Roles vs Salary

We are going to deal with this topic that we believe is very important to understand, not only the roles established by an industry that on some occasions seeks a very specific role or in some others for a broader curriculum but also how economically is valued each speciality and understanding that despite the fact there is usually a salary trend for each role, the market value fluctuates based on the demand of the system at any given time.

To obtain the information that we show here, we have accessed employment pages such as Glassdoor, Indeed, BeBeep, Monster, Reed, and Linkedin among others, where we analyze and structure the requirements of dozens of employment offer by speciality throughout England.

It is worth mentioning that what an offer demand is an approximation of what is finally agreed upon since the applicant can negotiate their salary and a company can opt for an artist who does not meet 100% of the required profile but they might end up taking into account other factors that make its incorporation worthwhile.

We saw that normally most companies look for people with two or three years of experience to avoid surprises that end up wasting time and money, wanting to know in advance that the candidate has already been proven in the professional circuit with all this entails… and we reckon this is perfectly understandable as the experience tells the artist has been put into the test under tight delivery dates in a sector with peaks of stress, however, we always advise to apply for these positions even if you do not have experience, as long as you can offer a portfolio that covers what the role requires and can convince and delight the recruiter.

We have grouped the roles into four large groups:

1. Modeling and Tools

In this group we will include those roles that consist of the creation of 3D objects, whether they are vehicles, buildings, environments, characters, and their textures, shading or even hair, which even though it is a discipline that has, in its version for animation and video game, the need to define its physics, we have chosen to include it since, like the rigger, it is part of the tools that will be used or considered later by the animator, VFX artists, layout, lighting, composer among others.

1.1 Environment and Props Artist

You will create assets, props and scenery in a broad range of styles across platforms from PC, consoles, and mobile to film and episodic. At some times you would need to go for a more photorealistic look and on other occasions for a more cartoonish one.

Within this role, you might face the recruiter asking you for low poly modelling experience, shaders, topology, texturing, lighting, composition and even Matte Painting but this last one is not essential for most companies.

As we can see below, for this role Maya is usually requested with more emphasis than Max, and support from Zbrush more than from Blender, where Mudbox and Rhino are almost invisible and Houdini to our surprise does not appear anywhere.

We also observe that experience in Unreal or Unity environments is increasingly requested.

In terms of salaries, we have come to glimpse an offer that exceeded the threshold of 65K as the one demanded by Skillsearch Limited with 70K per annum, requiring to work from home and requesting a great knowledge in complex vegetation, UE4, lightmap creation, postFX and complex materials blueprints. After reading more than 30 entries for this role, we have discarded this offer as we reckon that it is not just uncommon but so unique that it cannot be factored into typical salary ranges.

The offers that range between 55K and 65K (IT Talent Solutions (recruiters) and Aardvark Swift (recruiters) for Virtex VR) are looking more for an Environment Generalist Artist, a role that we will see in the Crossover section, and therefore require a Knowledge not only of modelling and texturing but also of concept, game lighting, post-processing tools, animation blueprints, shaders, terrain and vegetation generation with procedural workflows (Houdini will be a bonus or essential in some roles).

Occasionally, some companies are looking for specific specialities within the environment like ” Vegetation Artist” or “Procedural Technical Artist” to fill the gap temporally at some point in their projects.

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

1.2 Character Artist

This is a very specific one, the aim is to create characters mostly in high-resolution for games. The recruiters will look for realistic but also for stylised ones desiring to see the initial concept art of the character and see how the idea was moved to 3D. This role also seeks very often to have not just a 3D modeller but also someone ready to create the character from the script or able to help to enhance the concept presented by the concept artist. Texturing skills will be very present in some entries.

3dMax or Maya are essential here although Maya seems to be required more with its friends Zbrush and Substance Bundle on the pack. UV and Retopology ninja skills will be highly recommended but also anatomic, cloth and hard surfacing knowledge. Last and not least, they love to see how you control PBR and no-PBR (less demanded) in real engines being able to squeeze the juice of your character in an amazing render on V-Ray, Octane or Arnold to name a few.

Art Fundamentals is a plus but good communication skills and a good eye for detail are very desired…An Arts degree is more than welcome.

Terms of experience…always will be required … They will say 2 years of working in a AAA game…but a good portfolio with an impressive reel can help to be presentable even if you just have experience planting carrots during the last 3 years.

We can see also how Unity and Unreal experiences are occasionally requested and become part of the essential demanded points.

I would like to mention that this Role is increasingly being mixed with the Concept Artis one…given that is very often seeing a 2D Artist adding 3Dmoddeling skills as part of their toolbelt, the new “Character Concept Artist”.

To be honest in terms of salary, not many are crossing the 45K barriers…some of the companies that were offering above this amount were Warner Media in Brighton which was looking for a very experienced character artist ready to mentor other staff members, another with a maximum of 54K from Omeda Studios in London who were looking for also a very experienced artist with rigging and skinning knowledgeable to produce also real-time hair for its MOBA project (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) Predecessor and the skyrocketing salary price is for Rockstar Games UK based in Edinburg (Scotland) with a maximum of 63K Curiously this offer requires 3DStudio Max for modelling, Photoshop for texturing, Zbrush for sculpting and Marvelous for clothing; highlighting the need for an obsessed guy in the creation and manipulation of texture maps and surface patterns with an excellent understanding of UV space. latest

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

1.3 Groom Artist

The Groom Artist will create the character, creature, animal or character-based air, fur or even feathers and their simulations for high-end VFX projects. The candidate will be also responsible for the shader and texture creation and the test render along the process.

