Sr. Lighter - Temporary

Description

The Art Group at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) is seeking a freelance Senior Lighter with a solid background in lighting design for real time 3D human characters and virtual environments. The ideal candidate has at least 10 years industry experience and is a strong role model and mentor to junior artists. The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown LA and is the largest private employed in the City of Los Angeles.  As an employee of USC, you will be part of a world-class research university and a member of the "Trojan Family," which is comprised of faculty, students, and staff.  At USC's ICT, high-tech tools and classic storytelling come together to pioneer new ways to teach and to train.  In a highly collaborative and creative environment, teams of scientists, programmers and artists work together in areas including virtual humans, learning sciences, storytelling, games, simulation and graphics.  The goal is to create engaging and effective immersive experiences that shape the future of learning.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The freelance Senior Lighter’s primary responsibility is to create realistic lighting for real time 3D virtual human characters in a variety of background styles (from photos to fully built 3D virtual environments), as well as provide guidance and supervision for junior artists.

• Create nuanced lighting situations for real time CG human characters in a variety of virtual environments
• Have expert knowledge of the principles of lighting
• Collaborate with and guide other artists to create all needed lighting situations
• Work closely with other Art Group members to plan out project specific timelines
• Work closely with other Art Group members to solve various design, pipeline, and/or lighting issues
• Mentor junior artists
• Maintain or exceed a consistent level of productivity
• Consistently produce high quality work and meet deadlines

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Graphics, Computer Science, Photography, Computer Animation, Math or Physics or equivalent with a strong background in art.
  
• Proven ability to light human characters with a high degree of realism
• 10+ years experience in CG, either in games or films
• A strong sense of light and shadow demonstrated by artwork, photography, theatre, film or CG work
• Ability to follow design reference and sympathy with wide range of styles
• Understanding of composition and the ability to enhance mood by lighting
• Expertise with Maya and Unity
• Strong knowledge of Photoshop, Mental Ray, and Renderman
• Ability to do UV mapping
• Desire to collaborate in a research environment
• Ability to quickly assimilate new information
• Desire to expand knowledge base
• Attention to detail
• Good communication skills
• Ability to work with minimum of supervision and capacity to function as a team leader, if required

A reel demonstrating strong lighting skillsICT is located in the new creative business campus in Playa Vista.  Employees are encouraged to develop themselves both professionally and personally, through workshops, invited guest talks, movie nights, social events, various sports teams, a private gym and a personal trainer.  The atmosphere at ICT is relaxed, informal and flexible, while encouraging initiative, personal responsibility and a high work ethic.

The University of Southern California values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment.