Lead Motion Editor - ILM London

The Walt Disney Company; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company in Greater London is seeking a Lead Motion Editor to elevate motion capture performances. The successful candidate will manage non-destructive retargeting and refinements, mentor junior editors, and evolve workflows. Key tools include Maya and MotionBuilder, with strong attention to detail and communication skills necessary. This hybrid role requires at least 2 days on-site at Lacon House, ensuring collaboration within a dynamic creative team.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in high-end film VFX with an up-to-date showreel.
• Prior experience with Mocap animation and Maya.
• Understanding of the principles of animation.

Responsibilities

• Manage motion transfer smoothly and proficiently.
• Adjust performance non-destructively.
• Enhance animations with character details.
• Blend motions for believable transitions.
• Mentor junior team members and ensure technical excellence.
• Lead projects and handle technical requests.

Skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Collaboration skills

Retargeting techniques

Blending techniques

Problem-solving

Excellent timing

Tools

Maya

MotionBuilder

Blender

Nuance

Vicon Shogun Post

Job description

Position Summary

ILM London is looking for a Lead Motion Editor to join our team based in our Lacon House studio. As the driving spirit behind our motion capture discipline, you won't just be managing data, you'll be the technical heartbeat of our performances and the primary point of contact for a studio that defines the industry. Ready to guide the next generation of cinematic movement?

The Lead Motion Editor will collaborate with the Motion Edit Supervisor and ensure the department is running smoothly. The focus of this role will be to execute non‑destructive retargeting and refinement of realistic motion‑capture data, ensuring all final animations meet top‑tier quality benchmarks.

The successful candidate will demonstrate knowledge about motion blending.

The Lead Motion Editor will focus predominantly on human, props and bipedal characters, extending to quadrupeds when required. The role will be responsible for the development and mentorship of junior team members.

What You’ll Do

• Responsible for transferring motion from a Hierarchy to another (Retargeting) with ease and proficiency.
• Adhering to the performance of the actors and improving/adjusting it in a non‑destructive way.
• Improving the performance by adding fingers/toe/tail animation and body adjustments that include enhancing posture, gesture and weight.
• Blending of motions. Good eye and a good understanding of this workflow to create fluid, believable transitions between distinct animation clips.
• Support junior team members through proactive mentorship, ensuring technical excellence by providing expert troubleshooting and continuous skill development.
• Develop new methodologies, refactoring existing workflows, troubleshooting issues and more.
• Leading the team on projects and helping with technical requests.
• Taking care of dailies when the supervisor is not available.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience in high‑end film VFX and an up‑to‑date showreel.
• Attention to detail and communication skills, coupled with excellent collaborative skills.
• Proficient knowledge about Retargeting and Blending techniques.
• Previous experience using Maya, MotionBuilder, Blender, and/or Nuance with motion‑captured performances.
• Prior experience with Mocap animation and Maya.
• Understanding of the principles of animation.
• Sharp eyes for motion, timing and posture.
• Proactive in problem‑solving, with a keen eye to catch and identify technical issues.
• Background in using Linux and Vicon Shogun Post is a plus.

Benefits

This role is Hybrid, which means the employee will be required to work a minimum of 2 days on‑site per week at a Company designated location, and occasionally from home.