This is one of my favorite roles since it is a great unknown but it is one of the aspects in games and animation that attracts the most attention from the audience. This highly valued aspect among the vast public is in constant evolution with each SW version or each release of new hardware, forcing the professional to get updated very often.

In this world we will see how XGen, Houdini and Unreal Engine become protagonists and how the average salary generally oscillates in a range between 24K to 45K although being more realistic after seeing different offers where companies were looking for an experienced groom artist, they offered 29K to 34K per annum, companies such as Airship Interactive (Recruiters offering 29K for a Lead Role) or ILM (with an average salary of 33K).

We found many offers for this role from the doors of MPC (Moving Picture Company) and Jellyfish but the entries did not include any reference to salary ranges, and we did not find shared experiences and salary rates in Glassdoor, BeBee, Indeed, Monster, Linkedin….

Proficient in Maya, Houdini and Zbrush
Texturing and Shading experience for hair and fur
Retopology and UV Experience with overlapping and furUV sets naming
Knowledge in VFX tools and emerging technologies
Rendering (Arnold/ Mantra), presenting, releasing and publishing
Strong artistic and technical background
Experience with Realtime Game Engines (Unreal or Unity)
Solid understanding of Production pipelines
Good eye for detail
Communication Skills

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

1.4 Vehicle Artist

The candidate will be responsible for creating licensed or unlicensed vehicles in high or low poly, generating the UV mapping, texturing, shaders and elaborating the functional parts. Finally, the car will need to be exported and tested in the game therefore on some occasions they will ask you to configure the vehicle in Unreal Engine 4&5 or other similar platforms.

We saw most of the offers for this role expressly directed to Mid/Senior candidates (2-3 years of experience within this role plus the proven experience in the collaboration of AAA games in the vehicle pipeline), although we saw Rockstar Games asking for a junction and just requesting a great portfolio…or as they say <<…A comprehensive modelling and texturing portfolio showing a varied range of 3D vehicle art completed to a very high standard is required to apply…>>

Big companies like Rockstar Games UK and Cloud Imperium Games are asking exclusively for 3DStudio Max for modelling and Photoshop for texturing in conjunction with exceptional mesh topology skills and huge awareness of the cost of the polycount vs the engine used in the project.

Proficient in 3DStudio Max and Blender on small studies.
Experience with Realtime Game Engines (Unreal or Unity)
Strong 2D/3D automotive design skills
Work with technical artists and animators to deliver ‘animation ready’ solutions, landing gear, cockpits, cargo doors, ejection seats etc.
A solid comprehension of mesh topologies and optimisation techniques for games.
UV Mapping and excellent understanding of the value of maximising UV space.
Experience of PBR workflows and texturing methods.
Rendering (e.g. VRay), presenting, releasing and publishing
Strong artistic and technical background
Solid understanding of Production pipelines, workflows and performance budgets limitations. Polycount obsessed.
Good eye for detail and precision

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

1.5 Unreal Artist (Virtual Production)

The candidate will join the VAD (Virtual Art Department) to start creating and optimising environments and characters in Unreal Engine for Virtual Production, Games, Film and TV.

You will spend your working hours building, shading, texturing and lighting photoreal environments inside Unreal Engine using also Megascans, blueprints and particle effects.

Optimization is again a basic requirement that must be taken into consideration along with the different duties such as modelling, texturing, rigging, animation, shading, and lighting for real-time workflows as it prays the offer from MPC (Moving Picture Company) that is looking (August 2022) for Senior VAD Artist/ Unreal Artist (27K to 50K as Glassdoor reference).

The ability to create photo-realistic (organic and hard-surface) assets and environments is essential and this Rol apart from requiring being an expert in Unreal requests also Maya, Substance and ZBrush. 3DS Max is rarely requested.

In terms of salary, we can see this line higher than the previous ones, reaching 77K from DNEG as the pinnacle, but discarded from our ranges as the offer is the exception, not the rule…by the way.

The portfolio for this Role must include showreels with a shot breakdown showing what your role is entitled to.

Expert in 3DStudio Max/ Maya (Maya is more required in this role)
Proficiency in ZBrush and Substance Designer and Photoshop
2+ years working with unreal engine
Ability to translate concept art into virtual environments
Proficiency in the areas of Texturing, Look Dev, Shading, Lighting, Layout, Sequencer Animation, Rendering creation inside Unreal Engine
Experience optimising/ rebuilding assets and environments for realtime. A solid comprehension of mesh topologies and optimisation techniques
UV Mapping and excellent understanding of the value of maximising UV space.
Strong artistic and technical background
Solid understanding of Production pipelines, workflows and performance budgets limitations.
Good eye for detail

Excellent problem-solving skills
Design complex materials using Blueprint (Mandatory in some offers)
Create rigged characters for real time virtual production
Preassure Ready
Creative and innovative thinker
Capability to learn and adapt quickly
Excellent team building skills
C++ in Unreal and scripting skills with Python (Rare)
Understanding of the PBR workflow
Communication Skills
Meta-Human Experience (Rare)
Sequencer
Source control software (e.g. Perforce, Github)
Creating particle systems with Niagra / Cascade (rarely mentioned)
Previous experience working with Linux (Rare)
Knowledge of Mel and/or Python (BONUS)
Knowledge of Houdini (BONUS)

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

1.6 Texture/ Material Artist

Now is the turn of the Texture/ Material Artist and we used the art from Vincent Derozier who worked as Principal Material Artist at Ubisoft Quebec, to graph the role.

