FX Department Supervisor

Position:  FX Department Supervisor

Hiring Range: $150,000 to $156,000/year for a 40 hour work week

Project Contract: To Be Confirmed

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, Skeleton Crew, 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

The FX Supervisor role is primarily focused on supporting their assigned shows. To support the VFX supervisor in achieving the visual requirements being asked for by the client, and to assist the CG supervisor with the technical methodology required to achieve those visual requirements. 

Equally, the FX Supervisor will establish themselves as a key member of the show leadership team and will build relationships with all show supervisors and leads. They will leverage their relationships with supervisors to build cross-departmental efficiencies. 

As the FX Supervisor, you will lead and manage FX artists and if applicable FX Leads ( where the fx crew is more than 10 artists ) on an assigned show. 

For all facility related aspects of the role ( artist mentoring and feedback, facility wide toolbuilding, etc.) the FX Supervisor reports to the Head of FX .

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

SUPERVISORY

• Assist the CG supervisor for assigned show tasks, working with HOD to ensure tasks align with studio standards
• Assessing a shows fx methodology and fx artist requirements 
• Responsible for maintaining consistency of work when managing FX leads
• Work with other departments to streamline data handover to and from the FX department
• With the  Head of Department (HOD), mentor FX Leads and artists in the team. helping them to manage their tasks and focus, suggesting time management strategies or  studio supported techniques and approaches to technical challenges
• With the HOD, be responsible for the aesthetic quality control across shows
• With the HOD, provide performance reviews, daily feedback, and mentoring of FX artists
• Report to HOD for facility tasks, FX pipeline improvements, show requirement and progress updates
• With the HOD, define and enforce standards and working practices within the FX team across all projects
• Assist the HOD with reviewing and Interviewing potential candidates for FX roles
• Assist the HOD with maintaining and creating documentation 

SHOW SUPPORT

• Work closely with VFX and CG supervisors to achieve the client FX brief within the constraints of the show
• Provide guidance on how to best achieve a certain effect within the available show pipeline
• Mediate with artists and/or supervisors to resolve conflicts or disputes involving FX methodology and find a solution that is the most beneficial for the studio as a whole
• Review scope of work and assign tasks based on artist skills/abilities
• Define and enforce standards and working practices for the FX artists on their team
• Estimate the time required for tasks and provide accurate progress reports
• Work closely with production coordinators to manage the show schedule for the team and to ensure delivery targets are met
• Identify and archive outstanding work on a show that may be reused for future projects 
• Responsible for achieving high quality work within the time constraints given
• Attend rounds, dailies, reviews, one to one and team meetings as required
• Assist with FX breakdowns at the end of a show
• Work with R&D to facilitate testing, integration and provide timely input for ongoing development projects

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 4 years of feature film / TV production experience as an FX artist 
• Minimum 2 years experience as an FX Lead 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Key Technical Skills

• Excellent knowledge and demonstrated work experience in Houdini
• Excellent knowledge of creating HDA’s in Houdini and providing user support 
• Strong knowledge of VEX and Hscript.
• Strong knowledge of Arnold (preferred) and or another 3D Renderer 
• Strong knowledge of common data formats ( e.g. VDB, Alembic etc )
• Strong knowledge of compositing
• Working knowledge of Nuke

Communication Skills

• Excellent understanding and communication of image composition and creative story points
• Excellent communication skills to work with, and understand the requirements of all departments  
• Excellent time management and communication skills
• Exceptional at liaising with production managers and coordinators to effectively schedule tasks amongst the team

Core Skills

• Excellent collaborator with shows and the facility.
• Excellent at troubleshooting and dealing with competing priorities
• Able to effectively delegate tasks
• Excellent time management and communication skills
• Excellent eye for detail and quality control of FX elements (smoke,fire,destruction etc)
• Experience with bidding and scheduling tasks for production
• Experience of managing a team of artists; setting expectations, and managing their time
• Excellent leadership and motivational skills

Desirable skills and education

• Higher education in related fields 

• Strong knowledge of Gaffer or other node based rendering application
• Strong Python scripting
• Linux / Unix scripting
• Thorough knowledge of Maya
• Experience with other solvers and simulation tools (e.g. Naiad, realflow, Bullet, Blastcode, etc) 
• Knowledge of HDK