Facial Modeller (VFX)

TL;DR

Facial Modeller (VFX): Creating believable facial puppets for photorealistic and stylized characters with an accent on facial anatomy and performance. Focus on sculpting accurate expressions from scan data and video references to ensure high-fidelity character animation.

Location: Onsite in Wellington, New Zealand. Candidates must be eligible to work in New Zealand.

Company

World-renowned visual effects company known for creating award-winning characters and creatures for feature films.

What you will do

• Develop believable facial puppets for photorealistic and stylized shows.
• Collaborate with Character Modellers, Facial TDs, and Animators to define character looks and performance.
• Sculpt accurate facial expressions using video, 2D references, and scan data.
• Extract key shape information from actor performances and incorporate it into facial puppets.

Requirements

• Minimum 3 years of production experience focusing on character faces.
• Proficiency in Maya within a production environment.
• Strong anatomical knowledge of facial muscles and their functions.
• Experience with facial blendshapes based on the Facial Action Coding System (FACS).
• Ability to work comfortably with Linux desktop and system commands.
• Eligible to work in New Zealand.

Nice to have

• Experience with shotsculpting in high-pressure feature film environments.
• Skills in rigging and geometry deformations.
• Proficiency in Zbrush, Mudbox, Cyslice, and UV layout.
• Ability to script in MEL and Python.

Culture & Benefits

• Diverse and inclusive environment where all crew feel welcomed and respected.
• Culture that values open minds and authenticity.
• Commitment to a discrimination-free recruitment and workplace experience.