Digital Matte Paint and Environment Lead

COSA VFX INC•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$60,000 - $150,000•Remote

About The Position

CoSA VFX is seeking a DMP & Environments Lead with expertise in both. In this 100% remote role, we're happy to hear from anyone with the legal ability to work in the US but preference is given for those who are currently living in California.

Requirements

A minimum of 5 years’ experience working in digital matte painting, environment work, and/or lead-level production roles for episodic TV and/or motion pictures.
Strong ability to lead the creation of photo-real environments, set extensions, and backgrounds while maintaining consistency in lighting, perspective, scale, color, and mood.
Expert-level proficiency in Photoshop with production experience in Maya, Nuke, and projection-based workflows.
Strong skills in painting, cleanup, projection setup, plate integration, color matching, perspective, and photographic realism.
Experience working with modern environment workflows, including 2D projections, environment assembly, kitbash assets, photogrammetry, and procedural environment techniques.
Strong understanding of cameras, lenses, perspective, parallax, depth of field, and real-world scale for accurate environmental integration.
Ability to combine 2D and 3D elements, projections, and environment assets across multiple workflows and pipelines.
Strong understanding of production pipelines, publish workflows, version control, and how DMP/Environment work connects with downstream departments.
Strong artistic eye for composition, lighting, color grading, atmosphere, and environmental storytelling.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to lead, mentor, onboard, and support artists within a collaborative production environment.
Professional aptitude for time management in relation to bringing multiple priorities and tasks to completion within a set deadline.
Ability to interpret and execute creative direction while maintaining high visual quality and technical consistency.
Strong collaborative mindset with a focus on achieving the creative and technical goals of the project.

Nice To Haves

Experience with bidding, task estimation, artist task planning, and production scheduling discussions is considered a strong asset.

Responsibilities

Leading the creation of photo-real environments, set extensions, matte paintings, elements, and textures for integration into live action plates or as stand-alone DMP assets.
Remaining hands-on with DMP work as needed, including painting, projections, set extensions, cleanup, and environment integration.
Leading the integration of matte paintings, projections, and environment assets into 3D environments and shot workflows.
Collaborating with VFX Supervisors, CG Leads, Production, and Scheduling to help assign artists to suitable tasks based on project needs, artist strengths, and production priorities.
Working closely with artists across DMP, CG, Lighting, FX, and Compositing departments to ensure continuity, consistency, and efficient execution of environment work.
Preparing look development tests and iterations for supervisor and/or client review.
Working with live action footage, still photography, LiDAR, photogrammetry, and CG elements to create environments that can be seamlessly integrated into final shots.
Reviewing client/company notes to determine the creative and technical requirements for environment and matte painting work.
Assisting with bidding, task estimation, scheduling evaluations, and environment-related production planning.
Mentoring artists, supporting onboarding of new DMP/Environment team members, and helping maintain visual quality, consistency, and workflow efficiency across the team.
Ensuring efficient workflow, organization, version control, and proper use of the studio pipeline.