In this role the artist will be in charge of creating high-quality and physically based materials to bring the 3D assets to life, keeping at the same time the art style along the title, as required by Rockstar Games UK when looking for a Material Artist for its base on Edinburgh (Scotland), worth to mention that they were again looking for someone with 3DSMax knowledge, apart from the Substance package that is a must for this role no matter the company. We commonly see that Maya UV’s editor is the trend when asking for UVs editing tool.

You will also apply your/ someone else textures perfectly mapped into 3D elements such as characters, organic or hard surface models or environments.

We would like also to mention that even though Substance is becoming a must for this role we can also see big companies such as MPC, LucasFilm, Industrial Light & Magic and Outpost VFX to name a few, that are still requiring Mari.

Some companies are also requesting Zbrush as part of the artist toolbelts although this is still a plus and not an essential requirement.

The use of procedural techniques to create complex materials is becoming very popular. This role is also looking for someone to bring new techniques and tools to implement into the current pipeline; this might require the use of scripts.

This role is sometimes considered a branch of the Environment Artist, Generalist and Environment Generalist roles.

Expert in Substance Designer, Substance Painter, and Photoshop.
Good understanding of physically based materials and real time engines.
Good collaborative skills.
Procedural techniques to create complex, editable materials.
Ability to unwrap UVs for texturing meshes and lightmaps
Experience in Maya (UV's editor)
Proficiency in Mari
Experience in al least one Full Game Production live cycle
Build custom tools in Substance Designer
Create custom generators and brushes in Designer for use in Painter.
Ability to move from concept or photo references to Designer Materials
Good eye for detail
Build and maintain internal PBR material library.
Up-to-date knowledge of VFX tools and emerging technologies

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

1.7 Rigger

The picture we used to illustrate the role this time comes from the hands of Oscar Ayala. You can find his work at www.behance.net/oaayalart.

The Rigger, the bridge between the modellers and the animation team, converts the 3D assets into an element endowed with life.

The offer for this role will require you to be responsible for Rigging and Skinning all types of characters, vehicles and props, importing them into the game engine and setting up the asset’s control rig, which means that you will be in constant communication with the animation team, modellers and developers, therefore, good communication skills will be a must.

This Rol will require the implementation of scripts to build tools, generate procedural rigs and set up controls by using Python or MEL, then you will need to be programming oriented.

This is the bridge we encourage to cross for all modellers to improve their assets and also to enjoy deeply making simple animations to see the model become “real”, which is amazing.

An animator would also benefit from learning these skills to quickly identify what to require when the asset is not behaving as desired.

Strong knowledge anatomy, character deformations, biomechanics, kinesiology and topology.
Ability to rig characters/objects in a realistic or cartoon manner.
Maya and Motion Builder.
Experience with integration of performance capture animation for both body & face
Proficiency in Python and MEL scripting in Maya
Strong Communication skills
Great understanding in Animation workflow and fundamentals
Great analytical and problem solving skills
Professional experience within Unreal, Unity or other games engines, with regards to rigging
Experience with graphics debuggers and procedural pipelines

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

2. Motion

This section will cover those roles that are fully involved in the creation of footage or in the work on animation, whether it is the act of animating itself or planning the shots, adding special effects, working on the lighting, configuring cameras, backgrounds or defining the environment of the footage or game.

2.1 Animator

Now is the time for the puppet master, the guy behind the threads that can affect so deeply the excellence of the footage.

The Rol is often very generic, as it demands normally gameplay, and cinematics experience, but on some other occasions requires expressly an Automotive Animator, or a very specific Face Animator.

We can see also its techy path as Technical Animators, the more focused on developing tools in Python/ MEL, offering new features or even dealing with improvements o even skinning and rigging.

We cannot forget about another specific one, the “Motion Capture Animator” role, that is requiring a profile that is proficient in mocap animation workflows and techniques.

This Role is in frequent contact with the Rigging and Pipeline departments.

One of the interesting points we can see here is how Maya Autodesk keeps being the undisputed winner for this Role.

Excellent in Maya and Motion Builder
Skilled in both in-game motion and cinematic sequences
Motion capture clean-up and clip blending
Excellent organisation, communication and interpersonal skills
Great understanding in Animation workflow and fundamentals
Good understanding of camera animation and shot composition
Reliable, with good timekeeping and the ability to meet deadlines
Great analytical and problem solving skills
Professional experience within Unreal, Unity or other games engines, with regards to rigging

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

2.2 Motion Designer / Graphics

Conceptualizing, creating, resizing and editing highly engaging 2D/ 3D creative animations for multiple media, including movies, commercials, TV series, theatres, smartphones, tablets, web…

This role requires you to be aware of the last motion trends and the recruiters will seek within your portfolio engaging, appealing and variated visual styles.

