About The Role
We are on the lookout for a talented and super keen Junior Lighting and Compositing/Unreal artist to join our team on a new 3D series. Our L&C artists are masters of mood, light and detail. Their day-to-day focuses on tailored render layers, artful colour grading and production deadlines, whilst meeting that all important brief from our Directors and Clients. They are also great collaborators, working as a team to share and develop their technical and artistic skills to deliver high quality content for our audiences. Day to Day:
1. Creating lighting scenes in Unreal with assets from the animation and effects departments and then compositing these rendered shots in Nuke to create the final shot
2. Tweaking provided light rigs, render set-ups and compositing templates to achieve the required look of your shot
3. Monitoring your renders to ensure they are within a given render time budget
4. Working as part of a team of lighting and compositing artists, and regularly communicating with your Team Lead and the Lighting & Compositing Supervisor
5. Managing your time efficiently to meet the deadlines of your assigned shots
6. Problem solving to fix errors and glitches and addressing notes efficiently
About You
Must Have:
7. Knowledge of lighting principles and how light is used to meet a creative brief, especially in stylised animation.
8. Technical understanding of how lighting works in 3D rendering - different types of lights, render setups, physically based rendering, ray tracing and global illumination - using Unreal
9. An understanding of colour theory, aesthetics and composition.
10. Technical understanding of utility passes (Z, Position and Normals) and how they are used in compositing using Nuke.
11. Understanding of cinematic principles; ie DOF, Motion Blur, Lensing etc
12. Problem solving skills to find the best approach to meeting the brief as well as troubleshooting issues and asking questions if unsure
13. Having an eye for detail for scrutinising final shots for any errors or inconsistencies
14. Ability to take direction and problem solve collaboratively with the wider L&C team
15. Clear, efficient, and effective communication skills
16. Proactive and positive approach to resolving issues under pressure
Bonus Points:
17. Experience using Flow/Shotgrid
18. Knowledge of shading
19. 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:
20. Winner of Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020 and 2022
21. Inclusive self-funded shorts programme
22. Many fun social events throughout the year - even though some of them have to be remote for the foreseeable!
23. Bi-monthly staff feedback and engagement programme
24. Friday "beer o'clock" and talks programme!
25. Comprehensive benefits package, including loads of discounts and offers
26. Online wellbeing programme
27. Profit share (for staff who have been with us for 2+ years)