Senior Houdini Lighting TD Expression of Interest

Framestore Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading visual effects studio in London is seeking a Senior Lighting Technical Director to work on projects in advertising and episodic productions. The role involves lighting shots, collaborating with CG teams, and ensuring high-quality results. Candidates should have strong skills in Houdini and lighting techniques, as well as excellent communication abilities. This position offers a dynamic work environment and the opportunity to engage in creatively challenging projects.

Qualifications

• Previous experience with shot look development.
• Excellent knowledge of Houdini and lighting techniques.
• Good understanding of colour-space and how to tweak shots.

Responsibilities

• Assemble CG scenes with the correct assets.
• Lighting shots as briefed by supervisors.
• Develop shots in collaboration with the compositor.

Skills

Experience with shot look development

Excellent knowledge of Houdini

Strong knowledge of lighting techniques

Excellent organization and communication skills

Reliable with good timekeeping

Tools

Houdini

Nuke

Arnold renderer

Linux/Unix-based operating systems

Job description

Please be aware when applying that this role will be based in our London office for a minimum of 2 days a week so applicants must be within a commutable distance and be in or have right to work in the UK. We are looking for candidates with availability ASAP until the end of the year.

Framestore brings together world-class producers, artists, and technologists to craft visually striking work across advertising, episodic, and immersive productions. Our teams blend creative ingenuity with cutting-edge technology to deliver high-end visual effects, immersive storytelling, and premium content for global clients, brands, and broadcasters.

Framestore combines talent and technology to bring life to everything we create. Driven by creativity and inspired by the future, we set out every day to reframe the possible.

The Role

Our London team are looking for senior level Houdini Lighting Technical Directors for exciting projects within our Advertising, Episodic and Immersive team. This is a great opportunity to work directly with the wider CG teams at Framestore on very exciting projects! We are primarily looking for artists with experience in both Lighting and Look Dev within Houdini.

Responsibilities

• CG scene assembly including the correct assets from applicable departments
• Lighting shots as briefed by the Visual Effects/CG Supervisor or Sequence Lead
• Working closely with CG Supervisors to determine the best approach to solving CG challenges and developing the final look
• Developing shots in collaboration with the shot Compositor
• Rendering non-lighting passes as required by the shot Compositor
• Creating lighting setups and/or working with current setups
• Creating efficient rendering setups to optimise render farm usage
• Scrutinising the colours and directions of all light sources in the real-world scene and replicating them in CG
• Staying on schedule and meeting set deadlines while maintaining the highest levels of quality
• Ongoing communication with Production and leads regarding schedules and deadlines
• Other duties as required include wrangling assets or elements of a shot from another department to ensure shots are completed to schedule

Essential Skills

• Previous experience with shot look development
• An excellent knowledge of Houdini
• A good understanding of colour-space
• A strong knowledge of lighting techniques
• A basic knowledge of Nuke or similar compositing package, including how to use layers and passes to tweak a shot after it has been rendered
• Good knowledge of other disciplines within VFX including simulation, Modeling and UV mapping, Texturing and Camera Tracking
• Excellent organisation, communication and interpersonal skills
• Creative problem-solving and attention to detail
• Able to work well under pressure and meet deadlines while maintaining high-quality results
• Able to work successfully as part of a team as well as independently
• Reliable, with good timekeeping and the ability to meet deadlines
• Flexible and adaptable with the ability to work within a pre-set workflow or pipeline but also have the creativity and problem-solving skills to work around issues
• Extensive knowledge of Arnold or similar production renderer
• Basic knowledge of physically plausible shading techniques
• Basic knowledge of Python and/or Mel scripting
• A strong understanding of Linux/Unix-based operating systems

Desirable Skills

• Experience with digital paint software such as Photoshop and/or Mari
• Experience working with effects elements and volume rendering
• Knowledge and experience in other render packages
• Knowledge and experience in Compositing and Nuke
• Experience and knowledge in Modeling and Texturing

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.

Application Process

To apply, please complete the linked application form or if you are unable to do so submit your resume and portfolio to [e-mail] with the subject line: Senior Lighting TD - London.

Application Deadline

Due to the project, this role is currently only open to those in the UK or with the right to work in the UK. Please apply if you have availability between now and the end of the year.