This Role works in direct contact with the marketing team, senior designer and managers (depending on company structure) that will have the aim to see reflected in the produced video, the customer requirements.

We found in some offers the requirement to film and edit your own produced footage demanded to cover a specific purpose and, in some others, the inclusion of animator role skills…

In terms of salary, we saw a few that crossed the band of 60K for Lead roles but the trend goes along the 25-40K band depending on experience.

Strong knowledge of Adobe After Effects
Proficient in C4D, Illustrator and Photoshop
An experienced Adobe Creative Suite User
Strong typography animation skills
Good working knowledge of plugins and render software
Great design instincts and aesthetics
Strong Communication skills and able to clearly articulate your ideas
Great understanding in Animation workflow and fundamentals
Experience of working within a variety of brand guidelines
A solid understanding of the brand and the ability to convey brand messaging through motion.
Good eye for detail and understanding of contemporary graphic and motion design
Creative flair and interest in creating groundbreaking, imaginative and surprising content
Ready for work under preassure

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

2.3 Layout Artist

The picture above has been extracted from Mark Cordel Holmes’ portfolio at Artstation. This design was created for The Incredibles film and I reckon illustrates the idea of this Rol.

The best way to describe this is by bringing an extract from ILM’s job definition.

<<The Layout Team acts as a central hub for all shot preparation to ensure continuity and camera accuracy in CG elements including match-moving, match-animating, layout and performance retargeting.

Match-moving is the replication of the real set, camera and camera move within the computer for later use by animators and technical directors. Each shot in which 3D computer graphics are to be added begins with a match-move. Often this includes manipulating both 2D and 3D elements while maintaining an accurate camera perspective.

Match-animation is the replication of the movement of objects, characters and animals. These are then used for either manipulation or interaction with CG components such as modified form, particle effects and casting shadows.

Layout is anything that deviates from what was shot on set. This includes restaging, retiming, blending and adjusting cameras to achieve a new camera move to fulfil the client brief. In some cases, shots might be entirely computer generated with no live-action background element.>>

We did not find any job publication that disclosed the offered salary.

Proficiency establishing character blocking, camera positioning and movement
Proficient in Maya (more demanded)/ 3DSMAX and Photoshop
Sharp eyes for motion, timing and expression a big plus for facial related work.
Experience with physical cameras, photography and image composition
Strong traditional art skills (composition, layout, lighting, colour theory and visual storytelling)
Great analytical, creativity and problem-solving skills
Maintaining consistent quality, style and continuity, both visually and technically throughout the project
Good at translating storyboards and animatics into 3d previz
Strong Communication skills
Outstanding and proactive problem-solving skills
Showreel that demonstrates Sequence work

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

2.4 VFX Artist

I think most of you are familiar with this role as it is fashionable and well-loved but at the same time is a great unknown when comes time to understand the duties of the role.

This vocation may require a slightly different mindset as it will require at certain points of the day to add snippets of coding (python) or understand certain programming languages as is the case of Houdini, that can make creative sessions a bit more modulated, technical and complex than some would like.

Despite the technical need, artistic qualities continue to be a fundamental requirement, which is why it is a division that plays at touching some worlds that might require a more peculiar profile.

I would like to mention, just as Houdini is very present in most offers, there are many others that include it as a plus and not as a must, open to other alternatives such as Maya or 3DSMax.

This Job will require a good communication channel between you and the Art Department which might be represented by the Technical Artist, Lead Artist or the Art Director, depending on the company. They will also seek your advice, based on their level of expertise, to help to drive the development of the project considering the technical and artistic constraints.

It will require also a good all-around understanding and proficiency in industry software like Maya, 3DSMAX, Houdini, Zbrush and so on but also experience in working with Unreal and Unity.

At the end of the day, you will be part of a VFX team that will deliver innovative, stunning, realistic, stylized and inspiring visual effects that will accomplish the client’s requirements.

Ready to offer particle effects, realistic smoke, clothing, explosions, fire, fluids, light, filters, hair, post-processing…a wide range of options that tremendously enriches the media that requires something that otherwise would be impossible or tremendously expensive (video), or that is needed to make the result more appealing and extraordinary (game).

Normally the salary for a senior goes between 30 to 45K per annum, although we saw nice offers crossing the line of 60K for the most experienced positions.

Proficiency in Houdini
Good knowledge of industry software, 3D Studio Max, Maya, Blender, Zbrush or Mudbox, After Effects, Photoshop or similar 2D package, pyroFX or JangaFX’s EmberGen
Exceptionally skilled with fluid, soft or rigid body simulations
Able to create design and implement real-time particle effects using both static and animating 2D/3D elements
Strong understanding of the core principles of VFX: gameplay, shape, timing, motion, contrast, colour and composition.
Extensive experience with Unreal (more demanded) and Unity
Shader creation (from creation to optimization)
Good knowledge of production pipelines
Able to translate concept and reference artwork into real-time particle effects
Great communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively on shared projects.
Attention to detail and excellent visual language skills
Problem-solving skills

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

2.5 Matte Painter

I have added above a Youtube video that I reckon explains very well during the first two minutes what in general terms this is about.

