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Internship Animation Lighting Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA ยท Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to ... to animation and puppet facial performances. * Replicate and adjust lighting from live action ...

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA ยท On-site

$122K - $146K/yr

As we collaborate with DC Studios/Warner Bros Pictures Animation and Matt Reeves' 6th and Idaho on ... The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to ...

PT Instructor Pool - Animation

Madison, WI ยท On-site

$16.75 - $22/hr

School of BAA_Applied Arts Madison College is recruiting a pool of qualified part-time candidates ... Internship, Animation Portfolio and Advanced Animation Studio 2. 2. Plan, develop and implement ...

Technical Artist - High Moon Studios

Carlsbad, CA ยท On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

... animation, lighting, and post process effects โ€ข Stays current on industry standard content ... artists/engineers to identify and implement art-pipeline optimizations and to create technical ...

Job Title 3D Visualization Artist About Canoo Canoo's mission is to bring EVs to Everyone and build ... Use Maya and Redshift Render for stills, animation, lighting, and shading * Data preparation of CAD ...

Lighting Technician

Washington, DC ยท On-site

$25 - $35/hr

... Artistic Director, and technical theater interns. Additionally, the Lighting Technician supports all artists in the Dance Place season in realizing their artistic visions across live, hybrid, and ...

... Artistic Director, and technical theater interns. Additionally, the Lighting Technician supports all artists in the Dance Place season in realizing their artistic visions across live, hybrid, and ...

... Artistic Director, and technical theater interns. Additionally, the Lighting Technician supports all artists in the Dance Place season in realizing their artistic visions across live, hybrid, and ...

Technical Artist III

Las Vegas, NV

$116K - $139K/yr

Blending artistic and technical abilities, this role bridges the Art and Software teams, enabling ... Knowledge of 3D fundamentals: modeling, texturing/shading, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering.

Technical Artist III

Las Vegas, NV ยท On-site

$85K - $110K/yr

Blending artistic and technical abilities, this role bridges the Art and Software teams, enabling ... Knowledge of 3D fundamentals: modeling, texturing/shading, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering.

Senior VFX Artist - Art Center

CA ยท On-site +1

$115K - $155K/yr

About the Role We are seeking a Senior VFX Artist to unify and elevate real-time visual effects ... You will collaborate closely with Design, Animation, Lighting, Engineering, and Technical Art to ...

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Internship Animation Lighting Artist information

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How much do internship animation lighting artist jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 10, 2026, the average hourly pay for internship animation lighting artist in the United States is $13.02, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $11.54 and $14.42 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Internship Animation Lighting Artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Internship Animation Lighting Artist, you need a solid understanding of lighting fundamentals, color theory, and basic animation or film production principles, often supported by coursework or a portfolio. Familiarity with industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Houdini, or RenderMan, and knowledge of compositing tools like Nuke are commonly required. Creativity, collaboration, and attention to detail are key soft skills for producing visually compelling scenes and working effectively in a team. These skills ensure the creation of high-quality, emotionally resonant visuals that align with the project's artistic direction.

What collaborative opportunities can an Animation Lighting Artist intern expect when working on animated productions?

As an Animation Lighting Artist intern, you'll work closely with other departments such as modeling, texturing, compositing, and animation to ensure that lighting enhances both mood and storytelling. Interns frequently attend team meetings, receive feedback from senior lighting artists or supervisors, and may participate in dailies where work is reviewed as a group. This collaborative environment helps interns understand the full animation pipeline and develop communication skills vital for a successful career in animation. Being proactive and open to feedback will help you make the most of these collaborative experiences.

What does an Internship Animation Lighting Artist do?

An Internship Animation Lighting Artist assists in creating the lighting setups that help define the look and mood of animated scenes. They work closely with senior lighting artists and other departments to ensure that each frame is visually appealing and supports the story. Interns may be responsible for setting up lighting rigs, adjusting light intensity and color, rendering test images, and troubleshooting technical issues. The role offers hands-on experience with industry-standard software and workflows, helping interns develop their artistic and technical skills for a future career in animation.

What is the difference between Internship Animation Lighting Artist vs Animation Lighting Artist?

AspectInternship Animation Lighting ArtistAnimation Lighting Artist
CredentialsTypically enrolled in or recent graduate of relevant programsProfessional certification or experience often required
Work EnvironmentInternship setting, learning-focused, entry-levelFull-time studio environment, specialized role
Industry UsageUsed for training and entry-level positionsEstablished role in production teams

The main difference is that an Internship Animation Lighting Artist is an entry-level position designed for learning and gaining experience, while an Animation Lighting Artist is a full-time professional responsible for creating lighting for animations. Interns typically work under supervision, whereas professionals have more independence and responsibility in their projects.

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Senior CG Lighting Artist

Swaybox Studios

New Orleans, LA โ€ข Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

Other

Posted 27 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.