Current Openings:

Head of Story
Location:​ Playa del Rey, CA
Job #:​102

Description: The Head of Story, in concert with the Director, translates and interprets story lines into a visual medium via sketches, thumbnail drawings and finished storyboard drawings. Storyboards are the foundation of the production. The Head of Story is responsible for managing the Storyboard Department and the departments Storyboard Artists.

Essential Job Functions
* Indentifies key points in the story to develop further, Leads Storyboard artists and storyboarding process.
* Reviews, critiques, adjusts, and approves work created in advance of Director review.
*  Serves as creative story lead.
*  Accountable for delivering storyboard assignments on time and on budget which includes developing schedules and standards for the department.
*  Illustrate script pages and story ideas.
*  Develops character personality and dramatic/comedic action.
* Works with Director (and Editor) to define staging, pacing and camera action.
* Incorporates Directors notes.
* Works with given pipeline, creates quick thumbnail sketches through to finished detailed storyboard panels.

Storyboard Artist
Location:​ Playa del Rey, CA
Job #:​103
Description: Highly skilled draughts person with a minimum of three years experience in boarding on animated features or high end animated TV shows. A proven flair for storytelling and a thorough understanding of the crafting and development of story arcs, characterization and comedic timing are essential.

Translates script into sequenced board panels.
Draws boards from script within production schedule.
Pitch boards to Head of Story and Directors.

Minimum 3 years experience in feature film or TV storyboard production.
Expert drawing skills and solid understanding of staging,camera,timing and composition. Solid understanding of cinematic techniques.
Highly proficient in Photoshop and ability to work with given storyboard software
Familiarity with standard Storyboard software such as Sketchbook Pro

An ability to translate complex or ambiguous production instructions
A creative mind which can conjure new story perspectives
Strong artistic ability, and knowledge of how to present visuals in a convincing way
Willingness to consider and learn different/new artistic styles
Strong understanding of computer design software suites, where appropriate

Visual Development Artists
High level of illustration, drawing, and design skills. Create visuals to convey ideas about the look of the film. Envision diverse elements of a film presentation to create worlds and stories through capturing dramatic story moments, plot thrusts, and moods within Character and/or Environment designs. Develop emotional connection to the story’s theme using a rich imagination, a strong sense of appeal, color, design, composition, and the versatility to conceptualize visually in a variety of techniques and styles.

Skills: Ability to create inspiring characters, environments and key scenes through their narrative art.  Provide technical art packeting to establish and guide the look of a film through the rest of the pipeline that follows and interacts with the visual development process.

Work with the Director and art Director to develop backgrounds, colors, lighting, environments, and props. Ability to work in 2D or 3D with programs such as Photoshop, ZBrush and Maya and have a variety of skills including traditional fundamentals

Character Technical Director/Rigger
Location:​ Playa del Rey, CA
Job #:​101

Description: A Rigging Technical Director is responsible for working with the animation supervisor, designers and animators to realize a character in digital form. This includes both shaping the character’s 3D geometry and the delivery of a well-designed set of animation controls for manipulating that geometry. The three main disciplines are modeling, rigging and rig building.

Task Description:

Sculpt and refine a neutral 3D model to fit the aesthetic needs of Character Designers. Design and maintain a modeling topology conducive to the storyboarded range of deformations.

Knowledge of traditional animation techniques and the principles of character motion

* Knowledge of anatomy- bones muscles, fat, weight, secondary motion
* Aesthetic eye for deformation
* Characters built from scratch and rigged
* Facial Rigging
* Understanding of IK/FK structure
* Training in visual arts and understanding of form, geometry and movement
* Knowledge of academics such as linear algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus and differential geometry
* Experience writing scripts or expressions (e.g. Mel). Aptitude in programming is also required (e.g. C++, Python).
* Unix experience is helpful
* Excellent communication and presentation skills

Submission  and Reel Guidelines
Include examples of rigging that support the type of character that is being built.
Please include samples of digital sculpting of organic forms such as faces or bodies as well as a variety of works and styles. Include turntables showing the final result and a turntable with the mesh so we can evaluate topology.
For modeling include a variety of examples including; drawings or clay sculpts will help, cloth modeling and/or hair modeling.

Include systems that can be used to make faces or bodies. Show how the controls work and the interface for the animators.  Descriptive text for the technical designs/tools shown on the reel should be provided on a separate breakdown sheet included with your reel/resume.

Task Description:
Work closely with animators to provide and refine an articulation of the full range of expressions and body movement needed to support a character’s acting range in the film. A truth to materials/anatomy and animation principles is emphasized, as is patience and a willingness to experiment!
Creative use of deformers to achieve a specific deformation called for by Animation with a concise set of animation controls.

Designing and maintaining Master Rigs that can be re-used as a basis for articulating similar characters, or applying existing Rigs to newly created character sculpts.

Writing scripts to facilitate workflow improvements in Python or MEL, or working with a programmer to enable them to make such improvements effectively.

Brainstorming new techniques and ideas for user interfaces, deformation tools, and character specific rigging solutions.

Troubleshooting technical issues inherent in maintaining a clean file structure and pipelines for both in-house and 3rd party software.

Having proficiency in a programming language and math is important.