Lighting TD - Senior (Short-Term Contract)

Position: Lighting TD - Senior

Hiring Range: $110,500 to $123,500/year for a 40-hour work week 

Project Contract: July 20th, 2026 - 2 month-contract

Company Benefits: Extended healthcare from day 1, premiums 100% covered by Image Engine, up to 8 paid Health and Wellness days per year.

*Candidates are required to be based in British Columbia and eligible to work in Canada*

ABOUT IMAGE ENGINE

Image Engine is a world-class VFX studio based in Vancouver, BC, that has built a reputation for excellence in the visual effects industry since 1995. We specialize in crafting stunning visual effects for feature films and television with an award-winning portfolio that includes Sketleton Crew, The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, Game of Thrones, Lost in Space, Jurassic World, and District 9.

We offer a full range of visual effects services, from concept designs and pre-visualization to CG animation, compositing, and explosive volumetric digital effects. Our crew is passionate about storytelling and pushing the artistic and technical boundaries to deliver the highest quality work on every project. R&D is central to our philosophy of driving creativity through innovation and we're committed to continually evolving our robust production pipelines.

At Image Engine, we value diversity and teamwork, and we're proud to foster a workplace culture that is supportive, respectful, and empowering. We believe that our success is a reflection of our exceptionally talented team, and we're always looking for passionate and dedicated individuals to join us on our mission to create unforgettable visual experiences. Join our team and be part of something extraordinary.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Senior Lighting Artist is responsible for delivering high-quality shots in a quick and efficient manner. They will act as an example to and mentor junior artists and will deliver all tasks within the required timeframe.  They will exhibit a positive/calm demeanor and maintain morale levels during peak production periods. They will quality check all of their work and occasionally will assist the Leads to quality check the work of junior artists should the workload require it. They will maintain clarity and focus during peak periods to ensure show delivery. 

In addition, Senior Lighters will assist the Leads to flag issues. They will potentially assist in the Lead role on a short-term basis in the event of an absence or production needs require it. They will participate in team meetings when necessary.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Apply client notes to all lighting shots with minimal guidance
• Communicate successes and challenges faced by the team to the Lighting Lead
• Take direction from the Lighting Lead to help realize the vision of the shots through the compositing team
• Work with the Composting team members to achieve high quality complex composites
• Design and develop procedural and innovative tool sets, pipelines and techniques for the Lighters
• Ensure continuity is upheld across shots and sequences
• Offer guidance and mentoring for junior to mid-level lighter
• Light multiple types of shot ensuring consistency in lighting, colour balance and mood between the various elements of the shot or scene
• Manage time and resources to meet weekly targets
• Promote interdepartmental collaboration

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• 5+ years’ experience in Lighting digital VFX for film or commercials
• Good understanding of photography and film, and how the interactions of light, lenses and film emulsions go to make up the image
• Thorough understanding of a linear color-space workflow
• Excellent attention to detail when finalizing, approving or quality controlling shots
• Ability to balance quick turnaround while achieving a high degree of aesthetic quality

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Technical skills

• Expert knowledge of a physically plausible renderer like Arnold
• Solid understanding of CG shading mechanisms (not at scripting level), render passes and arbitrary outputs.
• Strong aptitude for technical workflow challenges such as directory structure, file formats, naming conventions, scripts, automation tools, automated dailies, database dependencies, etc.
• Strong knowledge of lighting workflow and lighting application best practices
• Good working knowledge of scripting languages like Python.
• Traditional skills as a strong artistic eye for cinematography, composition, photography and high-resolution detail, as well as a good understanding of the principles of digital film compositing such as multi-pass rendering for composite-based control

Core skills

• Ability to help with bidding; determine the timeframe and scope required for each project
• Ability to troubleshoot and deal with competing priorities and projects
• Ability to create multiple types of Lighting scenarios
• Ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and applications
• Excellent time management and communication skills
• Ability to remain calm during peak production periods and maintain the morale of the lighting team