The Senior Lighting Artist is responsible for the lighting and rendering of the most complex, photorealistic elements necessary to complete the visual effects work on a feature animated film. This position requires an eye for photographic nuance, attention to detail and the ability to work collaboratively and creatively in a deadline-driven environment. The Senior Lighting Artist also helps identify, develop and document workflows, tools, and best practices.  

Job Functions

• Engage in sequence and shot lighting looks through realization of production artwork and collaboration with key creative personnel. 
• Translate practical lighting setups from a soundstage to a CG environment utilizing available survey data to create rendered images that meet the creative vision and technical standards of the project. 
• Participate in and/or take ownership of look development of shots and sequences, working with artists across disciplines. 
• Incorporate elements such as characters, digital objects, set extensions and environmental effects into a scene.  
• Provide technical guidance for quality control of other artists’ work, as needed.  
• Support the design, development and delivery of visually creative and technically sound solutions that address the needs of shots and sequences.  
• Collaborate to guide the efforts of other lighting artists working on shots and sequences.  
• Identify areas of industry innovation and help to develop and maintain custom tools, templates, scripts, workflows and documentation for the lighting team; identify productivity improvements in collaboration with artists across disciplines.  
• Collaborate in the training and development of talent, including mentoring new hires, as needed.  
• Meet productivity and quota targets in accordance with schedule and milestones. 

Qualifications 

• 5+ years’ experience lighting high-end photo real VFX for feature films or television. 
• Strong knowledge of lighting principles, tools and workflows.  
• Experience working with Katana, required. 
• Working knowledge of Nuke and compositing principles. 
• Understanding of applicable software and platforms including Maya, Houdini and Renderman. 
• Experience with advanced techniques such as Global Illumination, HDRI, subsurface scattering and real-world lighting set ups. 
• Ability to work efficiently with minimal supervision under tight turnarounds in a multi-tasking environment.  
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse artistic talents within teams and one-on-one.  
• Excellent time management, proactive approach to problem solving, and respect for deadlines. 
• Basic coding skills (Python, Lua) preferred. 

Starts this month. Must reside in BC and legally entitled to work in Canada.