FX Technical Director Mid

Position: FX TD - Mid

Hiring Range: $80,000 to $105,000/year for a 40 hour work week

Project Contract: November start - 3month-contract 

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

The Mid level FX TD is responsible for delivering high quality work for Image Engine shows, within the assigned time frame. They will apply notes provided by the FX Supervisors/FX Leads. They will proactively seek solutions with FX Leads and members of other departments. They will identify and troubleshoot problems as needed and will ask for assistance when necessary to ensure effective use of time and resources. Mid Level FX TDs will communicate with other departments to ensure they are receiving data to resolve shot related problems.

Lead and Senior FX TD’s will help guide and develop the Mid into a strong Senior position. Mid level FX TDs will work with FX Supervisors and Leads to implement FX solutions for Image Engine shows. They will communicate with other Leads and artists that are assigned to the show to make sure work completed is consistent.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create multiple types of realistic and believable effects (ie. rigid body and particle dynamics, procedural geometry generation, fluid dynamics and cloth simulations) under supervision using the studio pipeline and tools
• Create render passes, beauty renders and slap comps working with FX Lead
• Estimate the time required for tasks and communicate with your lead and show production coordinator any issues which may prevent you completing tasks within the schedule
• Attend rounds, dailies, reviews, one to one and team meetings as required
• Communicate  issues, changes to simulations and art direction during rounds to the FX Lead
• Communicate changes to simulations and art direction during dailies to the VFX supervisor when appropriate
• Working with the FX Lead to address notes on your work, while providing solutions to aesthetic issues. You’re expected to improve the shot by maintaining a quality level as described by the show VFX Supervisor / FX Lead.
• Support other departments' needs, (Lighting, Compositing, etc) and ensure information is communicated to necessary departments
• Regularly read FX documentation on the wiki, be knowledgeable of latest studio techniques

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 2 years of feature film/TV production experience as an FX artist in Houdini

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Technical skills

• Strong knowledge and demonstrated work experience in Houdini
• Strong knowledge of creating HDA’s in Houdini
• Able to pick up large Houdini FX setups and run shots
• Work with FX Lead to build Houdini FX setups 
• Working knowledge of VEX and Hscript.
• Working knowledge of Arnold (preferred) and or another 3D Renderer 
• Working knowledge of common data formats ( e.g. VDB, Alembic etc )
• Working knowledge of compositing
• Working knowledge of asset management within a complex VFX pipeline
• Working knowledge of Nuke

Core skills

• Enthusiasm to learn new methodology and workflows
• Able to troubleshoot and deal with competing priorities
• A strong eye for detail and quality control of FX elements (smoke,fire,destruction etc)
• A strong understanding of image composition and creative story points
• Excellent time management and communication skills
• The ability to work alongside, communicate with, and understand the requirements of other departments ( e.g. Animators, Creature FX, Lighting, Comp, R&D etc )

Desirable skills and education

• Higher education in related fields 

• Python scripting
• Linux / Unix scripting
• Working knowledge of Maya
• Working knowledge of Gaffer
• Experience with other solvers and simulation tools (e.g. Naiad, realflow, Bullet, Blastcode, etc)