Overview:
The CG Lead is responsible for leading a team of artists with a primary focus on creating and implementing lighting setups that bring CG assets to life. This role is crucial in ensuring that the visual effects, animation, or game assets achieve a high level of realism and artistic quality through effective lighting techniques. The CG Lead (Lighting) will oversee all lighting tasks and integrate them seamlessly with other aspects of CG production, such as modeling, texturing, and compositing, ensuring consistency in the overall visual output.
Key Responsibilities:
- Work closely with the CG supervisor, VFX supervisor, art director, Creative Director and other leads to ensure the lighting integrates well with the rest of the project’s visual elements.
- Working with the Project Coordinator and Producer to facilitate the scheduling of artists and resources
- Developing, maintaining, and/or approving 3D techniques, based on show requirement.
- providing team-building by developing structure.
- leading artists, while delegating roles and responsibilities.
- Following CG elements from concept through to final comp, overseeing all elements created by the CG team.
- Designing, executing, and managing high-level CG for use in final compositing through a team, reporting progress to the CG and/or VFX Supervisor.
- Must be able to work "on the box" and lead a team of CG artists across multiple projects.
- Oversee and manage the lighting pipeline for projects, ensuring the team adheres to the artistic vision and technical requirements.
- Ensure all lighting and rendering tasks are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest possible standard.
- Develop, implement, and maintain lighting setups that enhance mood, atmosphere, and the overall aesthetic quality of the CG shots.
- Work closely with the CG supervisor, VFX supervisor, art director, Creative Director and other leads to ensure the lighting integrates well with the rest of the project’s visual elements.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Animation/Visual Effects, Computer Graphics, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in lighting for visual effects, animation, Experience working on high-end film, television, with complex lighting requirements.
- Demonstrated experience in creating high-quality lighting setups for complex scenes, whether in a VFX, animation, or game environment.
- Proficient in industry-standard lighting and rendering software such as Maya, Houdini, Blender, Arnold, V-Ray, Renderman, or similar tools.
- Deep understanding of lighting theory and techniques for CG, including global illumination, ray tracing, shadow casting, and physically-based lighting.
- Strong understanding of shading and texturing workflows, and how they impact lighting setups.
- Experience with scripting (e.g., Python, MEL) to automate or enhance lighting workflows is a plus.
- Knowledge of compositing tools (e.g., Nuke) to ensure proper integration of lighting passes into the final shot.
- Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
- Ability to give and receive constructive feedback and lead reviews with both internal teams and external clients.
- A strong eye for detail, composition, and color theory. Ability to work within a creative vision, with a clear understanding of artistic goals.
This role is critical to the creation of visually stunning, mood-rich environments in CG productions, ensuring that lighting plays a pivotal role in achieving the desired atmosphere and storytelling.