Digital Matte Painter - Lead (Expression of Interest)

Position: Digital Matte Painter - Lead

Hiring Range: $135,000 to $140,000/year for a 40 hour work week

Project Contract: TBC

Company Benefits: Extended healthcare from day 1, premiums 100% covered by Image Engine, up to 8 paid Health and Wellness days per year.

*Candidates are required to be based in British Columbia and eligible to work in Canada*

ABOUT IMAGE ENGINE

Image Engine is a world-class VFX studio based in Vancouver, BC, that has built a reputation for excellence in the visual effects industry since 1995. We specialize in crafting stunning visual effects for feature films and television with an award-winning portfolio that includes The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, Game Of Thrones, Lost in Space, Jurassic World, and District 9.

We offer a full range of visual effects services, from concept designs and pre-visualization to CG animation, compositing, and explosive volumetric digital effects. Our crew is passionate about storytelling and pushing the artistic and technical boundaries to deliver the highest quality work on every project. R&D is central to our philosophy of driving creativity through innovation and we're committed to continually evolving our robust production pipelines.

At Image Engine, we value diversity and teamwork, and we're proud to foster a workplace culture that is supportive, respectful, and empowering. We believe that our success is a reflection of our exceptionally talented team, and we're always looking for passionate and dedicated individuals to join us on our mission to create unforgettable visual experiences. Join our team and be part of something extraordinary.

POSITION PURPOSE

Our Matte Painting team is growing! We’re on the search for a talented Lead Digital Matte Painter that can lead one or more of our visual effects projects working under the direction of team Supervisors and the Head of DMP. While working on shots, you will be the go-to person when the Supervisors aren’t available, working with other members of the team and assisting production with any questions. The ideal person will have a good mix of strong creative and technical thinking with a positive, upbeat attitude and great work ethic.

The DMP Lead will also contribute to the overall operation and improvement of the DMP team by setting and maintaining department standards. This will include, but will not be limited to engaging in cross-department communication, flagging/providing solutions to critical issues, documentation, taking part in interviews and participating in the buddy system for new employees to help them quickly understand our pipeline. In addition, the Lead will develop new processes and stay up to date on innovative technologies to keep the Matte Painting team on the cutting edge. 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Receive creative feedback from Supervisors and translate it into more specific and technical notes for the artists when required.


• Create photo-real environments with minimal supervision and within the studio pipeline


• Help facilitate and determine the broad technical and creative approach, in conjunction with the Head of DMP among various approaches from 2D, 2.5D, and 3D to meet the show requirements.


• Communicate successes and challenges faced by the team to the Head of DMP.


• Overcome technical issues (day to day problem solving) in conjunction with the show supervisors.


• Work with our production team to effectively schedule and cast the work to the strengths of the individuals in the Matte Painting team.


• Communicate well with all members of the Matte Painting, Production and Supervision teams.


• Promote interdepartmental collaboration.


• Assist members of the Matte Painting team to learn and grow their skills to meet their career aspirations.


• Work with R&D and the Leads and Supervisors of other shows to guide the overall approach to Matte Painting work at Image Engine


• Attend dailies, reviews, and team meetings as required


• Work with a team of artists in a hands-on capacity to ensure technically and artistically proper implementation seamless photo-real elements


• Ability to balance quick turnaround while achieving a high degree of aesthetic quality

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• 7+ years’ of Digital Matte Painting experience on high end feature films


• Experience leading teams 


• Demonstrated proficiency in creating photo-realistic environments with a strong sense of composition, photography, design and attention to detail


• Experience in concept art


• Strong knowledge of 3D workflow, including Asset Modeling, Lookdev, Scene Assembly, Shading, Lighting, and Rendering.


• Knowledge of traditional art skills and techniques: composition, color, lighting, depth, drawing, painting, and photography

• Ability to balance quick turnaround while achieving a high degree of aesthetic quality

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Technical skills

• Experience solving technical issues with complex 3D scenes and Nuke scenes, including render optimization


• Ability to train and coach artists in Matte Painting techniques and studio workflows


• Exceptional knowledge in Photoshop, Nuke and Maya with all aspects of 2.5D and 3D projection work.


• Strong knowledge of 3D workflow, including Asset Modeling, Lookdev, Scene Assembly, Shading, Lighting, and Rendering


• Good use of deep comp


• Good knowledge in Arnold Renderer


• Knowledge on other 3D software (Blender, Zbrush, Unreal Engine, Houdini, Terrain generation softwares such as Gaea, World creator,and photogrammetry softwares…)is a plus but not accentual


• Ability to come up with creative and efficient rendering solutions


• Excellent attention to detail when finalizing, approving or QCing work

Core skills

• Ability to troubleshoot and deal with competing priorities and projects


• Ability to assist in bidding, determining the timeframe and scope required for each task.


• Capable of managing a team of artists; setting expectations, and managing their time


• Ability to assess artist’s strengths and weaknesses to assign tasks and manage workflow


• Ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and applications


• Ability to teach new techniques and apply new approaches and solutions


• Strong leadership skills


• Excellent time management and communication skills