Senior Lighting TD — Photoreal VFX & Rendering Expert

Placements24; Mbombela (Nelspruit); On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Lighting Technical Director for our visual effects studio in Nelspruit. You will lead lighting workflows for feature films and animation, collaborating with art directors to achieve photorealistic mood and scene composition.

You will optimize render settings, troubleshoot rendering pipelines, and mentor junior artists while advancing lighting tools and shaders using Maya, Houdini, Arnold, V-Ray, or RenderMan. This full-time role offers growth and health benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years of experience as a Lighting TD or Senior Lighting Artist in VFX or animation.
• Expert proficiency in Maya, Houdini, Arnold, V-Ray, RenderMan.
• Strong understanding of cinematography, color theory, and composition.
• Experience with scripting languages like Python or MEL for tool development.
• Knowledge of shaders, textures, and 3D modeling principles.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities and strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain lighting setups and workflows for feature films and animated projects.
• Collaborate with art directors to achieve mood, atmosphere, and visual quality.
• Optimize lighting scenes and render settings for efficiency and quality.
• Troubleshoot and resolve rendering, shader, and pipeline issues.
• Create and manage lighting assets, including shaders and tools.
• Mentor and guide junior lighting artists and TDs.

Skills

Lighting workflows

Scripting (Python/MEL)

Cinematography & color theory

Mentorship

Maya/Houdini/RenderMan

Tools

Maya

Houdini

Arnold

V-Ray

RenderMan

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Lighting Technical Director for our visual effects studio in Nelspruit. You will lead lighting workflows for feature films and animation, collaborating with art directors to achieve photorealistic mood and scene composition.

You will optimize render settings, troubleshoot rendering pipelines, and mentor junior artists while advancing lighting tools and shaders using Maya, Houdini, Arnold, V-Ray, or RenderMan. This full-time role offers growth and health benefits.