Creature Supervisor at The Walt Disney Company

San Francisco, California, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Entertainment, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Film VFX, GamingIndustries

Requirements

Undergraduate or graduate degree in game development, digital art, computer graphics, game design, or related field or equivalent experience
Minimum of 10 years experience in game development as a Character Technical Artist (or equivalent)
Minimum of 3 shipped/released AAA titles as a Lead artist
Expertise in Maya rigging techniques and experience

Responsibilities

Lead a team of real-time Creature Technical Directors (“Creature TDs”) in creating and supporting a complete character pipeline to accomplish ILM’s mission. Develop and hone the team’s skills to continuously raise the quality bar
Set the discipline’s standard for artistic and technical excellence, efficiency and performance by creating exemplary work that meets project requirements, and providing training and guidance to direct reports
Work closely with artistic directors, cross-functional peers and product owners to achieve the artistic vision of the director(s) and deliver the highest quality characters possible
Oversee the optimization of animated assets to achieve optimal scene performance in the 3D engine
Collaborate with tools engineers to develop appropriate art pipelines, scripts, and plug-ins necessary to ensure the high productivity of the animators and artists. When the development of systems is required, contribute to the visual prototyping of tools, as well as R&D with systems programmers
Work with Producers in the planning stages of proposed projects to advise on the scope of the work and resource requirements, and make recommendations accordingly. Work with production to provide task estimates, track progress, and solve production issues that arise
Establish best practices and workflow for the discipline, and partner with other discipline supervisors to establish cross-functional workflow with other disciplines
Through continuing hands-on work on projects, maintain deep knowledge and user experience on workflow and tools. Innovate discipline workflow and keep up to date on new tools/applications/trends in the industry
Collaborate with Talent Managers to inform talent planning, provide guidance on casting assignments, and offer feedback to support artist growth, skill development, and career goals. Partner with Talent Management and Recruiting on staffing needs and contribute to the evaluation of potential third-party production partners, working with new vendors to define and implement effective workflows
Set the cultural tone & reinforce positive behavior within your group. Work with studio leadership to define and continually refine and shape the team culture
Define the discipline’s ‘Lead Artist’ project role per project. Help project leads solve scope, workflow, etc. issues throughout the project as needed
Speak on behalf of the discipline in technology development discussions to ensure that new development aligns with the discipline’s strategy and workflow

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Creature TDReal-time GraphicsCharacter PipelineAnimation Pipeline3D Engine OptimizationScriptingPlug-insVFX ProductionArtist ManagementTechnical Directing

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

Is this a remote position or does it require office work?

This role is hybrid, requiring 2-3 days onsite at the San Francisco office and occasional work from home.

What are the key responsibilities of the Creature Supervisor?

The role involves leading a team of Creature TDs, setting artistic and technical standards, overseeing asset optimization, collaborating on pipelines and tools, and working with production on planning and workflows.

What skills or experience are required for this role?

Candidates need expertise in real-time creature animation pipelines, team leadership, technical optimization for 3D engines, tool development collaboration, and deep knowledge of industry workflows and trends.

What is the team structure like for this position?

The Creature Supervisor leads a team of real-time Creature Technical Directors (Creature TDs) and collaborates with artistic directors, cross-functional peers, product owners, tools engineers, producers, and talent managers.

What makes a strong candidate for the Creature Supervisor role?

Strong candidates demonstrate exceptional artistic and technical skills in real-time creature work, proven leadership in raising team quality, experience bridging artists and programmers, and a track record of innovating workflows.