I am going to add also the description used by the famous Australian academy cgspectrum to define this role properly:

<<…A digital matte painter paints believable, photo-realistic environments and backdrops (interiors and exteriors) on a computer that seamlessly replaces live-action elements and/or improves existing live-action footage for films and TV series. They can also paint backgrounds for video games and game cinematics. Matte painters work with several types of content: live-action footage, digital still photography, CG elements, and digital painting software…>>.

As you might assume, this role requires a good artistic background that covers a great range of disciplines, therefore you would be able to display in your reel abilities such as modelling, shading, layout, texture preparation, lighting, compositing and rendering.

For this Role, we did not find as much salary info as others as we did not find more than eleven offers in the United Kingdom and they tend to be sourced from the same companies that are looking for this specific role. The companies that are behind these artists are ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), Jellyfish Pictures, MPC and DNEG…and they are not disclosing this info in the offer.

Strong understanding of light, color, and perspective
Good knowledge of camera focal lengths and composition
Able to create photo-realistic digital matte paintings
Expert in Photoshop and good understanding of Nuke and Maya
Experience integrating matte paintings into 3D environments
Strong knowledge of camera focal lengths
Knowledge of 3D modelling and rendering programmes
A good sense of perspective and composition
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Strong artistic skills
Creative problem-solving skills

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

2.6 Look Dev

This figure might not be in the scope or knowledge of many but is a pretty important role. We have used a piece from the art of Ors Barcy to illustrate it.

Ors did this artwork for Ubisoft in the well-known Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as lead Lighting and Compositing artist.

The artist in this seat will be in charge of achieving the desired look, atmosphere, and style of the job (game, film, VFX…). This needs to be present and consistent throughout the project, therefore, requires communication with the different departments to ensure they met the look the VFX/CG Supervisor or the Head of the Department is looking for.

The artist will ensure the lights, shading, textures, assets are harmonized and also optimized with the render-farm usage.

We found the best offer from ILM when looking for a Look Dev Technical Director in London. Glassdoor expected a range between 54K to 92K.

Strong knowledge of physically plausible shading and rendering techniques
High-level technical understanding of lighting: colour, space, and a strong knowledge of lighting techniques
Strong artistic ability, understanding form, colour and texture, and how these elements work together
Important knowledge in Maya and Houdini
Expert user in ray tracing renders like Arnold or Renderman
In-depth understanding of PBR
An understanding of rendering efficiency
Good organisation, communication and interpersonal skills
Creative problem solving and attention to detail
Able to work well under pressure
Creative problem solving and attention to detail

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

2.7 Lighting Artist

We’ve added an interview that we reckon explains in general terms what is about this role from the experience of an amazing Pro Artist that is Michael Tanzillo.

This job will make you spend the day designing and implementing the light for environments, characters and cinematics, controlling the atmosphere and mood of the game or the footage.

You will be in direct contact with the Lighting Lead and Art Directors on look dev to establish visual targets. You will keep the communication line with Designers, Artists, Technical Artists and Programmers to ensure their lighting needs are met.

This role is looking for an expert in lighting and we can see that on some occasions it becomes part of other roles like Composer or Layout.

We were happy to find several offers by using this name convention from big companies such as ILM, MPC, Warner Bros, Sumo Digital, Rockstar Games, and Splash Damage to name a few.

I would like to mention that as the interview adds, a lighting artist has a career path that on some occasions might end as Lighting Technical Director where ILM is offering right now something around 65K to 75K per annum.

Knowledge of Katana is essential
Working knowledge of Nuke.
Knowledge of shaders, materials and textures and their impact on lighting
Strong sense of lighting theory including exposure, artificial and natural light, reflections and colour temperature
Understanding of the VFX pipeline from modelling through animation, texturing, rendering and compositing
Understanding of lighting pipelines and cutting-edge art techniques
Demonstrable advanced Lighting and Rendering experience within a VFX environment
Excellent pipeline scripting ability
Demonstrates an excellent aesthetic eye
Strong Communication skills
Solid compositing ability
Can write plug-ins, set-up sequences, debug simulations and write set up and Renderman surface shaders with proficiency

An interest in off-line 3D rendering
Knowledge of Python and/or MEL scripting
Previous experience performing shot Look Dev tasks
Maya/ 3DSMAX an advantage and Zeno beneficial
Good knowledge of other disciplines within VFX including simulation, modelling and UV mapping, texturing and camera tracking
Understanding the use of lighting in gameplay to guide the player path and highlight objectives
Experience in Unreal 4
A strong understanding of Linux based operating systems

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

2.8 Nuke Artist/ Compositor

The above video is the Sarah Downey Showreel and I reckon that serves to depict some of the things a specialist of this kind is in charge to do.

This role is in continuous, contact with the Compositing Supervisor and Visual Effects Supervisor to get feedback on the current job done and set proposals for the next shots from a technical and artistic point of view and also with Production and Leads to get schedules and deadlines.

