Lead 3D Artist

Squint/Opera; London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative design studio is looking for a Lead 3D Artist to elevate the technical and visual quality of their linear production projects. This role is pivotal in creating stunning high-quality films while optimizing workflows and maintaining standards. With a strong foundation in 3DsMax, Unreal, and Houdini, you will lead a team of talented artists and collaborate with external partners to tackle production challenges. This position offers the opportunity to shape the future of immersive design, ensuring that high-quality standards are not just met but exceeded. If you are passionate about visual storytelling and have a knack for leadership, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in a creative studio environment, especially in 3D.
• Strong understanding of linear production pipelines and workflows.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance and mentorship to the internal 3D team.
• Collaborate with external teams to ensure asset delivery.
• Manage schedules and ensure timely delivery of high-quality assets.

Skills

3DsMax

Unreal Engine

Houdini

Nuke

CAD

Team Leadership

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Art or Design

Tools

Premier

Resolve

Job description

We are seeking a talented Lead 3D Artist to drive the technical and visual quality of our linear production projects, ensuring the creation of visually stunning, high-quality films while optimizing workflows and maintaining technical standards. This role demands a strong understanding of linear production pipelines, particularly in 3DsMax, Unreal, and Houdini, and the ability to seamlessly integrate CAD data into visual productions. Extensive experience working on films within the built environment is essential. You will be a natural leader, capable of inspiring and guiding junior artists, fostering collaboration with external teams, and proactively addressing production challenges. Your expertise in linear production environments and organizational structures will be crucial in achieving exceptional results and establishing high-quality standards across all projects.

Main Responsibilities:

1. Provide technical and artistic guidance, feedback, and mentorship to the internal 3D team
2. Collaborate extensively with external production teams, guaranteeing the provision of all requisite assets and comprehensive support to facilitate production
3. Partner with Production Supervisors to contribute to the refinement of production workflows
4. Identify and escalate potential production issues proactively to mitigate risks
5. Foster a collaborative and supportive team environment
6. Apply a strong understanding of real-world camera systems, including lens behavior, depth of field, exposure, and motion blur, to replicate realistic cinematic effects in 3D visualizations
7. Assess and determine professional development requirements
8. Guide the development of the 3D art pipeline, in conjunction with the Head of Linear Production and Pipeline Technical Director, to guarantee optimal efficiency and uniformity
9. Ensure adherence to technical specifications
10. Partner with project teams to establish artistic direction and technical specifications
11. Manage asset creation schedules and ensure timely delivery of high-quality assets
12. Develop high-caliber three-dimensional assets, environments, props, and visual effects as required
13. Ensure all digital assets conform to established technical specifications and artistic benchmarks
14. Conduct quality assurance procedures and deliver constructive criticism to the team
15. Enhance asset performance and efficiency through optimization
16. Stay up-to-date with the latest 3D art tools, techniques, and trends
17. Resolve technical problems and deliver viable solutions
18. Develop and maintain technical documentation

About you

1. Able to think conceptually and translate ideas into production
2. Adaptable and interested in different styles and techniques of production
3. An understanding of colour pipelines and workflows
4. Proficient in informing and advancing linear production standards and workflows within a broad range of 3D software, especially 3DsMax, Unreal and Houdini
5. Deep understanding of compositing workflows, particularly in Nuke
6. A natural leader who can mentor, inspire and guide more junior members of the team
7. Collaborative and able to work with a variety of teams across a range of disciplines
8. Has the ability to assume ownership and responsibility for the development and utilisation of linear production within the Journey department
9. A skilled communicator both visually and verbally

Skills & Experience

1. Experience working on films within the Built Environment will be required
2. 5+ years experience within a creative studio environment, within the 3D field
3. Extensive experience in linear production across multiple platforms, with a comprehensive understanding of organisational structures within linear production environments
4. Experience in team leadership and collaboration
5. Experience in the short form VFX industry and/or architectural visualisation industry is preferred
6. Experience working with CAD, and the ability to utilise this within visual production is required
7. Experience with Nuke, 3DsMax, Unreal, would be very beneficial
8. Experience with Premier, Houdini and Resolve will be advantageous
9. Working knowledge of real-life camera operations, including framing, focal length, aperture, and other photographic principles would be considered beneficial

Outcomes

1. High quality standards are established and achieved, across all projects they and their team are involved in

About Squint/Opera:

Squint/Opera is Journey’s immersive design studio, bridging the digital and physical worlds through groundbreaking storytelling and emerging technologies such as Unreal Engine and virtual twins.

We’re the innovators behind the Empire State Building Observatory’s digital reinvention, creating over 40 unique exhibits that transform 10,000 square feet into an interactive journey through history and architecture. At Battersea Power Station, we designed Lift 109, an immersive ascent experience that melds cutting-edge animations, interactive elements, and spatial soundscapes to breathe new life into London’s iconic landmark. For Qiddiya City, we pushed the boundaries of virtual production, crafting a revolutionary campaign that ignited global excitement for Saudi Arabia’s visionary sports and entertainment mega-development.

We’re at the forefront of a new era in experiential multidimensional design (MDX) and an integral part of Journey’s Experience Stack. Inspired by the concept of a tech stack, our Experience Stack draws on decades of cumulative expertise from our physical, lighting, live & immersive, and emerging technology studios to produce magical, meaningful, original work. This integration propels our partners into new realms of growth and delivers multidimensional experiences that are not just consumed but that are lived and felt through every dimension of human interaction.

About Journey:

Journey is a global design and innovation studio pioneering multidimensional experiences (MDX) that transform how people perceive, engage, and interact with the world. With studios in New York, London, Miami, and Dubai, we blend strategy, design, technology, and narrative to create sensory-rich journeys that ignite emotion and deepen connections between people, brands, and culture.

Journey was formed in 2022 by visionary leaders who refuse to accept limits. United through the acquisitions of award-winning studios ICRAVE, Squint/Opera, 59, and VMI Studio, together, we form something new: a multidimensional design practice with unparalleled expertise across the physical, immersive, and digital realms.

But we're so much more than a combination of acquisitions; we're a revolutionary framework of layered design capabilities akin to the layers of a technology stack for software companies. Like the best technology stacks, our framework continuously evolves to embrace new capabilities and creative possibilities with the future of the human experience at the forefront. This game-changing framework, the Journey Experience Stack, allows us to design for every touchpoint and create uncommonly cohesive brand universes, drawing on our collective expertise in interior design, lighting design, media design, interactive design, and content creation to deliver industry-first solutions for entertainment, healthcare, retail, hospitality, real estate, and cultural institutions.