Regional Only | Lead Lighting and Compositing Artist

Regional Only | Lead Lighting and Compositing Artist Join to apply for the Regional Only | Lead Lighting and Compositing Artist role at Blue Zoo Animation Studio. About The Role Our Lead Lighting and Compositing Artists ("L&C") are wonderful visual storytellers and excellent motivators. They lead their team in defining the mood and atmosphere of our narratives, and highlight the charming details of our characters, props and environments. Day‑to‑day responsibilities include creating lighting for episodes, finessing colour in compositing, balancing quality with deadlines, distributing work across the team, and communicating with supervisors and other departments to keep projects running smoothly. We are happy to discuss flexible, hybrid and remote working options. The start date is late February 2026 and the vacancy may close early if we receive a high number of applications. Day To Day Leading a team of lighting and compositing artists Creating lighting scenes in Maya with assets from the animation and effects departments and then compositing these rendered shots in Nuke to create the final shot Tweaking provided light rigs, render set‑ups and compositing templates to achieve the required look shots Tweaking render settings to optimise the efficiency of renders Monitoring renders to ensure they are within a given render time budget Arranging daily catch‑ups with your team to make sure they are on track and aware of their daily tasks Working with the Supervisor to brief your team on new episodes Managing your team efficiently to meet the deadlines of all assigned shots; flagging to the Supervisor and Production in advance if there are any potential issues Responsible for quality control across your team’s episodes, and making sure the episodes are presented to the Director and Supervisor in a way that is clean and meets the high standard of the production Fixing errors and glitches through problem‑solving and addressing notes efficiently Talking up and down the pipeline to other supervisors and leads, troubleshooting any issues, and keeping Production and Supervisor aware where appropriate Supervising or working on R&D to make sure any necessary research is done before each episode starts Producing templates for L&C with or without the support of team members, to maintain consistent quality across your team and support junior team members Taking on the more challenging or technical shots in the episode Mentoring the team and helping with their development, including participating in your team’s review sessions along with the Supervisor Updating the Supervisor on the team’s progress, communicating any concerns regarding the team’s performance and wellbeing About You – Must Have Great communication and a motivational team leader, naturally sharing your knowledge and skills with other team members Knowledge of lighting principles and how light is used to meet a creative brief, especially in stylised animation Technical understanding of how lighting works in 3D rendering – different types of lights, render setups, physically based rendering, ray tracing and global illumination – using Maya and a render engine comparable to Redshift Technical understanding of biased rendering to optimise sampling, making your renders efficient and avoiding noise and artefacts An understanding of colour theory, aesthetics and composition Technical understanding of utility passes (Z, Position and Normals) and how they are used in compositing using Nuke Understanding of camera depth of field Problem‑solving skills to find the best approach to meeting the brief as well as troubleshooting issues and asking questions if unsure An eye for detail for scrutinising final shots for any errors or inconsistencies Ability to respond positively to feedback and develop from it Confidence in working independently. Being diligent, taking initiative and being reliable Being organised and managing yours and your team’s time efficiently Ability to help and support your team, contributing to the development and growth of your team members (e.g. setting defined goals and giving clear direction) Bonus Points Previous experience as a Lead L&C Artist on an animation production Knowledge of Python scripting Knowledge of After Effects Experience using FTrack Knowledge of shading Understanding of a 3D production pipeline About Us Blue Zoo is a leading animation studio in the UK, with a world‑class reputation as the go‑to place for creating bold, fun and characterful animation. Established in London in 2000, the studio has grown to become the largest dedicated CG animation studio in the UK, picking up a shelf full of BAFTAs, an Annie and an Emmy along the way Blue Zoo is the first major animation studio in the world to receive B Corp certification, independently certified by B Lab. We are building a studio full of talented, happy artists that make work they are proud of, contributing to a happier world. Blue Zoo believes that a healthy balance in our lives—whatever our situation—supports staff wellbeing. We offer flexible working to support this. What We’ve Got For You Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024 & 2025 Inclusive self‑funded shorts programme Many fun in‑person and remote social events throughout the year Bi‑monthly employee feedback and engagement programme Comprehensive benefits package, including discounts and offers Online wellbeing programme Profit share for employees with 2+ years Seniority Level Mid‑Senior Employment Type Contract Job Function Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology Industries Animation #J-18808-Ljbffr