You will also work in collaboration with the Lighting Artists and other compositors giving and receiving feedback and guidelines.

As mentioned in the Compositor offer from ILM; In daily life, you will perform all tasks associated with the compositing process, including 2D tracking, matte extraction, layering of elements, and colour grading on moderately difficult to difficult shots maintaining the overall look, colour balance, and quality for assigned shots and sequences to create uniformity in all finished work.

In terms of Salary, we did not see many offers pointing directly to Juniors, therefore I would stick to the fact that a good showreel is on many occasions shadowing the experience one might have.

We say good salaries above 70K for those with more senior experience but normally the majority of the roles are more likely to be in the range of 30K to 60K. The big companies such as ILM or GNEG will be the ones that offer higher salaries.

Strong knowledge of Nuke
Ability to do any required tracking (both 2D and 3D). Knowledge of tracking software – PF Track, Mocha Pro
Experience using multi-pass CG elements
Proficient in using 2.5d approaches, projections, and using 3D environment within Nuke
Strong aesthetic skills in judging photo-realism and colour
Strong sense of colour, colour-space and attention to detail.
Strong sense of composition, colour and design
Excellent organization, communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

3. Digital/ Graphic Designer

Este apartado viene a reunir los roles que estan mas relacionados con el arte digital en su vertiente 2D.

3.1 Concept Artist

A very important Role that serves the needs of any well-planned project that requires help to drive the artistic and stylistic direction of the studio’s intentions. These visual guidelines can be required from the start of deciding on sequences and style for a film or TV footage, till serving the planification of game development.

In other words, you will be required to create 2d/ 3D concept art that will reflect the envisions of writers, game designers, producers or even from the art team, depending on the type of company you are dealing with.

They will ask you for a superb portfolio and will demand the ability to be consistent along the different proposals within a specific project. Seniors will be asked sometimes to mentor the juniors of the team.

In terms of salary, we saw offers requesting the same salary range for juniors and seniors 🙂 but the trend sets the senior in an average of 35K per annum whilst the Junior could be 10K less.

This time we used the artwork from Josh James to depict this section.

Strong traditional art skills including knowledge of composition, texture, layout, lighting, architecture, colour theory, perspective, anatomy and visual storytelling
Fluent in industry's resources and pipelines (mood-board, thumbs, sketches, mockups)
Good knowledge of Photoshop
Strong observation and research skills.
All-around artistic expertise and flair
Able to work in multiple artistic styles
Excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a team
Adaptable and versatile: a can do attitude with the ability to give and receive feedback constructively

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

3.2 Digital/ Graphic Designer

In this role, you will work closely or within the Marketing or eCommerce team creating visual solutions in Adobe Creative Suite such as Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator to name a few.

The jobs are setting a more diverse number of duties than any other roles, as they can demand you to negotiate the cost and delivery times of the prints you will do, verify and ensure the client’s corrections are presented in the work deliveries, generate your own media source by using you own videos and photos, create social media, banners, magazines, creating marketing briefs, signage, image and video manipulation, meeting clients to discuss objectives and project’s requirements, provide budgets, building client and supplier relationships, attending creative events and exhibitions, creating animations, directing photoshoots…

The role could be required by different disciplines such as Branding, Magazine, Social Media Design, Digital Art, Web Design, Email Design, animation, video editing, infographics, Interface Design and so on.

We reckon this role is the one with more offers right now in England and the salaries normally are between 20K to 30K per annum for seniors and a close 18K to 23K for juniors. We can see offers above 35K but those are less frequent and specifically looking for an experienced senior, although as I said in many cases the portfolio rules over the experience.

Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite
Proven understanding of typography, layout, colour and grid structures
Demonstrating illustrative skills with rough sketches
Experience of both Print and Digital design essential
Conceptual and lateral thinker, with a strong creative eye
Experience of using Adobe After Effects
Fully conversant with MS Office
Commercially minded
Good understanding of grammar and spelling with the ability to proof-read your own work
Excellent communication skills to work alongside multiple departments
Good time management and the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

3.3 UI/UX Designer

You will be in charge of creating the user interface and drive successfully the user experience for games (PC, Console, Mobile, VR), mobile applications, web, software…working closely on many occasions with the Mograph team (Motion Graphic Designers), engineers, business teams, and customers.

When we are talking specifically about the game variant, as the video mentions perfectly, you will be in charge of not just designing how the user interacts with the game, but also, depending on the company, identifying design issues, designing the levels, menus, selection screens, level editors, inventory screens, creating skill trees, narrative screens…establishing and respecting the consistency of the title.

A good thing about this role is the fact that is not exclusive to the game industry, and it is very demanding from a wide number of companies of different kinds. We saw a huge (hundreds) number of jobs offers in the UK.

We would like to add that we never saw another role with such normalization when talking about salaries, which becomes a good thing when the payroll seems to be very high compared with the other specializations.

