CG Supervisor

Position: CG Supervisor

Hiring Range: $143,000 to $165,000/year for a 40 hour work week

Project Contract: TBC

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 (https://image-engine.com/) 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 (https://image-engine.com/portfolio) that includes The Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew, 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 CG Supervisor is essential to the final delivery of high-quality digital effects for our clients. The CG Supervisor defines and is responsible for the technical methodology of the show. Building consensus of the approach amongst all departments and production to ensure smooth delivery of the work.

The CG Supervisor will work closely with the VFX Supervisor to support their vision for the show. They will familiarize themselves with all aspects of the show, the capabilities of Image Engine’s existing tools and capabilities of the team to assess what will be required to deliver exceptional quality work for our clients. They will fully understand the clients' creative requirements, be able to share this with the crew and oversee the execution and quality control of the shots.

They will identify gaps in abilities and work with the Dev and Workflow Teams to specify tools and methodologies to ensure our artists can complete the brief within the established pipeline.

The CG Supervisor will also contribute to the overall operation and improvement of Image Engine by setting and maintaining Image Engine standards. This will include, but will not be limited to, engaging in cross-department communication or training, keeping abreast of new technologies, documentation, taking part in interviews and participating in the buddy system for new employees.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Be the primary technical leadership on the project
• Define the methodology to be used on the project, determining the technical approaches needed to achieve desired look within agreed technical pipeline
• Work with Production to determine what information may be required from clients to ensure a smooth show setup and execution
• Provide references, recommendations or technical solutions for effective task completion
• Work with Dev, Workflow and Production to define future direction of technology development at Image Engine.
• Work with Workflow to write, edit, install, and maintain show-specific configuration files and scripts.
• Identify, define, prioritize and oversee the implementation of tools that automate production tasks
• Utilize effective communication skills to receive client notes and deliver instructions/feedback to the VFX Supervisor and artists
• Assess and ensure efficient use of resources, both on the technical and artist level.
• Assist the team in debugging problematic shots and assist in optimizing shots for efficiency
• Evaluate artist workflow with an eye on improving visual quality, productivity and automating processes
• Be responsible for the delivery of shots that are creatively and technically excellent
• Be actively involved in mentoring juniors throughout productions
• Builds consensus among technology, creative and production management to create efficiencies
• Be an expert in the use and application of the tools and pipeline at Image Engine

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of 5 years CG experience in high-end film
• 2 years of experience as a Supervisor
• A proven leader in setting direction for a production and for inspiring and motivating production staff
• Demonstrated experience teaching/mentoring co-workers and assuming leadership role

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Technical skills

• Strong ability in defining a cg strategy for a show considering team and time at disposal
• Ability to lead and coach your various department leads about said cg technique and approach
• Expert knowledge of Arnold or of a similar physically-based renderer
• Proven experience with Houdini, Maya and Nuke
• Experience with programming/scripting languages (such as python, etc.) is a plus
• Strong aptitude for technical workflow challenges such as directory structure, file formats, naming conventions, scripts, automation tools, automated dailies, etc.
• Thorough understanding of a linear color-space workflow
• Excellent eye for detail for quality control
• Assess and optimize render performance to make optimal use of available renderfarm allocations

Core skills

• Strong leadership skills, both in spoken and written form
• Ability to complete bids; determine the timeframe and scope required for each brief
• Ability to interface with Production staff about scheduling or resources challenges
• Ability to troubleshoot and deal with competing priorities.  Able to delegate as well
• Capable of managing a full team of artists and technologists; setting high expectations, and encouraging and supporting the staff when in needs
• Ability to assess Image Engine resources and talent pool to ensure workflow can be completed
• Excellent time management and communication skills
• Excellent problem solver who can focus on detail, while maintaining the whole picture

Minimum 5 years CG experience in high-end film, with at least 2 years as a Supervisor. Proven leadership in setting production direction and mentoring staff. Strong ability to define CG strategy, lead department leads, and expertly utilize industry-standard tools like Arnold, Houdini, Maya, and Nuke. Experience with scripting languages like Python is a plus. Thorough understanding of technical workflow challenges, linear color-space workflow, and optimizing render performance. Excellent problem-solving, communication, and time management skills are essential.