Chef d'équipe, artiste éclairagiste / Lead Lighting Artist - Remote

People Can Fly • Montreal, QC

137d • Remote

About The Position

The Lead Lighting Artist will maintain the aesthetic of the game based on the Art Director's vision, driven by the Concept Art team. This role involves adding lighting and shading elements within playable levels and cinematics. The Lead Lighting Artist will also lead a team, foster an engaging atmosphere, and ensure the best possible results for the project and the personal growth of team members. They will work with Leads and other Lighting Artists to create high-quality lighting schemes consistent with the project's universe and visual direction, lighting scenes or levels based on reference photographs and/or concept art. This role helps drive narrative storytelling through effective use of color, light, and mood, setting lighting standards, quality targets, and conducting visual prototypes. Collaboration on lighting mood boards and visual targets based on the Art Director's vision is key, as is establishing a development process for content development teams and aiding in the review process. The Lead Lighting Artist will ensure the team's work adheres to quality standards and production deadlines, conduct bug fixing, and describe R&D case studies in the knowledge base. They will work closely with the production team on task assignments and schedules to meet deadlines, while also ensuring a healthy work-life balance by setting clear expectations and scope of work. Daily feedback will be provided to improve visual quality, and the Lead will work with the team to find solutions and creatively solve problems. Collaboration with other disciplines such as VFX artists and level designers is essential for creating a great AAA game experience. R&D lighting techniques and optimization of lighting setups will be performed to meet technical limitations and art direction requirements. Collaboration with Tech Art and driving R&D initiatives to explore new techniques and implement improvements to pipelines and workflows is expected. Effective collaboration and communication across departments with other Leads, Directors, and project stakeholders is crucial to ensure efficiency and minimize miscommunication. Consistent performance and compensation reviews of staff members, recruitment projects with HR collaboration, and onboarding for new hires will be conducted. The role involves working with technical and engineering departments to ensure lighting work is within budget and maintains performance goals. Profiling existing and future levels to maximize lighting quality on characters and environments while staying within performance budgets is required. Work will be reviewed and playtested in the editor and in-game. Staying updated with the latest industry trends in lighting for film and games and mentoring the team on these trends is also part of the role. The ability to create a full lighting system using Blueprints or other tools, and to tackle special lighting cases/setups, is necessary.

Requirements

• A strong portfolio showcasing examples of world and local lighting work at a AAA quality.
• Excellent knowledge of industry-standard software packages for modeling, high-poly sculpting (Maya, Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, or their equivalents).
• Artistically interpret concepts or creatively push beyond an initial ideation.
• A solid understanding of traditional art skills along with foundational design competencies (shape, form, texture, value and color).
• In depth understanding and practical experience of lighting in either real-time game engines or in CGI or VFX productions.
• In depth knowledge of Physically Based Rendering workflows.
• Good understanding of performance limitations and possibilities of current console generation.
• Ability to create all content needed for lighting including but not limited to textures, IES profiles, HDR maps, materials, scripts, etc.
• Understanding of basic photography concepts like EV, shutter speed, ISO, composition, etc.
• Ability to adapt, and develop specific art style, techniques and workflows with minimum guidance.
• Strong mentoring, coaching and leadership skills.
• Ability to collaborate with department leads, and different departments to solve artistic and technical challenges.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Self-motivation.
• Proficiency in English is required for this position, as the role involves regular communication with international colleagues, partners, and stakeholders based outside of Québec.
• Photoshop, Unreal Engine
• 7+ years in console or PC game development including 5+ years in unreal engine and prior experience in any leadership capacity.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team and foster an engaging atmosphere within their team to achieve best possible result for the project and personal growth of team members.
• Maintain artistic direction and quality.
• Work with the Leads and other Lighting Artists to create high-quality lighting schemes in keeping with the project's universe and visual direction.
• Lighting of scenes or levels based on reference photographs and/or concept art materials.
• Help to drive the narrative storytelling through effective use of color, light and mood.
• Set lighting standards, quality targets, and conduct visual prototypes.
• Collaborate on lighting mood boards and visual targets based on the Art Directors vision.
• Establish a development process for the content development teams and to aid in the review purpose.
• Ensure the work of the team follows the quality standards and production deadlines.
• Bug Fixing and describing R&D case studies in the knowledge base.
• Work closely with the production team on tasks assignment and schedule to meet deadlines, also ensuring healthy work-life balance by setting clear expectations and scope of work.
• Supervision of bug fixing and describing R&D case studies in knowledge base.
• Provide day-to-day feedback improvement to visual quality.
• Working with the team to find solutions and creatively solve problems.
• Collaborating with other disciplines such as VFX artists, level designers, etc. to create a great AAA game experience.
• R&D lighting techniques and optimize lighting setups in order to meet technical limitations and art direction requirements.
• Collaborate with Tech Art and drive R&D initiatives, to explore new techniques and implement improvements to pipelines and workflows.
• Collaborates and communicates effectively across departments with other Leads, Directors, and project stakeholders to ensure efficiency and minimize miscommunication.
• Conduct consistent performance and compensation reviews of staff members.
• Conduct recruitment projects with HR collaboration.
• Conduct onboarding to new hires.
• Working with the technical and engineering departments to ensure lighting work is within budget and maintains performance goals.
• Profile existing and future levels to maximize the quality of lighting on characters and environments while staying within performance budgets.
• Review and playtest your work in the editor and in-game.
• Staying updated with latest industry trends in lighting for film and games and mentoring the rest of the team on latest industry trends.
• Ability to make a full lighting system using Blueprints or any other tools.
• Ability to tackle special lighting cases/setups.

Benefits

• Benefit package 100% paid by PCF. Insurance company reimburses 100% of claims (Up to $1000 per service a year, as well as individual family coverage).
• Full Dental coverage, including major dental and orthodontics.
• 4% RRSP matching before tax deductions, 100% vested on day 1.
• Paid week off during Winter Holidays.
• 20 paid vacation days and 5 paid sick days.
• Free virtual health and mental wellbeing sessions included in the plan for members and their dependents.
• Personal development opportunities and ability to work in a global environment.
• Work in a creative team with people full of passion for what they do.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed