FX TD

Framestore VR Studio; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Framestore is seeking an FX Technical Director in the UK to create CG renditions of naturalistic and magical phenomena for high-end films. You will lead simulations and collaborate with lighting and compositing to deliver stunning visuals.

Ideal candidates bring expert Houdini and Maya knowledge, strong scripting, and experience leading FX teams through complex pipelines. Passion for cutting-edge FX and clear communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Excellent Houdini knowledge and Maya proficiency.
• Strong scripting and programming ability.
• Experience leading FX teams on large projects.

Responsibilities

• Creating particle, rigid-body, soft-body, fluid, cloth, fur and/or hair simulations or animations
• Applying lighting and shaders to produce the final rendered image or passing the simulation on to a Lighting Technical Director
• Using a variety of commercial and proprietary FX tools, including Houdini as the primary FX package
• Working in partnership with other departments to ensure that shots are delivered to the highest possible standard
• Leading and working within the team to determine the various design solutions needed to create the effects
• Designing and creating images, elements, effects, pipelines, tools and techniques
• Helping to design solutions involving a more procedural approach in order to create the effects required
• Producing reviewable composites of all FX elements for a shot. Sometimes, FX TDs will be expected to produce final renders too

Skills

Houdini

Maya

Python scripting

FX pipeline

Team leadership

Tools

Nuke

Job description

Please Note: Due to contract lengths, we can only consider UK based candidates

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

The Role
As AN FX Technical Director at Framestore you'll be tasked with creating CG renditions of naturalistic physical or magical phenomena. You'll bring to life the wonder of visual effects in high-end films.

Responsibilities:

• Creating particle, rigid-body, soft-body, fluid, cloth, fur and/or hair simulations or animations
• Applying lighting and shaders to produce the final rendered image or passing the simulation on to a Lighting Technical Director
• Using a variety of commercial and proprietary FX tools, including Houdini as the primary FX package
• Working in partnership with other departments to ensure that shots are delivered to the highest possible standard
• Leading and working within the team to determine the various design solutions needed to create the effects
• Designing and creating images, elements, effects, pipelines, tools and techniques
• Helping to design solutions involving a more procedural approach in order to create the effects required
• Producing reviewable composites of all FX elements for a shot. Sometimes, FX TDs will be expected to produce final renders too

Requirements

Essential Skills:

• An excellent knowledge of Houdini and working knowledge of Maya
• Excellent soft skills and communication skills within a team environment.
• Passion to create cutting edge FX work & push technically & creatively what can be achieved.
• A thorough understanding of the techniques and technologies relating to FX simulation and procedural animation
• Previous experience producing effects such as smoke, fire, clouds, water, steam and explosions in addition to simulation techniques for rigid-bodies, cloth and hair
• A good understanding of animation and an eye for motion, understanding what makes a shot work from an FX perspective
• A working knowledge of modern rendering techniques
• A good understanding of the entire visual effects processA familiarity with pipeline issues, especially working between multiple packages and formats including Alembic & USD.
• A working knowledge of at least one compositing application (e.g. Nuke) and a solid understanding of the compositing process
• Strong hscript, Vex and/or Python scripting skills
• Experience in leading a team of FX artists

Desirable Skills:

• A background in both film and commercials FX production
• Knowledge in other simulation packages such as Maya/Bifrost
• Experience within large scale studio pipelines & working with automation systems
• Programming skills with C/C++ along with knowledge of the Houdini HDK and/or Maya API
• Python and Unix shell scripting
• Experience with other modern render packages

Our Commitment

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.