Paint & Roto Artist

Framestore; Greater London; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Framestore is seeking experienced Paint and Roto Artists to work with Compositors on film visual effects shots, integrating CG and live action elements. You will create roto mattes, remove rigs, and perform frame-by-frame painting to maintain image integrity.

We value knowledge of Nuke, Linux, and Maya, plus MATLAB-like scripting and the ability to estimate shot timelines. Join a collaborative team at Framestore with opportunities to learn new techniques.

Qualifications

• Must have at least 12 months experience in a Paint & Roto position.
• Strong traditional art and design sense including composition and colour.
• Previous use of Nuke.
• Experience with Linux operating systems.
• Understanding of motion blur and its impact on mattes.
• Experience with roto-scoping packages such as Silhouette preferred.
• Desire to learn new techniques and share knowledge with the team.
• Arts/Science degree in moving picture or art related field.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Teamworking abilities.

Responsibilities

• Create roto mattes for Compositors with full understanding of how mattes will be used.
• Use patches and frame-by-frame painting to remove rigs and markers.
• De-grain and re-grain paint work before delivery.
• Understand 3D tracking and create 1, 2 and 4 point tracks.
• Create foreground mattes for Animators to use in Maya.
• Navigate Linux to manage shot directories.
• Reconstruct and create imagery that doesn’t exist.
• Use expressions in Nuke to aid paint work.
• Understand 3D environment in Nuke and use geo data for clean plates and UV projections.
• Estimate time required for paint and roto shots.
• Learn Framestore gizmos and workflows.

Skills

Nuke

Linux

Maya

Python scripting

Framestore gizmos

Teamwork

Communication

Education

Arts or Science degree in moving picture or art related subject

Tools

Maya

Silhouette

Python scripting

Job description

We are looking for experienced Paint and Roto Artists to work closely with Compositors to help them integrate all elements of an image, including CG and live action, to create film visual effects shots.

Responsibilities

• Creating roto mattes for Compositors to use and having a comprehensive understanding of how these mattes will be used.
• Using patches and frame-by-frame painting techniques to remove rigs and tracking markers.
• De-graining and re-graining paint work before it leaves the department.
• Having an understanding of 3D tracking and being able to create 1, 2 and 4 point tracks.
• Creating foreground mattes for Animators to use within Maya.
• Using Linux to navigate around and create shot directories.
• Creating and reconstructing a picture that doesn't exist.
• Using expressions within Nuke to help aid paint work.
• Having an understanding of the 3D environment within Nuke, being able to use geo data to project clean plates and understanding how to use UV projections.
• Being able to accurately bid on how long paint and roto shots will take to complete.
• Learning and developing specific Framestore gizmos and workflows.
• Completing basic composites in Nuke and demonstrating keying, grading, re-timing and screen insertion skills.
• Demonstrating a willingness to learn new techniques and software and to sharing this knowledge with other artists in the department.

Essential Skills

• Must have at least 12 months experience in a Paint & Roto position.
• Traditional art and design skills including a knowledge of composition and colour.
• Previous use of Nuke.
• Prior knowledge of a Linux based operating system.
• An understanding of motion blur and how it affects mattes and patches.
• Prior use of a roto-scoping package, ideally Silhouette.
• A desire to learn new techniques and teach fellow artists.
• An Arts or Science degree in a moving picture or art related subject.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Team-working abilities.
• The ability to take criticism and feedback.
• Good problem solving skills and the ability to work collaboratively with other artists.

Desirable Skills

• Prior experience in a Paint and Roto role.
• 3D Maya interface experience.
• An understanding of Python scripting and how to use this to create and edit Framestore gizmos.
• Planar and point tracking software experience.
• A general understanding of the VFX production and comp workflows.
• A knowledge of photography and practical lighting.