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Film Lighting Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Swaybox Studios

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA · Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

Replicate and adjust lighting from live action plates onto our characters with an emphasis on fine details, performance nuances, and the overall aesthetic of our film. * Establish and maintain the ...

Swaybox Studios

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA · On-site

$122K - $146K/yr

Replicate and adjust lighting from live action plates onto our characters with an emphasis on fine details, performance nuances, and the overall aesthetic of our film. * Establish and maintain the ...

2K

Senior Level Artist

Novato, CA

$149K - $178K/yr

An interest in relevant adjacent disciplines such as architecture, urban design, interior design, photography, film, lighting, and drawing is beneficial. Who You Are: * A reliable, positive force ...

2K

Senior Level Artist

Novato, CA · On-site

$149K - $178K/yr

An interest in relevant adjacent disciplines such as architecture, urban design, interior design, photography, film, lighting, and drawing is beneficial. Who You Are: * A reliable, positive force ...

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How much do film lighting jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 12, 2026, the average hourly pay for film lighting in the United States is $21.28, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $17.31 and $24.76 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Film Lighting job?

A Film Lighting job involves designing, setting up, and controlling the lighting on a film set to achieve the desired mood, visibility, and cinematic effect. Lighting technicians and gaffers work closely with the director of photography to enhance the storytelling through proper illumination. Responsibilities include positioning lights, managing power distribution, and adjusting intensity or color. Proper lighting enhances the atmosphere and ensures high-quality visuals.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Film Lighting position, and why are they important?

Excelling in Film Lighting requires a solid understanding of lighting principles, color theory, electrical safety, and experience with different lighting equipment, often gained through formal training or hands-on work in film production. Familiarity with tools such as DMX lighting control systems, LED panels, Fresnels, and grip equipment, as well as OSHA safety certifications, is highly valued. Strong teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, and clear communication help lighting professionals coordinate with directors, cinematographers, and other crew members. Mastery of both technical and soft skills ensures that lighting enhances the artistic vision safely and efficiently on set.

What kinds of career growth opportunities are available for professionals in film lighting?

Film lighting roles offer a clear path for career advancement, often starting as a lighting technician or electrician and progressing to roles like best boy, gaffer, or even director of photography with experience and demonstrated skill. Professionals can expand their expertise by learning new technologies, specializing in certain types of lighting (such as LED or specialty effects), or taking on supervisory responsibilities. Many find that building a strong reputation and network within the film industry leads to opportunities on larger productions and in leadership roles. Collaborating closely with cinematographers, directors, and other departments can also open doors to creative responsibilities and higher-level positions.

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Film Lighting jobs near you

Senior CG Lighting Artist

Swaybox Studios

New Orleans, LA • Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

Other

Posted 29 days ago

Job description

Job Summary:

Swaybox Studios is seeking a creatively driven and technically adept Senior CG Lighting Artist to integrate CG facial performances into our cross-department workflows. This role is central to maintaining the emotional fidelity and character consistency of our hybrid puppetry performances, ensuring the final output meets the high artistic standards of the studio.

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to the compositing team. This person will play a hands-on role in bringing our characters to life, improving workflows, resolving creative challenges, and collaborating with Supervisors and Technical Directors to evolve tools that enhance production efficiency. This is a perfect position for a VFX artist who understands the subtle art of expression, setting a mood, character performance, and hybrid storytelling.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Implement best practices in our face replacement pipeline, ensuring poses and expressions are seamlessly matched to animation and puppet facial performances.
  • Replicate and adjust lighting from live action plates onto our characters with an emphasis on fine details, performance nuances, and the overall aesthetic of our film.
  • Establish and maintain the tone, and mood across sequences, while also adhering to any pre-lighting or color keys that have been established in pre-vis.
  • Work closely with outsource vendors and other CG and comp artists, collaborating on visual looks, tech, training, and workflow for faces and environments.
  • Collaborate with VFX Supervisor, MoMo Art Supervisor, and TDs to identify areas of improvement in the pipeline, including tool and workflow development.
  • Maintain output quality and momentum in a fast-paced environment.
  • Preserve cohesive character consistency across facial replacements and ensure smooth integration of our internal puppet performances, animation, and live action plates.
  • Communicate effectively with production and creative leads to align visual performance with narrative goals.

Required Qualifications:

  • 5+ years experience in high-end, live action VFX films, with a strong emphasis on beauty lighting.
  • Expert knowledge and proficiency of Houdini and rendering in Arnold.
  • Basic knowledge of compositing in Nuke to create and refine slap comps for presentation and handoff to the compositing team.
  • Deep understanding of visual language- color, scale, perspective, proportion, spatial awareness, motion blur, depth of field, etc
  • Comprehensive knowledge of physically based rendering and optimizations, using Arnold or similar engines.
  • Understanding of photography, exposure, color grading, lens and camera behavior, and HDR workflows.
  • Strong eye for cinematic and real-world lighting, color grading, and shot continuity.
  • Robust problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt quickly to unique or proprietary workflows.
  • An artistic mindset and willingness to receive and implement constructive feedback, whether that's with draw-overs, over the shoulder adjustments, or team meetings.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Understanding and experience with UV, texture, and shading is a plus.
  • Understanding of CG modelling and rigging workflows.
  • Basic knowledge of texture mapping techniques.
  • Experience with Unreal is advantageous.
  • Knowledge of Maya and Arnold rendering.
  • Experience with ZBrush and other 3D software is advantageous.
  • Familiarity with scripting or tool development (e.g. Python, MEL, etc.) to support pipeline enhancements.
  • Background in traditional art.
  • Prior experience in both stylized and realistic texture and shading creation of digital faces is great to have.
  • Familiarity with hybrid workflows that span traditional VFX and digital puppetry.

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