Lighting artists are responsible for the lighting and rendering of elements required to complete visual effects shots for high-end photo-realistic VFX films. Working closely with CG Supervisors/Leads, TD’s to determine best approaches to solve technical challenges and develop final look. Lighting artists also work closely with compositors to finish selected shots so that computer generated elements are seamlessly integrated with live-action plates.
Responsibilities:
CG scene assembly including the correct assets from applicable departments
Lighting shots as briefed by the Visual Effects/CG Supervisor
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 set ups and/or working with current set ups
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 including wrangling assets or elements of a shot from another department to ensure shots are completed to schedule.
Essential Skills:
5+ years of live action lighting experience.
Clear understanding of color space, image-based lighting, shading, and advanced rendering methodologies.
A good knowledge of Nuke or similar compositing package
Able to work well under pressure and meet deadlines while maintaining high quality results
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
A thorough knowledge of Maya
Extensive knowledge of either Renderman, Arnold or similar production renderer
Basic knowledge of physically plausible shading techniques
A solid understanding of V-Ray, Arnold, Redshift and Renderman, Zbrush, Katana, Unreal engine
Desirable Skills:
Excellent organisation, communication and interpersonal skills
Creative problem solving and attention to detail
Familiarity with film production & computer graphics.
Valuable working knowledge of art, design and film lighting, as well as a solid technical grounding in renderers.
Ability to learn quickly and assimilate recent information.