We could say that the trend for Seniors is between 55K to 65K with several offers moving ceilings around 77K, with Leaders being offered a band between 73K to 85K (+100K sometimes) and Juniors with a very respectable line between 28K to 36K, although I would like to say that we did not find many juniors entries…

Proficient using design and prototyping software (e.g., Miro, Figma, XD, Axure, Wireframe, Adobe)
Strong conceptualization ability, strong visual communication ability, and drawing skills.
Have proficient knowledge of UX testing tools, process, and UI patterns
Up-to-date knowledge of graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
Illustrate design ideas using storyboards, wireframes, process flows and sitemaps and prototypes
Good knowledge about layout, typograhy, iconograpy, color, shape and animation
A solid grasp of user-centered design (UCD), planning and conducting user research, user testing, A/B testing, rapid prototyping, heuristic analysis, usability and accessibility concerns.
Develop low fidelity and high fidelity mock-ups
Be passionate about resolving user pain points through great design.
Excellent communication skills to work alongside multiple departments
Good understanding of accessibility
Good time management and the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
Good problem solving

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

3.4 Art Director

The first question that one might have…is this a role itself? and the answer is Yes, it is with its own level of progression!… we have Assistant Art Director, Associate Art Director, Junior! Art Director (I know you might think that Director packs some degree of experience… or even as a result of a fulfilling career), Senior Art Director, Mid-Weight Art Director, Production Art Director, Creative Director, or in many cases just Art Director…

I know it can be confusing as we might also see titles like “Production” Art Director, “Studio” Art Director, “Divisional” Art Director, and “CGI” Art Director to name a few….and I reckon these are just variations with similar core skills but with some particularities related to the company that releases the job offer.

In general terms, this role ends up driving projects from start to finish (on some occasions it might jump to a more intermediate stage :), working collaboratively across different divisions and with a wide range of envisions that it will direct them to a common place while adding along the journey its visual influence, personal style and creative touches with the principal need to overcome the stakeholder’s objectives not just in terms of quality but in the agreed timelines.

This role can be required from a Game, TV, Film or Marketing companies but also can be present in the software field.

The Director in essence will be in touch with Creative, Design and Senior Management teams to agree on scopes and to define timelines in a very time-sensitive environment but also in constant relation with Technical artists that will report their respective advances, offering you room for technical choices to drive the performance and the visual results to the desired outcomes.

The salary for a senior tends to be more in line between 45K to 75K depending on experience although we saw cases with ceilings around 110K (Branding Company), 83K (Creative Assembly – Visual Art Director) or 83K (Territory Studio – Art Director for the film) although that seems the exception and not the rule.

Strong knowledge of all art pipelines (Characters, Environments, Animation, VFX, Shaders & Materials, Lighting, UI, Rendering, and Performance)
Have a creative eye and aesthetic judgment to help drive and critique the visual quality
Calm under pressure and capable of delivering to short deadlines without compromising on quality
Able to drive and support the growth of the team through training, goal setting and professional development
Understanding of emerging trends and technologies in games, media, and visual effects
Diligence with individual and team tasks, considering scheduling and budget limitations
Solid creative vision in a variety of art styles
Strong communication and presentation skills. Someone who is able to clearly articulate ideas, engage in constructive debate, and accept directional feedback.
Define best practices, workflows and pipelines as well as develop and improve existing processes
Strong team leadership and communication skills with the ability to mentor and coach a growing team
Strong planning, organizational and stakeholder management skills
Great analytical and problem solving skills

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

4. Crossover

Section that clearly includes multidisciplinary roles, that despite the fact that each role is blurred at some point, these require a significant number of skills.

4.1 CG Generalist/ 3D Artist

We are going to borrow the words from ILM when defining a Generalist Artist: “It is an artist that possesses a high degree of proficiency across multiple disciplines including modelling, lighting, texturing, shading/ look development, FX, matte painting, animation, shot composition and rendering.”

This role will grant you to not get bored as one day you might need to create a photo-realistic matte-painting and another one you will be in charge to light a new scene including an animation done by yourself, a week later you will be focused on creating new characters that will be rigged by you and a month later you will be doing or supervising the VFX that needs to be applied into a scene filled with your assets.

This position will keep you in contact with CG Leads, VFX Supervisors and Art leaders depending on de company.

We also detected this role is more inclined to require more modelling (props/ characters/ environments) + VFX stuff than animation.

Knowledge about FX, Modeling, Texturing, Lighting, Matte Painting, Rendering, Shading.
Production-based experience in Maya, Clarisse, Houdini, Arnold/ VRay
Proficiency in ZBrush, Substance Painter, Photoshop
Knowledgeable with Substance Painter & Designer
A strong grasp of proportion, silhouette & anatomy
Retopology and UV mapping knowledge
Understanding of colour theory and composition
Great analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines whilst maintaining a high-quality output.
Understanding creative briefs, then considering elements such as context, timescales and creative constraints when solving tasks
Professional experience within Unreal, Unity or other games engines, with regards to rigging
Experience with graphics debuggers and procedural pipelines

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

4.2 Unreal Generalist/ TD

This role demands being able to support technically the tools related to the VFX pipeline and develop new tools, blueprints and scripts normally in Python or C++. It can be involved in ICVFX, simulcam, mocap, and visualisation including previs, techvis and postvis.

