Senior Lighting Artist - Gears of War - The Coalition (12-Month Fixed Term Contract)

Work closely with a cross-disciplinary team - level design, environments, VFX (Visual Effects), and tech art - to create industry leading lighting of our in-game spaces. Craft compelling lighting which supports narrative, art direction and gameplay objectives while meeting the performance targets. Translate conceptual illustrations into outstanding real-time lighting visuals. Work with art and engineering teams to create solutions to difficult visual challenges. Proactive and effective communication with the art directors, leads and other content devs. Develop and maintain a thorough understanding of current lighting techniques, constraints and future trends. Help establish new best practices, and coach existing ones to lighting team members. Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 4+ years' experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment. OR equivalent experience. 10+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment 6+ years experience using related software and packages (e.g., Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop/Adobe suite, Mental Ray, Substance Designer/Painter/Zbrush, SideFX Houdini, After Effects, Unity, Softimage). A portfolio that demonstrates a thorough understanding of lighting, composition, and color Knowledge of both real-time and pre-rendered lighting principles (dynamic lighting, light bake solutions, sub surface scattering, HDR (High Dynamic Range), physically based rendering). Production experience with modern real time game engines such as Unreal, Unity, Frostbite, Crytek, or Snowdrop is highly valued but not required. Experience and knowledge of how to balance great visuals with optimal performance in game. Ability to work collaboratively - bring new ideas and work iteratively to improve existing ones. Ability to organize and manage time effectively to meet deadlines. Background in real world photography, cinematography and lighting a plus.