Crowd Supervisor

• Supervise the Crowd team and oversee shot production and workflows, providing creative and technical feedback to the team
• Collaborate with show leadership to translate the Director’s vision into actionable crowd workflows and high-quality shot production
• Direct the continuing maintenance and optimization of the entire crowd production process
• Assist the Head of Department in the design, architecture, scheduling and supervision of the studio crowd team and the crowd pipeline development
• Gather, edit and maintain the show motion library to meet artistic and technical show requirements, while assisting with the planning and direction of motion capture shoots
• Manage crowd agent setups for the show, collaborating with upstream departments to troubleshoot issues. Set up and maintain agent variation logic to effectively balance diversity and performance
• Ensure on-time delivery of crowd elements within established production schedule
• Propose creative solutions and workflows and elevate concerns to the CG Supervisor
• Supervise, mentor, and schedule the Crowd team, ensuring professional growth document, assist and train other artists and departments on the use of Houdini and any other crowd pipeline tools as required
• Troubleshoot creative/technical issues as they arise, as well as contributing to hands-on shot production along with other Crowd TDs
• Facilitate seamless communication between the VFX Supervisor and artists, ensuring all creative feedback is conveyed
• Identify and utilize tools and techniques which improve productivity and the quality of the work organization. Consistently looking for a more efficient way of doing a character effect (i.e. reuse of animation cycles, efficient cloth set-ups for crowd assets, etc.)
• Participate in the bidding process, providing accurate workload estimates and resource strategies to Digital Producers
• Supervise motion capture sessions when necessary
• Partner with TDs, R&D and Production Engineering to design, optimize, and maintain the crowd pipeline and toolsets both for the show and the studio

• At least 6+ years of experience working on high end VFX or animated feature film productions
• 2+ years of previous experience in a leadership or mentoring role
• College degree in Computer Science, Art, Animation or Engineering, or equivalent professional experience
• Expert knowledge of Houdini for Crowds
• Expert knowledge of crowd behaviour, including human crowds, swarming insects, combat choreography and animal behaviours
• Strong knowledge of cinematography and composition with a passion for storytelling
• Strong knowledge of VEX and Python
• Proficiency with Linux including shell scripting
• Exceptional problem-solving skills with the ability to address technical and artistic challenges
• Excellent leadership, communication and organizational skills

• Experience with motion capture retargeting and motion editing
• Experience with creature simulation including cloth and groom
• Working familiarity with C/C++

A full range of medical, financial, and/or other variable pay or benefits