Mid Lighting and Compositing Artist

Blue Zoo; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working policy

Remote working options

Career development & mentoring

Gym memberships & discounts

Studio space in London & meals

Job summary

Blue Zoo is seeking an experienced Lighting & Compositing Artist to craft lighting scenes in Maya, composite in Nuke, and deliver high-quality animation shots on time. You will refine renders, manage lighting rigs, and collaborate with a cross-functional team to meet creative briefs and production deadlines.

Candidates should bring strong knowledge of lighting, 3D rendering, colour theory, and compositing, with a proactive, problem-solving mindset and meticulous attention to detail.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of lighting principles and how light supports a creative brief, especially in stylised animation.
• Technical understanding of lighting in 3D rendering using Maya and a render engine like Redshift.
• Understanding of biased rendering to optimise sampling and reduce noise/artifacts.
• Understanding of colour theory, aesthetics and composition.
• Knowledge of utility passes (Z, Position, Normals) and compositing in Nuke.
• Familiarity with camera depth of field and production pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Create lighting scenes in Maya using assets from animation and effects teams, then composite in Nuke to finalise shots.
• Adjust light rigs, render setups and compositing templates to achieve the desired look.
• Monitor render times to stay within budgets and schedules.
• Collaborate with Team Lead and Lighting & Compositing Supervisor throughout production.
• Manage your time to meet shot deadlines and address feedback efficiently.

Skills

Lighting principles

Maya

Nuke

Color theory

Camera depth of field

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Attention to detail

Independence

Tools

Maya

Nuke

Redshift

Job description

About The Role

Our L&C artists are masters of mood, light and detail. Their day-to-day focuses on tailored render layers, artful colour grading and production deadlines, whilst meeting that all important brief from our Directors and Clients. They are also great collaborators, working as a team to share and develop their technical and artistic skills to deliver high quality content for our audiences.

Please note that this vacancy can close early if we receive a high number of applications.

Day to Day

• Creating lighting scenes in Maya with assets from the animation and effects departments and then compositing these rendered shots in Nuke to create the final shot.
• Tweaking provided light rigs, render set-ups and compositing templates to achieve the required look of your shot.
• Monitoring your renders to ensure they are within a given render time budget.
• Working as part of a team of lighting and compositing artists, and regularly communicating with your Team Lead and the Lighting & Compositing Supervisor.
• Managing your time efficiently to meet the deadlines of your assigned shots.
• Problem solving to fix errors and glitches and addressing notes efficiently.

Must Have

• Knowledge of lighting principles and how light is used to meet a creative brief, especially in stylised animation.
• Technical understanding of how lighting works in 3D rendering - different types of lights, render setups, physically based rendering, ray tracing and global illumination - using Maya and a render engine comparable to Redshift.
• Technical understanding of biased rendering to optimise sampling, making your renders efficient and avoiding noise and artefacts.
• An understanding of colour theory, aesthetics and composition.
• Technical understanding of utility passes (Z, Position and Normals) and how they are used in compositing using Nuke.
• Understanding of camera depth of field.
• Problem solving skills to find the best approach to meeting the brief as well as troubleshooting issues and asking questions if unsure.
• Having an eye for detail for scrutinising final shots for any errors or inconsistencies.
• Good communication and being a team player, sharing your knowledge and skills with other team members.
• Able to respond positively to feedback.
• Working independently. Being diligent, taking initiative and being reliable.
• Being organised and managing your time efficiently.
• Previous experience as a L&C Artist on an animation production

Bonus Points

• Knowledge of Python scripting
• Knowledge of After Effects
• Experience using FTrack
• Knowledge of shading
• Understanding of a 3D production pipeline

About Us

Blue Zoo is a leading animation studio in the UK, with a world-class reputation as the go-to place for creating bold, fun and characterful animation. Established in London in 2000, the studio has grown to become the largest dedicated CG animation studio in the UK, picking up a shelf full of BAFTAs, an Annie and an Emmy along the way!

We couldn’t be prouder that Blue Zoo is the first major animation studio in the world to receive B Corp certification. We’ve been independently certified by B Lab, a non-profit organisation who award the B Corp certification. The certification verifies companies who are working to improve the lives of employees as well as industries as a whole. The certification process involves over 170 rigorous metrics to improve the lives of our staff, customers, suppliers, and the local community, ensuring we are not just saying we are ethical with empty gestures, but independently evidencing it.

We are going through an exciting period of growth and are building a studio that is full of amazingly talented, happy artists, making work they are proud of, which in turn makes a small contribution to a happier world. Blue Zoo believes that a healthy balance in our lives - whatever our situation - is key to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We offer flexible working to support this.

We look for people who have expertise, enthusiasm and are motivated to make things better. You’ll work alongside a talented and diverse group of people who respect each other's differences and seek to understand and embrace fresh perspectives.

What we offer

• Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 & 2026.
• Flexible and remote working policy
• Play a role in our Inclusive Blue Zoo Shorts Programme
• Many in-person and remote social events throughout the year
• Career development opportunities including training. Mentoring and more.
• Quarterly employee feedback and engagement programme
• Benefits package including cycle to work scheme, gym memberships, shopping discounts and offers
• Great studio space in the heart of London
• Studio lunches plus breakfasts and healthy snacks
• Profit share (for UK employees who have been with us for 2+ years)

Blue Zoo is committed to creating and nurturing an inclusive studio that promotes and values diversity and invites everyone to ‘bring their whole selves’ to work. We believe that companies that truly embrace and value diversity, and create an environment where everyone from any background can do their best work, are better companies.

To be engaged our people have to feel included and valued. We work hard to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is embedded in the way we work, not just an initiative. We strive to engender a studio community that feels a deep sense of pride and commitment that transcends any role, department or level and works together to produce excellent and engaging work.