ILM hiring Junior Crowd Technical Director, California

Festybay; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 67,900 - 86,900; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Disney 'Cast Member' perks

Job summary

A leading visual effects studio in San Francisco is seeking a Junior Crowd Technical Director to enhance cinematic environments by choreographing crowd motion. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 2+ years of VFX experience, with robust knowledge of Houdini and proficiency in Linux. This role offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits, including performance bonuses and Disney perks, in a diverse and collaborative work environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of relevant VFX experience or at least 3 years of professional VFX experience.
• Strong foundational knowledge of Houdini and crowd-specific toolsets.
• Proficiency in Linux as the primary operating system.

Responsibilities

• Choreograph crowd motion and behavior in shots.
• Assist in developing and refining Houdini workflows.
• Identify and resolve technical bugs within the crowd pipeline.

Skills

Houdini proficiency

Python scripting

Animation knowledge

Linux proficiency

Observational skills

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Graphics or related field

Tools

Houdini

Maya

Job description

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a global leader in visual effects and a subsidiary of Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company, is seeking a Junior Crowd Technical Director (TD) to join our San Francisco studio. This role focuses on bringing life to large‑scale cinematic environments, choreographing the motion of thousands of agents to create realistic, dynamic crowds in movie production.

Industrial Light & Magic provides a competitive compensation package for this position. Base salary is 67,900 – 86,900 USD annually, with eligibility for performance‑based bonuses and long‑term incentive units, along with comprehensive medical, dental, vision, 401(k), life and disability insurance and Disney “Cast Member” perks.

Shot Production and Choreography

• Behavior Animation: Choreograph crowd motion and behavior in entry‑level shots, ensuring characters avoid obstacles, interact logically, and follow scene flow.
• Motion Blending: Manage animation cycles, creating blending motions to guarantee smooth transitions between actions such as walking to running.
• Visual Diversity: Use motion libraries and character variations to avoid repetition, varying heights, clothing colors, and animation offsets.

Technical Pipeline Development

• Houdini Workflow: Assist in developing and refining Houdini workflows, creating and modifying Digital Assets (HDAs) for use by the broader crowd team.
• Troubleshooting: Identify and resolve technical bugs within the crowd pipeline, ensuring accurate data transfer from animation to lighting and rendering departments.
• Scripting: Support automation of tasks using Houdini/VEX or Python to increase department efficiency.

Team Collaboration and Communication

• Cross‑Discipline Synergy: Communicate with rigging, animation, and compositing artists to ensure crowd assets are integrated correctly.
• Dailies and Feedback: Attend daily production meetings, present progress, and quickly apply constructive artistic and technical feedback from supervisors.
• Knowledge Sharing: Document new processes and share findings with the wider team.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Graphics, Traditional Animation, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Professional Background: Minimum of 2 years of relevant VFX experience with a related degree, or at least 3 years of professional VFX experience in a production environment.
• Houdini Proficiency: Strong foundational knowledge of Houdini and its crowd‑specific toolsets (State Machines, Agent nodes, etc.).
• OS Environment: Proficiency in Linux, the primary operating system for our production pipeline.
• Cinematic Eye: Deep understanding of composition, weight, and timing to achieve film‑quality simulations.

Preferred “Nice to Have” Skills

• Scripting: Proficiency in VEX (Houdini’s language) or Python for tool creation.
• Secondary Simulations: Experience with cloth or hair simulations for crowd agents.
• Animation Knowledge: Working knowledge of Maya and character rigging; ability to understand how skeletal data affects crowd agents.
• Observational Skills: Keen eye for natural human movement, flocking, and group dynamics.

Diversity and Equal Opportunity

ILM and The Walt Disney Company are committed to creating a diverse environment. Lucasfilm is an equal‑opportunity employer and we do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability.