Crowd TD (All Levels) - ILM London

Industrial Light & Magic is seeking a Crowd TD (All Levels) for a fixed-term contract in London. This role involves creating crowd simulations for CG scenes, populating environments, and choreographing battles using both off-the-shelf and proprietary software. Key responsibilities include choreographing crowd behavior, managing motion cycles, developing efficient Houdini workflows, troubleshooting technical issues, and collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams to meet show deadlines. Candidates should possess strong Houdini knowledge, problem-solving skills, and an understanding of cinematic principles.

Must Have

• Choreograph or simulate crowd behavior in shots.
• Manage motions and cycles, including creating blending cycles.
• Creatively use existing motion and character variations.
• Assist in developing efficient workflows within Houdini.
• Troubleshoot technical issues within Houdini and the wider pipeline.
• Work with Production and your lead to meet show deadlines.
• Communicate with artists across disciplines.
• Attend dailies to present your work and receive feedback.
• Collaborate within the crowd team, sharing knowledge.
• Strong knowledge of Houdini Software.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills.
• In-depth understanding of cinematic principles and composition.
• Keen eye for how crowds flock and move / behavioural observations.
• Background working on high end VFX, animated feature-film and video-games.
• Experience working with motion capture and/or clip-based animation.
• Proficiency with Linux.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to maintain high quality of work while respecting strict deadlines.

Good to Have

• Proficiency scripting in Vex and/or Python
• Strong understanding of Houdini input/output pipeline
• Experience with cloth/hair/muscle simulations
• Working knowledge of Maya and rigging

Position Summary

We are looking for a Crowd TD who reflects the creative talent, collaborative mindset and passion for great filmmaking that define ILM.

This is a fixed-term contract for up to six months. Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK, sponsorship is not available for this position at this time.

The main focus of the position will be to create crowd simulations for our CG scenes, using either off the shelf and our own proprietary software to populate cities, large scale environments and choreograph battles.

At ILM, we strive to be an inclusive environment, and we are committed to considering promising individuals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences for this position.

What You’ll Do:

• Choreograph or simulate the behaviour of crowds in shots, meeting the artistic direction of the show supervisor.
• Manage the motions and cycles used on your show, including creating blending cycles.
• Creatively use existing motion and character variations to create visual diversity within a crowd.
• Assist in developing efficient workflows within Houdini, including creating and modifying internal HDAs.
• Troubleshoot technical issues within Houdini and the wider pipeline.
• Work with Production and your lead to meet the show deadlines.
• Communicate with artists across disciplines to work effectively as part of the wider show team.
• Attend dailies to present your work and receive feedback from the show supervisor.
• Collaborate within the crowd team, sharing knowledge and contributing to the development of the department.

What We’re Looking For:

• Strong knowledge of Houdini Software
• Exceptional problem-solving skills with the ability to address technical and artistic challenges
• In-depth understanding of cinematic principles and composition
• Keen eye for how crowds flock and move / behavioural observations
• Background working on high end VFX, animated feature-film and video-games
• Experience working with motion capture and/or clip-based animation
• Proficiency with Linux
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to maintain high quality of work while respecting strict deadlines

Preferred Skills:

• Proficiency scripting in Vex and/or Python
• Strong understanding of Houdini input/output pipeline
• Experience with cloth/hair/muscle simulations
• Working knowledge of Maya and rigging

The closing date for applications: 8th January 2026

As part of your application please submit a demo reel, shot breakdown, or equivalent showcasing your work. A current resume is required.

This role is Hybrid, which means the employee will be required to work a minimum of 1 day on-site per week at a Company designated location, and occasionally from home