Creature Effects Artist - Senior
Rodeo FX · Rodeo FX
Company Description
Repeatedly voted one of Montreal’s Top Employers and Employer of the Year for the 2022 Mercuriades Awards, Rodeo FX is a high-end creative company offering services in visual effects, advertising, animation, and experiential.
Nominated for multiple Emmy® Awards for its work on the series Stranger Things season 4, The Witcher season 2, and The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power season 1, the independent, Oscar®-winning company boasts close to 900 artists crafting from studios in Montreal, Québec City, Toronto, Los Angeles and Paris.
Rodeo FX is a creative partner to the world’s best storytellers including Netflix, HBO, Disney, Marvel, Amazon Studios, Warner Bros., and Sony, and has collaborated on ads for YouTube, NBC, and Apple. Current projects include Blue Beetle, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon. Recently released projects include John Wick: Chapter 4, Black Adam, Disney's The Little Mermaid, and Love, Death and Robots Volume 3, for which the company won a 2023 VES award.
Job Description
The Creature Effects Artist is responsible for creating believable and photo-realistic simulations and deformations for creatures and characters across our projects. Working closely with leads, supervisors, and colleagues from other departments, they develop robust setups for hair, fur, clothing, feathers, muscles, and skin, while meeting creative, technical, and production requirements. They contribute to the quality of final deliverables, the evolution of department tools, and the continuous improvement of the pipeline.
Key Responsibilities:
Master your the craft
- Create simulation setups for hair, fur, feathers, fabrics, muscles, skin, and other organic materials, tailored to the specific needs of shots or characters.
- Launch and adjust simulations based on feedback received during dailies or internal reviews.
- Perform shot modeling passes to support deformation or simulation.
- Manage time efficiently by prioritizing tasks according to shot progress and delivery deadlines.
Creative quality
- Develop realistic simulations that are aesthetically consistent with the project’s visual style.
- Adapt creative approaches to the narrative or technical constraints of each shot.
- Propose elegant and optimized visual solutions to challenges related to creatures or characters.
Technical quality
- Ensure the robustness, cleanliness, and optimization of created setups.
- Identify, diagnose, and quickly resolve technical issues related to simulations.
- Perform rigorous quality control before submitting shots for review.
Communication
- Collaborate closely with other departments (Modeling, Rigging, Animation, Lighting, etc.) to ensure smooth technical exchanges.
- Maintain proactive communication with production and leads regarding task status, technical challenges, and potential impacts on schedules.
- Actively participate in shot reviews, dailies, and technical discussions to advance the overall quality of deliverables.
Learn, share, and evolve
- Contribute to the development and documentation of department tools, techniques, and best practices.
- Adapt to pipeline evolutions, new software features, and innovative methods.
- Share knowledge and actively collaborate on the continuous improvement of workflows.
Qualifications
- CFX experience in a VFX environment (minimum 8 years recommended).
- Advanced proficiency in Houdini and the VEX language.
- Working knowledge of Nuke for presenting work.
- Experience in shot modeling and creating simulation setups for hair, clothing, muscles, or other deformations.
- Strong organizational skills, ability to manage priorities, and meet deadlines.
- Rigor, autonomy, attention to detail, and a collaborative mindset.
- Asset: Knowledge of Python scripting.
- Asset: Knowledge of Flow and participation in pipeline or internal tool development.
Additional Information
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
At Rodeo FX, diversity is a core value. We’re committed to creating an inclusive, equitable workplace where different perspectives are embraced. Every team member brings unique insight that strengthens our creativity, challenges our thinking, and helps us deliver better work.
Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment
Rodeo FX may use AI-based tools to support certain steps of the recruitment process, such as interview transcription or preliminary application analysis. These tools may be operated by third-party providers, and data may be processed outside Quebec. These tools never replace human decision-making: all final hiring decisions are made by our recruitment team and hiring managers. To learn more about how we protect your personal information and your rights, please consult our Privacy Policy.
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