January 1st, 2008 by admin
Walt Disney Animation Studios combines the very best in artistry and storytelling with cutting-edge technology to bring wonderful new characters to the big screen for audiences around the world. Constantly challenged to create innovative new technologies for animated features, theme park productions and special projects for the Walt Disney Company, Disney Animation is home to some of the most talented artists working in the film industry today.
Our teams are hard at work on our next films, Bolt, directed by Chris Williams, and The Princess and the Frog, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, and Rapunzel, directed by Glen Keane and Dean Wellins.
We are seeking a variety of people for projects in our Burbank, CA studio.
Current open positions include:
Technical Supervisor, Production Software
CG Animators
Character Finalers
Shot Finaling Technical Directors
Lighters
Technical Support Engineer
Please see below for more information and how to apply.
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Technical Supervisor, Production Software
We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Technical Supervisor, Production Software to join the team at our Burbank, CA studio. This position will report to VP, Technology.
With a focus on compiled and interpreted computer graphics and process automation code, the Technical Supervisor, Production Software sets the direction of a broad area of technology. By directly managing engineers and possibly other managers, he/she is accountable for time, budget, and quality of solutions delivered. In addition the role is fundamental in the shaping of technology for the future of the studio.
Keys to success in this area are the successful negotiation of competing show demands, and ensuring sufficient resources (human, capital, technology) to meet needs while keeping within the budget constraints of the studio. These keys are enabled by building outstanding relationships with productions, and by promoting dependability and group leadership.
Responsible for 20+ headcount of software developers and project managers, this position requires prior management experience and is a gateway to leading the technology for a show. The ideal candidate is a developer with a desire to be highly influential in the creation of motion pictures who has transitioned into management by using his/her leadership skills.
Requirements:
• BS or higher in technical field
• 10+ years of industry experience
• Direct experience in developing large complex computer graphics packages
• Experience with the schedules and rhythms of motion picture production
• 5+ years of management experience
To apply, please send resume to tech.jobs [at] disney.com
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CG Animators
We are seeking CG Animators for upcoming projects at our Burbank, CA studio.
Responsibilities:
•Bring characters (animals and human figures) to life using digital tools.
•Work closely with the film’s Director, Animation Supervisor and Supervising Animators to establish the style of movement and personality for the character.
•Manipulate three-dimensional models in the computer, matching the action and mouth movement to prerecorded dialogue to create a characters performance.
Requirements:
•Background in Traditional (hand drawn), Computer, Stop Motion or Clay Animation (a plus).
•Study of anatomy, perspective and composition.
•Demonstrated ability to solve problems of weight, balance, movement, space, construction and proportion.
•Demonstrated proficiency with the principles of animation including timing, and the dynamics of animals and human figures in action.
•Demonstrated acting and staging skills and the ability to caricature features, actions and emotions required. Work should demonstrate the ability to define character personality, create fluid motion, organic movement and storytelling.
•Proficiency in Maya or equivalent, required.
•Minimum 2 years production experience required.
•Strong problem solving skills and a good eye required.
•Ability to work in a collaborative environment, taking direction from the Supervisor and feedback from the Art Director and Directors(s) as necessary.
•Bachelors degree in Art, Fine Art, Illustration, Computer Graphics, Computer Science, Mathematics or Engineering or equivalent experience desired.
To submit a reel, please visit http://corporate.disney.go.com/files/WDAS_Submission_Form.pdf and follow instructions to submit your reel via digital uploads or mail.
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Character Finalers
We are seeking Character Finalers (Technical Animators) for upcoming projects at our Burbank, CA studio.
Responsibilities:
•Work directly with the character animators and modelers to define and create the controls that will allow the animator the creative freedom to pursue the ultimate in digital acting and performance.
•Responsible for character setup, creating skeletons, IK’s and deformers.
•Work closely with animators to create intuitive and easy to use interface to character.
•Assist the animators on software/UNIX/Maya issues as well as the use of implemented character animation controls and systems.
Requirements:
•Previous production experience or exceptional artistic skills/abilities in CGI/traditional artwork.
•Familiarity with skeletons and all kinds of deformers including soft bodies and cloth required.
•Experience in Modeling and an understanding of the principles of animation.
•Strong problem solving ability
•Good artistic eye.
