Senior Layout TD

framestore; City of Melbourne; Remote; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Framestore is seeking a Senior Layout Technical Director in Australia to build and maintain shot layouts for animation, ready for the Animation department. This 6‑month contract offers remote eligibility within the same time zone to support fast turnarounds and collaboration with the wider team.

You will oversee camera and asset staging, previs/postvis ingestion, and conformance setup, while mentoring junior artists and ensuring a coherent pipeline across sequences.

Qualifications

• Strong Maya knowledge with problem‑solving and VFX pipeline understanding.
• Knowledge of Houdini.
• Attention to detail and proactive issue resolution.
• Experience in sequence and shot composition.
• Understanding of cinematography in a virtual environment.
• Knowledge of practical cameras and techniques.
• Ability to work under pressure on short turnarounds.
• Able to take direction and feedback from supervisor.

Responsibilities

• Camera/assets staging/blocking.
• Overseeing Previs and Postvis ingestion.
• Set up and maintenance of Conforms.
• Restaging of cameras and assets.
• Element lists maintenance for animation.
• Overseeing Motion Capture ingestion/distribution.
• Providing support for junior artists.

Skills

Maya

Houdini

Sequence composition

Camera techniques

Problem solving

Under pressure

Feedback orientation

Communication skills

Organization skills

Python scripting

Mel scripting

Tools

Mel scripting

Python scripting

Job description

A multi Oscar-winning creative studio, we have worked with some of the greatest storytellers in film today. Collaborating with directors and producers across the complete filmmaking process to help design, plan and create beautiful images, we focus on finding innovative creative solutions to support their vision and set new standards for visual effects in cinema.

Who Are We

Framestore combines talent and technology to bring life to everything we create, whether in film, episodic, advertising or immersive experiences. Driven by creativity and inspired by the future, we set out every day to reframe the possible.

About the role

The Senior Layout TD is responsible for building/maintaining all elements that make up a shot so as to make it ready for the Animation department. This layout is used to setup/pre-visualise shots correctly before the beginning of animation and allow downstream CG departments to use as the foundation for shot construction. This is a 6-month contract with ideal ASAP start, and we’re open to remote candidates within the same or a similar time zone.

• Camera/assets staging/blocking
• Overseeing Previs and Postvis ingestion
• Set up and maintenance of Conforms
• Restaging of cameras and assets when needed
• Element lists maintenance for animation
• Overseeing Motion Capture Ingestion/distribution
• Providing support for more junior artists

Essential skills:

• Strong Maya knowledge with excellent problem-solving skills and a solid understanding of the visual effects pipeline
• Knowledge of Houdini
• Good attention to detail and a proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues in order to maintain continuity within the sequence
• Strong demonstrable experience in sequence and shot composition
• Good working knowledge of cinematography in a virtual environment
• Excellent understanding of practical cameras and camera techniques
• Excellent technical problem solving skills
• Ability to work under pressure on potentially short turnaround times
• Ability to take direction and feedback well from a supervisor

Desirable skills :

• Previous experience of scene layout to match previz or storyboard reference
• Previous experience in camera tracking and animation blocking is advantageous
• Basic Mel and Python scripting is ideal but not required
• Organisation skills and able to create tidy scenes for use in the rest of the pipeline
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent organisation skills
• Experience in using Dynamixyz or similar facial tracking software

Framestore is proud to employ extraordinary talent across all genders, races, nationalities, religions, ages, abilities and sexual preferences. We aim to encourage and support all of our current and future employees to achieve their potential. No job applicant will receive less favourable treatment on any basis when applying for a career with us.