Crowd Technical Director

This role is considered Hybrid, which means the employee will work 2-3 days onsite at a Company designated location and occasionally from home.

The main focus of the position will be to create crowd simulations for our CG scenes, using either off the shelf or 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 the motion and 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.

• Assist in developing efficient workflows within Houdini, including creating and modifying internal HDAs.

• Creatively use existing motion and character variations to create visual diversity within a crowd.

• 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

• Background working on high end VFX or animated feature-film productions

• Experience working with motion capture and/or clip-based animation

• Proficiency with Linux 

• Excellent communication skills

• Ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines whilst maintaining a high quality output

Nice to have:

• Proficiency scripting in Vex and/or Python

• Strong understanding of Houdini input/output pipeline

• Experience with cloth/hair simulation

• Working knowledge of Maya and rigging

• Keen eye for how crowds flock and move

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