Senior Look Development Technical Director

We are looking for a Senior Look Development Technical Director (TD) who reflects the innovative spirit, creative talent, production excellence, collaborative mindset, and passion for great filmmaking that defines ILM. As a Senior Look Development TD, you will be responsible for producing high-quality look dev and shading for our CG Assets, needing only initial direction and guidance from your Supervisor.

At ILM, we believe a good idea is a good idea, regardless of where it comes from! Do you thrive in a creative environment? Do you enjoy sharing knowledge and learning from others? If you love art, technology, and movies, then this might be the role you’re looking for!

ILM strives to be an inclusive environment, and the Look Development (Look Dev) team embraces promising individuals with a variety backgrounds and experiences.

What You’ll Do

• Work closely with Lighting Supervisors, Lookdev Supervisors, and CG Supervisors to determine the best approach to solving CG challenges and developing the final look

• Create efficient rendering setups in order to optimize render farm usage

• Stay on schedule and meet set deadlines while maintaining the highest level of work quality

• Ensure there is ongoing communication with Production and Leads regarding schedules and deadlines

• Help mentor junior artists within the Lighting/Look Dev team

• Create & maintain simple materials using the provided shading templates

• Set up bespoke turntable light rig and shading network when necessary

• Create & maintain custom hero materials and shading networks when necessary

• Perform shot Look Dev tasks

• Work in collaboration with model, texture, and groom artists to get the best possible results

• Build and maintain complex shading networks with artist usability and user-interface support in mind

What We’re Looking For

• Degree and/or professional training in Computer Graphics, with advanced work experience in VFX; experience in Feature Animation is a plus

• Demo reel required; please include a breakdown of responsibilities for each shot in the reel in the edge of the frame

• Exhibit excellent listening and communication skills, able to receive direction and criticism

• Demonstrated ability to help and teach more junior-level artists

• Demonstrates the ability to prioritize tasks, manages time very well, provides everyone with accurate time estimates on shot task completion

• Team-oriented with ability to work independently

• A thorough knowledge of the VFX pipeline from modeling through texturing, grooming, rendering and compositing

• Ability to pick-up new techniques and the ability to learn new software quickly and easily

• It is beneficial to have Katana and Renderman experience, as well as knowledge of Python

• Strong interest in shading technologies

• Proficiency in Linux-based systems

• Good understanding of physically plausible shading techniques

• Understanding of energy conservation principles

• Deep understanding of physically based rendering, shading, and real-world materials

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