At a Glance
- Tasks: Create stunning lighting and compositing scenes in Unreal and Nuke for animated episodes.
- Company: Award-winning studio known for its inclusive culture and creative storytelling.
- Benefits: Comprehensive benefits, profit sharing, and fun social events throughout the year.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth and mentoring junior artists in a dynamic environment.
- Why this job: Join a team of visual storytellers and make your mark in animation.
- Qualifications: Experience with Unreal Engine and strong understanding of lighting principles.
The predicted salary is between 45000 - 60000 £ per year.
About the Role
Our Senior Lighting and Compositing Artists ("L&C") are visual storytellers who set mood and atmosphere in our narratives, highlight character, prop and environment details, and master light, colour and creative problem‑solving. The day‑to‑day focus is creating lighting for episodes, finessing colours in compositing, and balancing high quality with tight deadlines. The role is scheduled to start late June 2026 and may close early if the application volume is high.
Day to Day
- Creating lighting scenes in Unreal with assets from the animation and effects departments and then compositing these rendered shots in Nuke to produce the final image.
- Tweaking provided light rigs, render set‑ups and compositing templates to achieve the required look of each shot.
- Monitoring renders to ensure they stay within the allocated time budget.
- Collaborating with a team of lighting and compositing artists, and communicating regularly with the Team Lead and the Lighting & Compositing Supervisor.
- Managing time efficiently to hit deadlines for assigned shots.
- Problem‑solving to fix errors, glitches and address notes efficiently.
- Covering for the Team Lead when they are unavailable.
- Taking on the more challenging and technical shots.
- Supporting and mentoring junior team members while developing management skills.
About You
Must Have
- Experience with Unreal Engine and a technical understanding of how lighting works in 3D rendering, including different types of lights, render set‑ups, physically based rendering, ray tracing and global illumination.
- Knowledge of lighting principles and how light supports a creative brief, especially in stylised animation.
- Understanding of bias‑rendering techniques to optimise sampling and avoid noise and artefacts.
- Understanding of colour theory, aesthetics and composition.
- Technical knowledge of utility passes (Z, Position and Normals) and their use in Nuke compositing.
- Understanding of cinematic principles such as DOF, Motion Blur, Lensing, etc.
- Problem‑solving skills to devise the best approach to meet the brief, troubleshoot issues and ask clarifying questions.
- Attention to detail for scrutinising final shots for errors or inconsistencies.
- Good communication and teamwork; sharing knowledge and skills with others.
- Positive response to feedback.
- Ability to work independently, being diligent, taking initiative and reliable.
- Organised and efficient time‑management.
- Previous experience as an L&C Artist in an animation production.
- Understanding of a 3D production pipeline.
Bonus Points
- Experience using Flow/Shotgrid.
- Knowledge of shading.
- Further understanding of a 3D production pipeline.
- Understanding of Path Tracing in Unreal.
Benefits
- Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 & 2026.
- Inclusive, self‑funded shorts programme.
- Many fun in‑person and remote social events throughout the year.
- Bi‑monthly employee feedback and engagement programme.
- Comprehensive benefits package, including discounts and offers.
- Online wellbeing programme.
- Profit share for employees who have been with us for 2 + years.
Senior Lighting and Compositing Artist (with Unreal) in London employer: Blue Zoo Animation Studio
As a Senior Lighting and Compositing Artist at our award-winning studio, you will thrive in a creative and inclusive environment that champions innovation and collaboration. With a strong focus on employee wellbeing and growth, we offer comprehensive benefits, a profit-sharing scheme for long-term employees, and numerous opportunities for professional development, all while being part of a team recognised as one of the best places to work in TV. Join us in shaping captivating narratives and enjoy a vibrant work culture filled with engaging social events and a commitment to your success.
