Senior Lighting Artist - Gears of War - The Coalition (12-Month Fixed Term Contract)

Microsoft•Vancouver, BC

2d•CA$124,000 - CA$186,000

About The Position

The Coalition is a flagship first-party studio within XBOX Game Studios and the home to one of gaming’s most critically and commercially acclaimed series, Gears of War. We are a group of diverse and talented individuals working for a common purpose to push the limits of XBOX's entertainment platform and devices. As a studio, we lead from our values and work together to promote respect and inclusion, a growth mindset and grit, all while putting our team first. If you have the fire to work with our driven team, then come work with us. We are seeking a highly creative and motivated Senior Lighting Artist for a 12-month fixed term contract. The candidate will have a thorough knowledge of lighting fundamentals including value, color and composition, and an excellent understanding of how these come together to shape game environments and inform gameplay. In this role you will also play a role in solving technical problems through collaboration with art and engineering.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 4+ years’ experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment.
OR equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

10+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment
6+ years experience using related software and packages (e.g., Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop/Adobe suite, Mental Ray, Substance Designer/Painter/Zbrush, SideFX Houdini, After Effects, Unity, Softimage).
A portfolio that demonstrates a thorough understanding of lighting, composition, and color
Knowledge of both real-time and pre-rendered lighting principles (dynamic lighting, light bake solutions, sub surface scattering, HDR (High Dynamic Range), physically based rendering).
Production experience with modern real time game engines such as Unreal, Unity, Frostbite, Crytek, or Snowdrop is highly valued but not required.
Experience and knowledge of how to balance great visuals with optimal performance in game.
Ability to work collaboratively – bring new ideas and work iteratively to improve existing ones.
Ability to organize and manage time effectively to meet deadlines.
Background in real world photography, cinematography and lighting a plus.

Responsibilities

Work closely with a cross-disciplinary team - level design, environments, VFX (Visual Effects), and tech art - to create industry leading lighting of our in-game spaces.
Craft compelling lighting which supports narrative, art direction and gameplay objectives while meeting the performance targets.
Translate conceptual illustrations into outstanding real-time lighting visuals.
Work with art and engineering teams to create solutions to difficult visual challenges.
Proactive and effective communication with the art directors, leads and other content devs.
Develop and maintain a thorough understanding of current lighting techniques, constraints and future trends.
Help establish new best practices, and coach existing ones to lighting team members.