•A solid understanding of each of the following: the Unix/Linux environment; shell scripting and/or Mel scripting; the SPCA commit process; the LSF queue; Maya
•Must be able to work in a collaborative environment, taking direction from the Sequence lead(s), Supervisor and feedback from the Art Director and Directors(s) as necessary.
•Bachelors degree in Art, Illustration, Computer Graphic, Engineering or equivalent required.
To submit a reel, please visit http://corporate.disney.go.com/files/WDAS_Submission_Form.pdf and follow instructions to submit your reel via digital uploads or mail.
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Shot Finaling Technical Directors
We are seeking Shot Finaling Technical Directors for upcoming projects at our Burbank, CA studio.
Shot Finaling Technical Directors are responsible for providing support to our Lighting teams including scripting, writing tools and working with Renderman shaders to facilitate the Shot Finaling process.
Requirements:
•Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Digital Art, other related field or equivalent work experience
•Strong scripting and programming skills including Python, MEL, RSL and C
•Understanding of color, contrast, and lighting design is required.
•Notable production experience with 3-D lighting and/or look development
•Renderman/MTOR or similar experience required along with solid understanding of professional level compositing packages (i.e. Shake or similar) and strong in-depth knowledge of Unix and/or Linux.
•Strong problem solving skills required.
•Ability to work in a collaborative environment, taking direction from the Sequence lead(s), CG Supervisor and feedback from the Art Director
and Directors(s) as necessary.
To apply, please send resume to td.jobs [at] disney.com
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Lighters
We are seeking Lighters (Shot Finalers) for upcoming projects at our Burbank, CA studio.
Shot Finalers are responsible for finessing the lighting on a shot and compositing together the resulting character and environment renders into a final shot. They assemble incoming data (models, looks, animation, efx) from upstream departments for lighting adjustments; create light rigs and adjust the lighting in those files; render the necessary levels; use appropriate compositing software to create a composite tree that combines the rendered levels and adjust the final composite until it meets the vision of the Director and Art Directors and Sequence Leads.
Requirements:
•Understanding of color, contrast, and lighting design is required.
•Notable production experience with 3-D lighting and compositing.
•A strong visual sense and the ability to distinguish subtle differences that affect the matching of elements created in multiple mediums are imperative.
•Working knowledge of a node-based compositing system (i.e. Shake) required.
•Renderman/MTOR or similar experience required along with solid understanding of professional level compositing packages (i.e. Shake or similar) and strong in-depth knowledge of Unix and/or Linux.
•Strong problem solving skills and a good eye required.
•Ability to work in a collaborative environment, taking direction from the Sequence lead(s), CG Supervisor and feedback from the Art Director and Directors(s) as necessary.
•BA in Art, Fine Art, Illustration, Graphic Design, Computer Science or equivalent experience needed.
To submit a reel, please visit http://corporate.disney.go.com/files/WDAS_Submission_Form.pdf and follow instructions to submit your reel via digital uploads or mail.
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Technical Support Engineer
We are seeking a Technical Support Engineer (TSE) to join the team at our Burbank, CA studio. This is a project based position, expected to last approximately 9 months, with the possibility of longer term employment.
The TSE will provide software, hardware and systems support to our Artists and Developers in production of our animated films. We’re looking for intelligent, committed people with strong knowledge of a Unix/Linux production environment, great interpersonal skills and a love of the creative process.
This is a demanding position supporting a highly technical user-base in animation production. It requires creative problem solving abilities and developed Unix/Linux knowledge. Candidates should be experienced with commercial graphics applications such as Maya or Shake. The TSE will also offer support to Mac and PC based applications, however, this position is linux-centric. Candidates without strong Linux or Unix skills will not be considered.
Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent work experience.
• Advanced understanding of computer concepts, strong UNIX/Linux experience and intermediate Mac/PC skills required.
• Knowledge of csh or perl and command-based editing tools, such as vi, sed, awk
• Experience with Python and Mel is a plus
• Advanced understanding of Animation or VFX production and strong skills in commercial graphics packages, including Maya, Shake, Photoshop
• Minimum 2 years Front End Support experience
• Good written and verbal communication skills. Ability to communicate with a non-technical production staff.
• Ability to keep a good attitude in sometimes stressful situations
• Strong customer service ethic and natural problem solving abilities.
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to a dynamic environment.
To apply, please send resume to tech.jobs [at] disney.com
www.DisneyAnimation.com
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