Lead Lighting Artist – Animation & VFX

BranchFactor; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NAS benefits

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

BranchFactor in Sydney, Australia, seeks a Lighting Supervisor for our upcoming animated feature. You will lead the lighting team, shaping shot lighting to realize the cinematic vision and ensuring robustness for compositing and final delivery.

The role requires extensive feature animation/VFX lighting experience, a strong reel, and proficiency with Maya, Katana, Houdini, Arnold, and RenderMan. Dallas-style? (Note: text translated to maintain style.)

Qualifications

• Significant experience as a Lighting Artist in feature animation, VFX, or high‑end series, including time in a Lead or Supervisory role.
• A strong reel demonstrating high-quality lighting and rendering, with a deep understanding of color, mood, and cinematic storytelling.
• Proficiency with industry-standard lighting and rendering tools (e.g., Maya, Katana, Houdini, and renderers such as Arnold, RenderMan, or similar)
• Strong understanding of how lighting interacts with Modeling, Surfacing, FX, CFX, Matte Painting, Compositing, and Rendering within a production pipeline
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to give clear, constructive feedback and collaborate effectively across departments
• Strong organizational and problem‑solving skills

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of lighting artists, casting work appropriately and providing clear, constructive feedback in dailies and reviews
• Collaborate with the VFX Supervisor, Head of Cinematography, Lighting, Production Designer, and Art Directors to establish the lighting style, color palette, and quality bar for the show
• Supervise the lighting of shots and sequences, ensuring that lighting choices support story, performance, and visual continuity
• Create or refine selected key lighting shots or setups as needed—particularly complex, hero, or reference‑setting work—to help establish the quality bar, style, and technical approach for the team
• Work closely with Surfacing, FX, CFX, Matte Painting, and Compositing teams to ensure assets and renders are prepared and integrated efficiently into the lighting workflow
• Help define and refine lighting tools, rigs, templates, and workflows in partnership with Technical Supervisors, TDs, and pipeline teams
• Provide input to Production Management and department leadership on lighting complexity and progress to support realistic planning and prioritization
• Troubleshoot technical and artistic challenges in lighting, collaborating on solutions that maintain quality while meeting schedule needs
• Help foster a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative team culture where artists can do their best work

Skills

Leadership

Mentorship

Team collaboration

Communication

Problem-solving

Organizational skills

Tools

Maya

Katana

Houdini

Arnold

RenderMan

Job description

BranchFactor in Sydney, Australia, seeks a Lighting Supervisor for our upcoming animated feature. You will lead the lighting team, shaping shot lighting to realize the cinematic vision and ensuring robustness for compositing and final delivery.

The role requires extensive feature animation/VFX lighting experience, a strong reel, and proficiency with Maya, Katana, Houdini, Arnold, and RenderMan. Dallas-style? (Note: text translated to maintain style.)