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Job description
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a global leader in visual effects and a subsidiary of Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company, is seeking a Junior Crowd Technical Director (TD) to join our San Francisco studio. This role focuses on bringing life to large‑scale cinematic environments, choreographing the motion of thousands of agents to create realistic, dynamic crowds in movie production.
Industrial Light & Magic provides a competitive compensation package for this position. Base salary is 67,900 – 86,900 USD annually, with eligibility for performance‑based bonuses and long‑term incentive units, along with comprehensive medical, dental, vision, 401(k), life and disability insurance and Disney “Cast Member” perks.
Shot Production and Choreography
Behavior Animation: Choreograph crowd motion and behavior in entry‑level shots, ensuring characters avoid obstacles, interact logically, and follow scene flow.
Motion Blending: Manage animation cycles, creating blending motions to guarantee smooth transitions between actions such as walking to running.
Visual Diversity: Use motion libraries and character variations to avoid repetition, varying heights, clothing colors, and animation offsets.
Technical Pipeline Development
Houdini Workflow: Assist in developing and refining Houdini workflows, creating and modifying Digital Assets (HDAs) for use by the broader crowd team.
Troubleshooting: Identify and resolve technical bugs within the crowd pipeline, ensuring accurate data transfer from animation to lighting and rendering departments.
Scripting: Support automation of tasks using Houdini/VEX or Python to increase department efficiency.
Team Collaboration and Communication
Cross‑Discipline Synergy: Communicate with rigging, animation, and compositing artists to ensure crowd assets are integrated correctly.
Dailies and Feedback: Attend daily production meetings, present progress, and quickly apply constructive artistic and technical feedback from supervisors.
Knowledge Sharing: Document new processes and share findings with the wider team.
Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Graphics, Traditional Animation, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
Professional Background: Minimum of 2 years of relevant VFX experience with a related degree, or at least 3 years of professional VFX experience in a production environment.
Houdini Proficiency: Strong foundational knowledge of Houdini and its crowd‑specific toolsets (State Machines, Agent nodes, etc.).
OS Environment: Proficiency in Linux, the primary operating system for our production pipeline.
Cinematic Eye: Deep understanding of composition, weight, and timing to achieve film‑quality simulations.
Preferred “Nice to Have” Skills
Scripting: Proficiency in VEX (Houdini’s language) or Python for tool creation.
Secondary Simulations: Experience with cloth or hair simulations for crowd agents.
Animation Knowledge: Working knowledge of Maya and character rigging; ability to understand how skeletal data affects crowd agents.
Observational Skills: Keen eye for natural human movement, flocking, and group dynamics.
Diversity and Equal Opportunity
ILM and The Walt Disney Company are committed to creating a diverse environment. Lucasfilm is an equal‑opportunity employer and we do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability.
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Worksite address
san francisco, CA, 94199, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.