Layout Artist

At Walt Disney Animation Studios, CG Layout is where imagination meets intention. CG Layout Artists stage and block cameras and characters in virtual environments, transforming art, storyboards, and assets into the final shots. This role drives the staging, blocking, and camera work, interpreting storyboards into 3D space, and collaborating across departments in a fast-paced CG environment using Maya, Linux, and proprietary software.

Must Have

• Versatile knowledge of cinematography (lenses, movement, staging, composition, continuity)
• Expertise in appealing posing/animation of CG characters
• Knowledge of editing and sequence development
• Strong camera animation skills
• Experience with lighting
• Solid understanding of Maya
• Ability to take direction and collaborate in a team
• Adaptability to emerging tools, workflows, visual style, and director's vision
• Adaptability to Rough Layout and Final Layout
• Curiosity for new approaches and thoughtful solutions
• Ability to work iteratively in a fluid, fast-paced environment
• Openness to working and showing work from rough to finished layouts

Good to Have

• Experience with EFX
• Proxy Modeling
• Linux

Job Summary:

About the Role & Team

-------------------------

At Walt Disney Animation Studios, CG Layout is where imagination meets intention—we’re excited to see how you stage the story!

CG Layout Artists stage and block the cameras and characters in virtual environments through a combination of skills both artistic and technical.

A central component of Disney’s storytelling process is the work done in Layout. CG Layout transforms a film’s art, storyboards, and assets into the shots that audiences around the world will see on the big screen.

We are seeking Layout Artists to join our studio in Vancouver, BC!

What You Will Do

--------------------

• Drive the staging, blocking, and camera work that makes up the foundation of both a successful shot as well as a sequence of shots throughout a film
• Read storyboards and interpret them into 3d space, using creative versatility to reimagine and build upon story points as needed
• Produce work (shots) in a fast-paced CG environment using Maya, Linux, and a suite of proprietary software
• Collaborate with your team to produce extraordinary shot work, communicating progress, trends, and issues with your leadership and collaborators
• Collaborate across departments to produce work that cleanly integrates into our production’s downstream pipeline, clarifying requests, providing context, and problem-solving solutions

Required Qualifications & Skills

-------------------------------------

• Versatile knowledge of cinematography including camera lenses, camera movement, staging, composition, and continuity
• Expertise in the appealing posing/animation of CG characters
• Knowledge of editing and sequence development
• Strong camera animation skills
• Experience with lighting
• A solid understanding of Maya
• Take direction easily, and be willing to participate as a member of a highly collaborative team
• Adaptability to explore emerging tools and workflows
• Adaptability to the visual style and the director’s vision for a film
• Adaptability to Rough Layout and Final Layout
• Curiosity to consider new approaches, suggest thoughtful solutions, and risk failure responsibly
• Ability to work iteratively in a fluid and fast-paced environment
• Must be open to working and showing work from rough to finished layouts

Preferred Qualifications

-----------------------------

• Experience with EFX is a plus
• Proxy Modeling
• Linux

Education

--------------

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and/or equivalent experience

Application Requirements

----------------------------

To apply, please include:

• A reel of your recent and/or past Layout work that shows one or more sequences of shots in continuity showcasing clear and appealing storytelling through cinematography, staging, and editing. This is critical.
• A resume that details your recent/ past work history and a reel breakdown if appropriate

The hiring range for this position in British Columbia, Canada is C$79,300 to C$150,500 CAD per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other variable pay or benefits, may be offered dependent on the level and position offered.

About Walt Disney Animation Studios:

Combining masterful artistry and storytelling with groundbreaking technology, Walt Disney Animation Studios is a filmmaker-driven animation studio responsible for creating some of the most beloved films ever made. Disney Animation continues to build on its rich legacy of innovation and creativity, from the first fully-animated feature film, 1937's “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” to the upcoming fall 2024 feature, “Moana 2.” Among the studio's timeless creations are “Pinocchio,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen,” “Zootopia,” and “Encanto.”

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Walt Disney Animation Studios Vancouver Inc., which is part of a business we call Walt Disney Animation Studios.