Freelance Virtual Production Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About the job
About UsSynapse is a Virtual Production and Immersive Entertainment collective, composed of filmmakers and award-winning industry leaders, including directors, cinematographers, producers, designers, engineers, VFX artists and technicians. We’ve created thousands of commercials, music videos, tv shows, films, live broadcasts, immersive experiences and esports events.

Virtual Production represents the convergence of all these mediums. Synapse leverages these cutting-edge technologies and harnesses our collective years of experience and battle-tested knowledge to craft a more robust, filmmaker-centric virtual production solution and engaging, immersive visual experiences.

Job description Synapse Virtual Production is looking for an experienced VAD Supervisor to lead in-house environment development. This position will be the glue that makes our artists’ work and our clients’ ambitions remain future forward and stunning. At our core, we are both a consultancy, a service company, and a creative technology leader, so our VAD Supervisor needs to be able to face clients with confidence, point our staff and freelancers in the right direction, and solve large technical and creative challenges day to day.

You will thrive in this role if you love solving unique challenges every day, if you enjoy mastering new software and systems and if you have a desire and experience developing and mentoring junior staff.

Responsibilities

– Interpret ideas communicated by the Director/Key Creative Team and working with design teams, translate them into photo references, concept art, storyboards.

– Collaborate with the Previz team to bring concepts and visions to life within Unreal Engine.

– Create and oversee the CG assets from concept art, ensuring design continuity throughout the production process.

– Partner with leadership to ensure work aligns with the specifications of Director/Key Creatives.

– Collaborate with the production team on bids and scheduling and maintain communication with Clients and Key Creatives during all production stages.

– Build, texture, and light photoreal environments inside Unreal Engine using its full suite of world-building tools, including Megascans, blueprints, shaders, lighting, and particle effects.

– Author shaders and textures for assets and work with reference materials such as scans, previz, photography, and concept art.

– Optimize real-time scenes across various workflows, including modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, shading, lighting, and particle effects.

– Contribute to developing real-time pipelines and stay updated with the latest tools and processes available in Unreal Engine.

– Collaborate with fellow asset builders, supervising and managing asset delivery milestones.

– Present and work closely with industry-leading Directors, Production Designers, Art Directors, Executive Producers, and Studio Executives.

– Brainstorm creative ideas and solutions with attention to detail and craftsmanship.

– Continuously seek ways to improve pipelines, technical processes, and creative approaches.rk with HOP, VAD Supervisor, and partners to engage with client in project spec’ing in the bidding process

Qualifications

– A minimum of 5+ years of experience in the game or film industry creating assets and environments.

– Demonstrated experience in creating photo-realistic assets in both organic and hard-surface assets and environments.

– Proficient in using Unreal Engine and experience working with Maya, Substance, Photoshop, and Zbrush.

– Familiarity with the import/export process to Unreal Engine at both Static Mesh and Skeletal Mesh levels.

– Experience with photogrammetry asset processes and cleanup (a plus).

– Previous on-set experience (a plus).

– Solid understanding of Unreal Engine workflows, blueprint, metahuman, procedural assets, level sequencer.

– Knowledge of Perforce Workflows

– An understanding of filmmaking and film language

– Demonstrated ability to render imaginary scenes with little or no reference.

– Clear understanding of anatomy and motion of organic and mechanical forms.

– A reel or portfolio site demonstrating at lead as a lead artist or supervisor at a major vfx or gaming studio, including examples of work contributions.

Character Attributes:

– Demonstrate strong leadership skills and the ability to work effectively within a team setting.

– Ability to adapt quickly to changing ideas and concepts for assets.

– High level of NDA and security awareness due to the sensitive nature of the work.

– Motivational leadership, providing effective feedback to the team and setting/achieving goals and deadlines.

– Proactive and willing to help fellow artists adapt to their strengths.

– Strong communication skills with clients, managing realistic expectations and building a bond with their creative and production teams.

– Constantly seeking ways to improve pipelines, technical processes, and creative approaches.

– Ability to work well under pressure and within tight deadlines.

– Attention to detail and pride in craftsmanship and quality.

– Ability to problem solve and provide creative solutions to challenges.

– Innovative mindset – interest in pushing creative boundaries.

Employer-provided
Pay range in Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.

Base salary
$110,000/yr – $120,000/yr
Featured benefits

Medical insurance
Vision insurance
Dental insurance
401(k)
Paid maternity leave
Paid paternity leave