From DNEG we have the below description from one of their Unreal job offers…

“You’ll be hands-on with Unreal including nDisplay, Live Link, Multi-User, DMX, Take Recorder, Blueprints, and Sequencer. You’ll help us to ensure our projects are performant and reliable by identifying, documenting and solving potential problems. You’ll need to be confident operating live sessions and adjusting scenes to meet directions on layout, lighting, grading, sequencer etc. You’ll get to work on blueprint editor utilities to improve our pipeline and speed up repetitive tasks.”

In addition, this job is not having a good number of offers, We just found two junior offers (Dimension Studio & Viridian FX) and they did not disclose the salary band therefore we ignore the rates for juniors in this field. Most of the offers were launched by DNEG.

Experience with 3D packages such as Maya, Max, or Blender
Familiarity with source control such as Perforce
Experience in developing tools for DCC packages such as Houdini, Maya, Blender, etc.
A degree in Computer Science, Computer Graphics or related field
Advanced Perforce knowledge
Solid understanding of the Visual Effects pipeline
Previous experience in Games, Themed Entertainment or Visual Effects or a related industry
General understanding of Linux/Unix-based operating systems
VR and AR experience

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

4.3 Environment Generalist/ TD

We leave you above the amazing artwork from Emilis Baltrusaitis (DNEG Digital Matta Painter Director and Environment TD) We are huge fans of this guy.

At this time of the year (December 2022) we just found this role under the DNEG hood, but we reckon it is interesting as it defines a role very focused on the generation of environments but also requires composition, look dev, lighting, matte painting… to name just a few.

As highlighted by DNEG…Your tasks may include modelling, sculpting, texturing, look development, layout, lighting and re-projection and require you to make artistic and technical decisions on a day-to-day basis…as this is a role with the “Generalist” term as part of the title.

We did not find any junior offer for this role but I reckon that if someone has no experience but can demonstrate in the portfolio to have all the required skills…please do not hesitate to have a go.

Experience of environment modelling, sculpting, texturing, layout, lighting, rendering and digital matte painting for high-end broadcast or feature film projects
A good understanding of photography, artistic composition and cinematography
Thorough understanding of 3D and 2.5D VFX processes and production pipelines
Experience of Houdini, Maya, Zbrush, Substance/Mari and Nuke
Experience with using or creating procedural workflows for buildings, cities, vegetation, ecosystems, terrain, cliffs or debris
Knowledge and understanding of the natural world (geology, geography, and meteorology) and architecture (design and engineering).
Experience working with shoot data including photographic and reference data, HDRIs, photogrammetry, and Lidar
A showreel demonstrating experience in the creation of realistic environments for motion pictures

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

4.4 Technical/ Prcedural Artist

Artist + Programmers!!…an overloaded role that I reckon is explained very well in this video from Riot Games.

We also include here a good way to define some of the main tasks an aspirant that applies for this role should expect to do.

These were extracted from a Technical Artist job offer at Kwalee (a British video game developer and publisher).

Working closely with the art team and other team disciplines to create tools, techniques and pipelines that make it easier and faster for artists to create their best work
Create shaders, effects and visual improvements to elevate the look of the game
Collaborate with the Art Leads to help elevate the art expectations for the game and create plans to help realize them.
Support the technology team and create tools to help make it easier for creativity and technology to co-exist.
Optimization of game assets to ensure that the game runs as well as it can on the broadest range of devices.
Providing feedback based on your expertise in a wide range of games.

Apart from this, we know there are a lot of things they also do…rigging, file structure, system automation, animations, visual effects, shaders, and controlling assets performance…to name a few.

…by looking at the salaries related to this role I reckon that based on the number of demands, this role is not paid enough.

Please leave a comment if you agree or disagree.

Excellent technical skills to manage assets that fit memory, design, and frame rate limitations
Experience implementing efficient Rigs for Characters / Vehicles
Character skinning and physics simulation setup
Intimate knowledge of the content creation pipeline (modelling/Uv’ing, texturing/shading, lighting, FX and rigging/animation)
Identify, implement, and iterate on game features and pipeline requirements, in conjunction with artists, designers, engineers and testers
Experience with 3D graphics content generation tools (e.g. Maya, Houdini, ZBrush).
Experience with 2D graphics content generation tools (e.g. Photoshop, Substance Designer, After Effects).
Knowledge of Unreal Engine 4 blueprints
Understanding of real-time rendering pipelines in modern game engines
Able to think creatively to resolve technical challenges and limitations
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Good knowledge of Linear Algebra, Calculus and related mathematical concepts found in 3D technologies
Strong traditional art skills

Junior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Mid/ Senior

MIN ANNUM

1 £

MAX Annum

1 £

Interesting sources

Roles Vs Salary

1. Modeling and Tools

1.1 Environment and Props Artist

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Senior

1.2 Character Artist

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Senior

1.3 Groom Artist

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Senior

1.4 Vehicle Artist

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

1.5 Unreal Artist (Virtual Production)

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

1.6 Texture/ Material Artist

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

1.7 Rigger

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

2. Motion

2.1 Animator

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

2.2 Motion Designer / Graphics

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

2.3 Layout Artist

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

2.4 VFX Artist

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

2.5 Matte Painter

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary

Junior

Mid/ Senior

2.6 Look Dev

Essential Skills

Desirable Skills

Salary