Technical Director / Rigging

Description

General Summary

HouseSpecial is a studio of vibrantly talented artists and seasoned production professionals driven by a passion for creative excellence.  The Technical Director / Rigging serves a dual role in HouseSpecial: Rigs characters, props and sets to support our team of world-class animators; and functions as a Lead TD on projects, technically stewarding projects from pre-production, through final render.   Our teams move fast; we never compromise on creativity.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Works with modelers and animators to optimize characters/rigs and integrate completed rigs into the production pipeline.
• Designs, prototypes, implements and supports animator-centric tools for animation.
• Participates in determining a technical approach to achieve the desired computer graphics effects on a shot.
• Shepherds data flow and troubleshoots issues between various disciplines: modeling changes throughout production; character setup adjustments; animation issues; rendering problems; texture, lighting and comp changes.
• Performs camera tracking on plates and integrates them into the pipeline.
• Ensures that the textures work with models for optimized render times.
• Monitors render issues.
• Ability to address changes in productions, schedules and their ramifications to the pipeline.
• Supports studio by providing assistance to other departments when necessary.
• Actively safeguards HouseSpecial’s Proprietary and Confidential Information.
• Performs other tasks related to the creation of computer-generated animation. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in relevant technical/creative field of study and/or equivalent education/experience.
• Three or more years of commercial/film/animation industry experience.
• The ability to work cooperatively on a team.
• Experienced problem-solver in tight deadline situations.
• Ability to address and communicate issues quickly.
• Strong production-proven knowledge of Maya.
• Experience with Nuke, Arnold, Houdini, MODO, Mudbox, ZBrush and Photoshop a plus.
• Experience with C/C++, Python, Perl and/or Mel.
• Understanding of physical motion, weight, balance and form.
• Knowledge of human and animal anatomy.
• Ability to prioritize hit deadlines and maintain consistent productivity in a fast paced environment. 
  Open to taking direction and able to embrace change.
• Strong attention to detail, communication skills, a great attitude and common sense. 

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of work being performed by in a production coordination role and do not comprise the definitive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.

About HouseSpecial

HouseSpecial, formerly LAIKA/house, can make anything move. Our Portland creative team is globally known for our ability to develop characters in narrative environments for iconic brands like M&M’S, Supercell’s Boom Beach, Planters, Apple, ESPN, Target and Honey Nut Cheerios. We have collaborated with advertising agencies Barton F. Graf, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Wieden+Kennedy, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, Leo Burnett and BBDO on hundreds of spots – many of which earned big awards and are part of advertising lore.

The studio, under the leadership of President.EP Lourri Hammack, Chief Creative Office and Creative Director Kirk Kelley and Chief Operating Officer Alvaro Cubillas, specializes in short to mid-form animated content in 2D, CG and stop motion mediums.