Character / Creature Supervisor

Job Description

The Mill is a global creative partner for agencies, production companies and brands, working across all media channels and platforms.

We are trusted specialists in visual effects, creative technologies and content production Our projects include the creation of digital products and virtual experiences, as well as world class visual effects and video production.

We are a vibrant network of talented artists, producers, directors and creative technologists from multinational backgrounds. We nurture innovation, flexibility and diverse ideas across our studios in London, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Berlin and Bangalore. We are all united by one single ambition: To create extraordinary and memorable work that captivates and excites audiences.

We are The Mill. We create the extraordinary.

The Character/Creature Supervisor's main responsibilities are based around creating and/or overseeing the execution of highly detailed character and creature models, including UVs. From stylized characters to anatomically realistic humans, facial modeling, and FACS blendshapes are all tasks that the supervisor would perform when on the box. The Character/Creature Supervisor will also work closely with the modeling team in Los Angeles to perform casual as well as organized teaching/mentorship, helping others with workflows, and providing feedback and guidance on their work. Collaboration, mentorship, and advisement extends beyond Los Angeles to the artists and teams in The Mill's global sites in order to foster an environment of shared knowledge, talent, and workflows. A continued push for increased artistic and technical quality/expertise within a collaborative team is highly valued and encouraged.

The modeling department is responsible for most asset work from initial model creation/ingestion through to texturing and in some cases even lookdev. Asset categories includes characters (creatures, bipeds, humans), organic surfaces and hard surface assets. The Character/Creature Supervisor has an expertise in best practices and techniques for creating clean and efficient geometry for varying target outputs (i.e. rigging, simulation, photorealistic rendering as well as realtime game engines). The Character/Creature Supervisor will work with the Modeling Department Supervisor, VFX Supervisors, and CG Leads to ensure that assets are being created properly within studio pipeline as well as meeting the needs for specific projects and client needs. Continued collaboration with other department supervisors on workflows and pipeline is also expected.

Responsibilities
• Create high quality models, UVs, sculpts, retopology, blendshapes, textures and lookdev
• Hero Character and Creature modeling, along with occasional hard surface models
• Exceptional understanding of Facial Modeling and FACS blendshapes
• Work efficiently and navigate a fast-paced environment
• Work with the rigging department to ensure that the animators have what they need in the rigs
• Participate in bi-weekly meetings with the Modeling team to continue learning and build team togetherness
• Collaborate with Directors, Creative Directors, VFX Supervisors, and CG Leads to ensure that all work being delivered meets high level expectations and specific project needs.
• Collaborate with Directors, Creative Directors, VFX Supervisors, and CG Leads to ensure that all work being delivered meets high level expectations and specific project needs

Qualifications
• 5+ year experience working in high quality asset creation (modeling, sculpting, uvs, texturing on hero assets from hard surface to characters)
• Proficient in Maya, Zbrush, Mari, Substance Painter
• The ability to texture in Substance Painter and/or Mari is a plus
• Ability to work within a new pipeline and continually look for ways to improve it
• Understanding of Facial Modeling, FACS blendshapes, and Facial Rigging
• Ability to texture is a plus, but not required
• Knowledge of MEL and/or Python for scripting and tool development is a plus, but not required

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d987x7-18-223-171-12-42 in your application.