DNEG Careers

Description

FX Technical Supervisor

The FX Technical Supervisor is responsible for helping define the technical strategy for the department in order to maximize efficiency of the show teams. They will help set standards for all TD's in continuity, quality, and best practices. They will help develop tools, workflows, and pipelines in order to help productions create the highest quality work in a sustainable way. They will engage in the creative process with a positive & supportive attitude; able to demonstrate an understanding of the creative requirements with an ability to anticipate potential technical problems from creative briefs.

They help with cross over with the other departments to ensure efficient iterations and understanding their needs and providing supporting tooling. They will be working closely with the Heads of FX, departmental Supervisors, Production Technology, as well as the other Heads of Departments.

Whilst providing technical leadership, support and feedback for all Department Supervisors and Artists, they will also contribute to cross-department communication and consistency of workflows and processes.

Core Responsibilities

• Driving the department forward in terms of its technical workflows and approaches to FX.

• Being an active stakeholder in any FX Houdini related steering committees.

• Being an attendee to any steering committees that may relate to the FX Department.

• Helping to triage, solve and debug issues raised via Jira and/or ShotGrid tickets.

• Interfacing with the Production Technology team on all levels, from the Pipe TDs up to the CTO / Head of Research.

• Maintaining documentation of core FX related tools and technical workflows.

• Working with the Training Dept on material relevant to further the knowledge base of the FX team.

• Maintaining an awareness and oversight of department Houdini tool bundles, contributing to them when necessary. 

• Developing and maintaining tools for the FX team, whether they are Linux or DCC based.

• Ensuring tools and workflows used on shows are as efficient as possible.

• Spending desk time with the artists to help solve their technical issues or problems.

• Working with the Technology department on hardware issues, including licensing issues.

• Working closely with the RnD / Houdini RnD team to develop tools to increase our efficiency and widen our working toolset.

• Assisting with any FX recruitment when needed, particularly when looking to fill technical roles.

• Liaising with 3rd party software vendors in organizing training or new feature requests.

• Monitoring and/or cleaning the SideFX Bug Database for DNEG.

• Regular communication with FX Supervisors, and general monitoring of the FX teams on each show.

Must Have

• Must have previous experience as a TD and previous experience within a Lead or Supervisor Capacity.

• Must have extensive knowledge of Houdini.

• Demonstrates superb problem-solving skills and takes initiative to propose ideas and suggestions.

• Experienced in project management, able to prioritize tasks & time efficiently and can give accurate time estimates on work.

• Experienced in Coaching & mentoring artists in new techniques and efficiencies.

• Excellent technical skills.

• A talent for debugging and troubleshooting issues.

• High-level feature film experience in live-action VFX Films

• Shown ability to create film-quality effects using Houdini.

• Advanced simulation experience and up to date knowledge on industry-standard techniques.

• Excellent pipeline scripting ability with strong Linux & scripting ability in Python

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of C++

• Maya and/or equivalent 3D software knowledge

• Previous experience working in or with development teams.

• About You

• Organized, proactive and a self-starter.

• Ability to work with competency, energy & enthusiasm with little supervision. 
• Excellent listening & communication skills, able to take direction and receive criticism.
• A team player with clear communication, and a keenness for collaboration
• A team leader, approachable and personable, with strong motivational qualities

• Adaptable and with a willingness to learn new skills and techniques – including proprietary software.

• Calm under pressure and committed to meet production deadlines.
• Demonstrates superb problem-solving skills and takes initiative to propose ideas and suggestions.

About Us
We are DNEG, one of the world’s leading visual effects and animation companies for the creation of award-winning feature film, television, and multiplatform content. We employ more than 10,000 people with worldwide offices and studios across North America (Los Angeles, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver), Europe (London), Asia (Bangalore, Mohali, Chennai, Mumbai) and Australia (Sydney).