UK Only | Mid Blender Lighting and Compositing Artist

Vfxwire; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Winner of Broadcast Best Places toWork

Inclusive self-funded shorts programme

Social events

Bi-monthly feedback programme

Benefits package

Online wellbeing programme

Profit share

Job summary

Blue Zoo is seeking a Blender Lighting and Compositing Artist to shape mood and atmosphere for our characterful animations. You will create lighting, refine colours in compositing and balance top quality with deadline delivery.

You should have strong Blender experience in lighting, rendering and shading for stylised animation, and a good grasp of the 3D production pipeline. The role emphasizes collaboration, problem solving and time management, with flexible working supported.

Qualifications

• Proficient in Blender for lighting, rendering and compositing.
• Strong understanding of lighting principles for stylised animation.
• Knowledge of shading and 3D production pipeline.

Responsibilities

• Use lighting setups in Blender to match a creative brief, adjusting light types, intensities and colour.
• Tweak light rigs, render set-ups and compositing templates to achieve the required look.
• Monitor renders to stay within render time budgets.
• Collaborate across departments to address production challenges and communicate clearly.
• Troubleshoot errors and address notes efficiently.
• Manage time to meet shot deadlines and flag delays early.
• Take direction and implement feedback with a solution-focused mindset.

Skills

Blender lighting

Compositing

Rendering principles

Shading

3D production pipeline

Flow/Shotgrid

Teamwork

Problem solving

Time management

Tools

Blender

Flow/Shotgrid

Job description

About The Role

Our Blender Lighting and Compositing Artists (“L&C”) are wonderful visual storytellers. They define the mood and atmosphere of our narratives, and highlight the charming details of our characters, props and environments. They are the savants of light, colour and creative problem solving.

Your day-to-day will focus on creating the lighting, finessing the colours in compositing, whilst always maintaining the right balance between the highest quality and meeting deadlines.

• Use lighting setups in Blender to match a specific creative brief or vision, including adjusting light types, intensities and colour
• 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
• Collaborate across departments to address production challenges, clearly communicating with teammates both within and outside of L&C to move projects forward
• Problem solving to fix errors and glitches and addressing notes efficiently
• Manage your time effectively to meet shot deadlines, proactively flagging any potential delays with your Creative Lead and Production as early as possible
• Take direction constructively and implement feedback from your Creative Lead or Director with a positive, solution-focused mindset

About You

• Strong understanding and knowledge of Blender for lighting, rendering & compositing
• Previous experience as a Blender L&C Artist on an animation production
• 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
• Technical understanding of biassed rendering to optimise sampling, making your renders efficient and avoiding noise and artefacts
• An understanding of colour theory, aesthetics and composition
• 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
• Demonstrable experience of being a team player and a great collaborator
• Ability to receive and act on feedback and respond to direction
• Excellent time management and prioritising skills
• Ability and drive to share your knowledge and skills with other team members
• Excellent creative problem-solving skills
• Experience using Flow/Shotgrid
• 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’ve got for you:

• Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 & 2026.
• Inclusive self-funded shorts programme.
• Many fun in person and remote social events throughout the year.
• Bi-monthly employee feedback and engagement programme.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including loads of discounts and offers.
• Online wellbeing programme.
• Profit share (for 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 .