied to animated characters.

What will inkline artists do specifically?

Roughly there will be 2 types of inkline tasks:

1: Manual placement and adjustment of lines on characters faces and hands. This will involve moving lines around to adjust for animation and match a design. This type of effect was done on the first film

for reference see:

https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/ink-lines-and-machine-learning/

We have improved our tools for generating this type of linework; so we think this will take a smaller portion of our time.

2:Procedural generation of linework - this is a new approach to creating linework on 3d geometry. This involved loading a 3d model and generating linework in order to make the model look hand drawn. Artists will not manually adjust or create drawings. Instead they will tune controls on the tool that change the look of the linework. For example, settings such as number of lines, orientation, thickness etc.... Artists will then work with the supervisor to achieve the creative goal of the shot or sequence.

What skills are we looking for?

We need people with a great creative eye. Our end goal is to match the look of hand drawn art. That's why we're looking for artists with a background in drawing! Having a fine art or drawing background would be a huge advantage when trying to match the aesthetic style - especially anything in the style of comic books!

Are we only looking for Houdini artists?

Not necessarily. We would prefer to crew artists that have some very basic Houdini training. Having said that, if we find artists that have a proven creative background, we are willing to train them in the Houdini skills required to be a productive member of the inklines team. We would rather teach technical skills than creative ones. However, we would like artists that are open to picking up technical knowledge. Although this is a creative role, we expect a willingness to embrace new technology.

What's so great about this role?

We'll be doing something truly new and groundbreaking (how often do we get a chance to do that?!) You won't be alone! You'll be part of a team of artists using the same tools. You'll have plenty of support and guidance.

Qualifications:

Attention to detail and a strong eye of behavior and movement relating to physical simulation in computer graphics. Working knowledge of Houdini and Linux based operating system. Prior feature films or equivalent experience and are comfortable working within an FX pipeline. Familiarity with Katana, Nuke and python a plus.

Please note that you must be able to provide a demo reel that illustrates your relevant artistic and technical experience that also includes the nuances for this specific role.

We value unique perspectives, and want diverse, unique talent to work with us. We encourage candidates from all identities to apply.
*Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r7j736-3-147-65-65-42 in your application.