Prep Artist

Prep Artist (Mid Level)

Location: Remote / On-site

Full-Time

About The Role

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.
• Strong 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.