We are seeking a skilled Prep Artist to join our VFX team. This role focuses on ensuring footage is properly prepared for VFX production pipeline. The ideal candidate will have a strong eye for detail, technical understanding of various footage formats, and ability to solve complex preparation challenges while maintaining high quality standards.
Responsibilities
- Perform plate cleanup, wire/rig removal, and marker removal.
- Execute high-quality digital paint work and patch reconstruction.
- Create clean plates for complex shots.
- Handle camera tracking and match moving.
- Stabilize footage when required.
- Manage lens distortion analysis and correction.
- Perform color space conversion and pipeline preparation.
- Create accurate camera data from on-set information.
- Handle basic compositing tasks related to prep work.
- Maintain detailed documentation of work performed.
- Quality check deliverables before passing to next department.
Requirements
- 2-4 years of professional prep experience in film/TV.
- Robust understanding of VFX pipeline workflows.
- Excellent eye for detail and consistency.
- Experience with tracking difficult shots.
- Knowledge of color pipelines and ACES workflow.
- Understanding of lens distortion and camera properties.
- Ability to handle multiple shots simultaneously.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
Technical Skills
- Nuke (required).
- 3D Equalizer or PFTrack (required).
- Mocha Pro (required).
- Syntheyes (plus).
- Adobe Photoshop (required).
- Understanding of Python scripting (plus).
- Familiarity with Linux operating system.
- Experience with shot management systems.
Core Competencies
- Advanced digital paint techniques.
- Strong tracking and match-moving skills.
- Understanding of photography and cinematography.
- Knowledge of various footage formats and codecs.
- Experience with stereo footage (plus).
- Ability to reconstruct missing areas in plates.
- Understanding of camera and lens properties.
- Knowledge of grain management and restoration.
What We Offer
- Work on high-profile film and TV projects.
- State-of-the-art hardware and software.
- Professional development opportunities.
- Regular training sessions.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Collaborative work environment.
Daily Tasks You’ll Handle
- Plate cleanup and preparation.
- Camera solving and tracking.
- Lens grid analysis.
- Clean plate generation.
- Marker removal and cleanup.
- Frame reconstruction.
- Pipeline integration.
- Quality control checks.
- Technical documentation.
Note: Please include detailed breakdowns of your work process. We're particularly interested in seeing how you approach challenging technical problems and maintain quality under production constraints.