Senior Layout TD; VFX – Expression of Interest

Position: Senior Layout TD (VFX) – Expression of Interest
Location: City Of London

Senior Layout TD

The Layout team at DNEG is a valued mix of technical and creative artists that produce high level work, sometimes under tight deadlines for large-scale projects. The team is responsible for shot assembly and design, spatial layout of assets, character blocking, camera positioning and creation with a strong cinematographic backbone. Our setups will be the technical foundation for downstream departments on high profile features and projects.

As a Senior Artist you’ll be responsible for maintaining shot continuity, visual presentation and creative consistency across shots and sequences within your own body of work. A Senior Layout Artist is crucial for setting up the 3D foundation of VFX shots, blending high-level artistic composition with advanced technical execution. You should also be able to proactively drive your own work and targets, utilising department workflows and tooling to meet the standards required.

Key Responsibilities

• Shot Orchestration & Execution:
  Directly work on complex/challenging shots, including those requiring advanced techniques such as projections, takeovers and stitches, re-racks and full CG shots.
• Creative Cinematic Blocking:
  Design and create full CG – setting up and blocking cameras, lenses and framing for complex shots and sequences, maintaining cinematic consistency on the show.
• Asset Integration:
  Integrate and position 3D assets (characters, props, and environments) accurately into established scenes, ensuring proper scale, perspective, and continuity.
• Scene Assembly & Optimization:
  Construct and optimize complex production scenes, ensuring efficient file structure and maintaining QC for established technical standards for downstream departments (Animation, Lighting, FX). Strong creative and technical problem solving skills – can anticipate and communicate complications or opportunities on shots.
• Technical Pipeline Support:
  Troubleshoot technical issues within your shots, QC assets and dependencies within your shot assembly, maintain efficinet pipeline flow to downstream departments (Animation, FX, Lighting).
• Team Work:
  Guide Junior and Mid-level Artists on techniques, best practices as well as informal creative feedback or assistance when required.
• Supervisory Assistance:
  Support the Layout Supervisor and Leads by taking on more difficult tasks or bodies of work, give feedback on more junior team members as well as guiding them.
• Pre-visualization (Pre-vis) & Post-visualization (Post-vis):
  Often responsible for creating or integrating previs/postvis animatics to establish pacing, camera language, and scene blocking for editorial review.

Required Skills and Experience

• Experience:

  Minimum 6-7 years of Layout experience in feature film or television VFX, with a proven senior role.

• Technical Proficiency:
  Expertise in Maya (required); familiarity with software like Unreal, Nuke, Houdini, Photoshop, and production tracking tools (e.g., Shotgun/Shot Grid). A thorough understanding of 3D VFX processes and production pipelines. Follows and demonstrates best practice in pipeline, version resolution and QC.
• Artistic

  Skills:

  Strong artistic eye and understanding of cinematography, visual composition, framing, staging/set dressing, and camera language (e.g., lensing, depth of field, movement, finesse). A thorough understanding of storytelling and continuity.

• Communication:
  Excellent communication skills to interpret and clarify creative and technical direction from the Layout leadership team. Communicate promptly and effectively with dept leadership and production regarding your schedule and tasks.

Nice to Have

• Realtime experience – ideally in Unreal.
• Broad 3D generalist experience, comfortable with departments including matchmove, asset build and lighting amongst others.
• A degree or background in traditional fine arts, animation, film or photography.
• Onset and/or techvis experience

About You

• Highly motivated, pro-active, adaptable, meticulous and organised.
• Team orientated – able to work with composure and maintain a positive outlook.
• Excellent communication skills with supervision, leads and team members both locally and globally.

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