BC - Senior Effects (FX) Artist - Stop Motion VFX Project

Senior Effects (FX) Artist

All applicants must be residents of British Columbia, Canada.
Must be legally entitled to work in Canada ie. Citizen, PR, Open Work Permit.

At this time, we’re pleased to offer this role as an option to work from home OR work from our Vancouver studio in the beautiful Gastown area, close to the Waterfront Station in Downtown. (Remote is not available outside of BC; there is no hybrid). 

About Zoic 
Zoic Studios is a Visual Effects company that specializes in high end visual effects for television, film, and advertising. Our mantra is Visual Evolution - we focus on every part of the process, from the final picture to the pipeline used to create them.   

Are you looking for your next creative and technical challenge? Come join our team!  

Why Join Zoic? 

• We are an Artist owned and operated VFX studio. 
• We love what we do and always stay curious about new technology and techniques. 
• We respect work/life balance in a hectic industry. 
• We work with a team from all walks of life and backgrounds. 

We are excited to share an incredible stop-motion animated feature project that promises creativity, collaboration, and a fantastic chance to showcase your skills! 

Summary of Position
The Senior Effects Artist is responsible for creating effects elements for lighting and compositing, which support the visual style and narrative of the film.  This position will also be instrumental in developing creative and technical tools, as well as establishing pipeline related workflows. 

Job Functions 

• Design, create, and enhance the look of computer-generated effects and elements from initial concept through shot production. 
• Help establish and follow the narrative look of the film. 
• Establish look development of computer-generated effects translated from 2D artwork.   
• Design and implement generic effects element creation for production-independent effects library.  
• Develop new tools to generate effects elements or enhance capabilities and workflow within technology guidelines.  
• Perform technical work in support of shot production using various production tools. 
• Troubleshoot creative and technical issues; find elegant solutions to complex tasks.   
• Partner with other disciplines to help support each departments’ effects integration requirements. 
• Assist with mentoring, training and development of talent within the department. 

Qualifications 

• 5+ years of high-end production experience in television or feature films as a CG FX artist and/or TD. 
• Experience in producing effects such as smoke, fire, clouds, water, steam, destruction, using both procedural or physical simulation techniques. 
• Proficiency with particle simulations in controlling the motion and look of particles.  
• Knowledge of applicable software and platforms; Houdini 18.0 (or higher) experience. 
• Knowledge of Houdini’s VEX and shading languages, a plus.   
• Working knowledge of Mantra rendering, Nuke compositing, and Maya. 
• Working knowledge of Renderman and Katana for lighting the effects. 
• Experience with advanced lighting techniques such as Global Illumination, HDRI, subsurface scattering and real world lighting set ups, a plus. 
• Experience with 3D paint packages, a plus. 
• Modeling, Texturing and/or Lighting experience, a plus.  
• Strong communication skills to work in a collaborative work environment.   

Additional information

• British Columbia Employees Pay Range: $50 - $65 (The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position)
• Candidates MUST be residents of British Columbia.
• Zoic does not cover relocation costs.
• Any and WFH positions require the candidate to have a reliable internet connection via ethernet and work on Pacific Standard Time.
• This job description contains the basic requirements for the position and is NOT intended to be a complete list of responsibilities; other duties may be assigned.
• Due to the volume of applications, we receive, we regret that only those selected to interview will be contacted.