Technical Director - Research & Development job
Posted: April 11, 2007
Post subject: Technical Director - Research & Development
Post subject: Technical Director - Research & Development
subject: Technical Director - Research & Development , LAIKA, Inc.
LAIKA, Inc. is looking for Technical Director - Research & Development
Job details:
Award winning animation studio, LAIKA Inc, based in Portland Oregon
and owned by Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman of Nike, is seeking a
Technical Director for its Research & Development Group.
Laika is currently in production on the Animated Feature Film “Coraline”, based
on the novel by Neil Gaiman, written for the screen & directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James
and The Giant Peach). In addition the studio has several projects currently in
development including “Jack & Ben” and Alan Snow's "Here Be
Monsters".
Laika's Research & Development Department have many pioneering initiatives
including:
- building tools and pipeline for Stereoscopic Production (Coraline is the
first Stop-Motion Animated Feature to be shot in Stereo);
- developing new tools to assist in the integration of Computer and Stop-Motion
Animation;
- building from the ground up several types of production pipelines;
- creating tools to assist and aid Computer Animation Production.
The Research & Development TD bridges the gap between art and technology.
Their primary responsibility is to create and improve efficient,
artist-friendly, production workflows. By designing, implementing and teaching
better ways of working, the R&D TD empowers an entire team of production
artists to get up to work efficiently. As a technical problem-solver, the
R&D TD may be called on to participate in design work, at least
peripherally, across the breadth of the entire pipeline. Although the main
focus of the R&D TD is on strategic, reusable workflow development, they
may periodically participate directly in production projects.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
- Design, prototype and implement artist-centric production tools.
- Specify the artist requirements for tools to be developed by other R&D
departments, and integrate them into production workflows.
- Work with the documentation and training groups to develop source materials.
- Help production staff understand best usage of production tools and
workflows.
- Troubleshoot production problems, and proactively work to minimize their
impact.
- Work with production staff to analyze workflows for areas that may benefit
from further design work.
- Design and execute project work plans to produce known deliverables on a
pre-determined timetable.
- Proactively seek new technologies, techniques, and processes that will
benefit facility production techniques.
- Present new ideas, work and technology to educate and inform others in the
company
Minimum Qualifications and Abilities:
- 3 + years of Feature Film (CG) experience
- Strong communication skills
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education/experience.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with several of our production
applications: Maya, Houdini, Shake, MTOR, prman or equivalents.
- Experience working on some flavor of a UNIX platform, preferably Linux
- Experience scripting in Perl or Python
- A background in Computer Science, Engineering, Art or equivalent job
experience
- Ability to manage time according to current priorities in an efficient manner
- Ability to balance short-term production needs with long-term strategic
development
- Ability to work in a self directed manner, and be adaptable to change
Preferred Abilities and Knowledge:
- 5 + years of Feature Film (CG) Experience
- Experience with Qt or PyQt
- Experience in C/C++ or some other object-oriented programming language
- Experience with subversion, cvs or another revision control system
- Experience designing user interfaces
To apply online go to:
http://apps.laika.com/jobs/detail/109
For additional information on Laika, including other open TD
positions in R&D, please go www.laika.com
Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
_________________
CG jobs
3d modeling jobs
LAIKA, Inc. is looking for Technical Director - Research & Development
Job details:
Award winning animation studio, LAIKA Inc, based in Portland Oregon
and owned by Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman of Nike, is seeking a
Technical Director for its Research & Development Group.
Laika is currently in production on the Animated Feature Film “Coraline”, based
on the novel by Neil Gaiman, written for the screen & directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James
and The Giant Peach). In addition the studio has several projects currently in
development including “Jack & Ben” and Alan Snow's "Here Be
Monsters".
Laika's Research & Development Department have many pioneering initiatives
including:
- building tools and pipeline for Stereoscopic Production (Coraline is the
first Stop-Motion Animated Feature to be shot in Stereo);
- developing new tools to assist in the integration of Computer and Stop-Motion
Animation;
- building from the ground up several types of production pipelines;
- creating tools to assist and aid Computer Animation Production.
The Research & Development TD bridges the gap between art and technology.
Their primary responsibility is to create and improve efficient,
artist-friendly, production workflows. By designing, implementing and teaching
better ways of working, the R&D TD empowers an entire team of production
artists to get up to work efficiently. As a technical problem-solver, the
R&D TD may be called on to participate in design work, at least
peripherally, across the breadth of the entire pipeline. Although the main
focus of the R&D TD is on strategic, reusable workflow development, they
may periodically participate directly in production projects.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
- Design, prototype and implement artist-centric production tools.
- Specify the artist requirements for tools to be developed by other R&D
departments, and integrate them into production workflows.
- Work with the documentation and training groups to develop source materials.
- Help production staff understand best usage of production tools and
workflows.
- Troubleshoot production problems, and proactively work to minimize their
impact.
- Work with production staff to analyze workflows for areas that may benefit
from further design work.
- Design and execute project work plans to produce known deliverables on a
pre-determined timetable.
- Proactively seek new technologies, techniques, and processes that will
benefit facility production techniques.
- Present new ideas, work and technology to educate and inform others in the
company
Minimum Qualifications and Abilities:
- 3 + years of Feature Film (CG) experience
- Strong communication skills
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education/experience.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with several of our production
applications: Maya, Houdini, Shake, MTOR, prman or equivalents.
- Experience working on some flavor of a UNIX platform, preferably Linux
- Experience scripting in Perl or Python
- A background in Computer Science, Engineering, Art or equivalent job
experience
- Ability to manage time according to current priorities in an efficient manner
- Ability to balance short-term production needs with long-term strategic
development
- Ability to work in a self directed manner, and be adaptable to change
Preferred Abilities and Knowledge:
- 5 + years of Feature Film (CG) Experience
- Experience with Qt or PyQt
- Experience in C/C++ or some other object-oriented programming language
- Experience with subversion, cvs or another revision control system
- Experience designing user interfaces
To apply online go to:
http://apps.laika.com/jobs/detail/109
For additional information on Laika, including other open TD
positions in R&D, please go www.laika.com
Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
_________________
CG jobs
3d modeling jobs