Éclairagiste / Lighter – Montreal

Sony Pictures Imageworks is hiring an Éclairagiste / Lighter for its Montreal studio, based at 700 Rue Saint-Hubert in the heart of the city. This role sits within the lighting department, responsible for designing and implementing character and environment lighting on assigned shots to meet and strengthen the artistic direction of a production. It suits a CG artist who thinks in both visual and technical terms, and who has worked inside a VFX pipeline on animation or effects-heavy projects.

About the Role

The Éclairagiste / Lighter works across shots ranging from straightforward to moderately complex, maintaining continuity across sequences while collaborating closely with compositing, FX, animation, and layout departments. This is a project-specific, full-time position within a studio that has contributed lighting work to major feature film productions. Day to day, you are building lighting setups, solving technical and artistic problems, and hitting shot quotas in coordination with your lighting supervisor.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement lighting for characters and environments across assigned shots, ensuring consistency with the established look of each sequence.
• Work within the studio’s VFX pipeline to deliver shots that meet both artistic direction and technical standards.
• Develop lighting solutions and techniques that reflect a clear understanding of how art direction and production technology intersect.
• Maintain shot continuity across sequences by coordinating directly with compositing and FX artists during the post-production workflow.
• Meet efficiency targets and shot quotas as defined by the lighting supervisor, flagging blockers early.
• Communicate in both French and English across departments, as several key tools and collaborators operate primarily in English.

What You Bring

• A minimum of 2 to 3 years of relevant lighting experience in an animation studio or VFX environment, or a two-year diploma or one-year certificate in a related field.
• Working knowledge of Katana, Maya, Linux, and UNIX, with scripting ability in MEL, Perl, or Python.
• Familiarity with RenderMan shading, volumetric rendering, and ray tracing workflows.
• Experience with compositing software, particularly Nuke, is strongly preferred.
• A demo reel demonstrating both artistic and technical lighting work is required for consideration.
• Strong communication skills in French and English, given the cross-departmental and international nature of the production team.

Why This Role

Sony Pictures Imageworks has a long track record on major feature film productions, and the Montreal studio offers real depth in both pipeline and mentorship for lighting artists looking to build their credits. The compensation range for this position is $30.21 to $38.46 per hour CAD, with benefits that include health coverage, tuition reimbursement, RRSP, sick leave, vacation, and standard salary increases where applicable.

If your reel reflects solid lighting work across a feature film or animation production pipeline, apply now for the Éclairagiste / Lighter role at Sony Pictures Imageworks in Montreal.