Lead Animator

As a company founded and run by an artist, it’s our mission to provide talented artists with the freedom and resources they need to deliver quality work and to thrive in a fun and creative environment.

Only applicants located in the GTA or willing to relocate before their start date will be considered.

As Lead Animator of a project, you are responsible for the work coming from your team. The Lead Animator establishes, in cohesion with the Animation Supervisor of the project, working methods for the team, taking into account the technical requirements of the pipeline, present and future.

The Lead Animator supervises, guides and develops the team and acts as a mentor. The knowledge of the skills of his or her team allows them to delegate tasks and shots to employees that they see appropriate.

Responsibilities

• Create high quality, visually stunning, hyper realistic animation on feature film projects
• Oversees the animation working closely with the CG Supervisor and VFX Supervisor, Animation Supervisor and Head of Animation
• Act as an animation consultant, working closely with the CG supervisor, production team and the Animation Department Supervisor, to find the best approaches to technical and artistic challenges
• Act as a mentor and inspire, motivate and develop the talent of the animators
• Assist the Animation Department Supervisor in developing the talent and culture of the team. Ensures that Rodeo quality standards are met
• Meeting schedules and show deadlines
• Ongoing communication with Production regarding the teams’ schedules and deadlines

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a VFX studio
• Traditional animation or artistic background
• Previous experience in hyper realistic facial animation
• Previous experience working with motion capture data
• Excellent understanding of body mechanics, acting, storytelling techniques
• Excellent knowledge of Maya
• Previous experience with Linux
• Knowledge of scripting, Mel or Python
• An understanding of Rigging and Modeling
• Ability to perform multiple tasks, set priorities and problem solving
• Work ethic focused on the dynamism and collaboration
• Being open to direction and able to embrace change
• Self-driven, good communicator, and a great team player

• Full-time, Permanent Contract;
• 5 paid sick days;
• 2 additional statutory holidays in the winter holidays;
• Group Insurance, access to Dialogue online support and to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP);
• RRSP with employer contribution after 6 months of continuous employment;
• Discounts with Bixi, Bota Bota Spa, Nautilus Plus and many more local businesses.

Diversity is a core value at Rodeo FX. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable work environment where diversity is celebrated and valued. We believe every member on our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to perceive and interact with the world, identify challenges, and to design and deliver projects.