Effects Animator

For the last century, Walt Disney Animation Studios has been combining the best in artistry and storytelling with cutting-edge technology to bring wonderful new characters and visual spectacle to the big screen for audiences around the world. We currently have an exciting opportunity for Effects Animators to join our world class award winning team at our Burbank, CA studio.

Effects Animators create a wide variety of visual effects that range from hyper-realistic simulations of natural phenomena, to realizing the futuristic and the completely fantastical. They are expected to exercise their technical and artistic talents in collaboration with other artists from all disciplines to create the appealing, compelling and unexpected images that support the emotional beats of the film.

Responsibilities

• Bring a strong sense of personal authorship and art direction to visuals, while meeting the artistic vision of the Director and Production Designer.

• Ability to execute on a range of visuals, from the photoreal to the wholly imagined.

• Collaborate with other artistic departments to achieve desired look for effects elements.

• Communicate regularly with the production team to establish and meet expectations and deadlines.

• Develop innovative tools and workflows necessary to achieve technical and visual goals.

• Generate effects with an awareness of how they will be received and used by other departments, with a mind towards data efficiency and consumability.

• Participate in team discussions and critiques, to give feedback on visuals or technical solutions in an effort to push artistry and efficiency.

• Work with Effects department leadership to develop and enforce artistic and technical goals for projects and/or teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and/or equivalent experience.

• Experience in CG visual effects production for animation, live-action film, television or games.

• Proficiency with SideFX’s Houdini.

• Comfortable using, or willingness and ability to learn, various effects animation techniques including procedural animation, keyframing and simulations such as rigid bodies, soft bodies, fluids, particle dynamics, etc.

• Open to taking technical and artistic direction, as well as receiving and addressing notes and feedback from peers and leadership.

• Attentive to detail and quality in work.

• Intrinsic drive to improve technical and artistic skills and embrace a studio culture that strives to innovate and change.

• Ability to clearly convey artistic and technical concepts, challenges and processes.

• Keen understanding of animation and film making fundamentals, including timing, silhouette, appeal, light, color, composition, etc.

• Familiarity with Linux and Python scripting is a plus.

Visual examples of images exemplifying work in this area are requested for review. Please include a resume and reel breakdown with your online profile.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The pay rate for this role in Burbank, CA is $56.38 - $67.28 per hour, which follows the pay scale agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The base pay actually offered may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors.