UK Only | Lead 3D Lighting and Compositing Artist

Our Lead Lighting and Compositing Artists (“L&C”) are wonderful visual storytellers and excellent motivators. They lead their team in defining the mood and atmosphere of our narratives, and highlight the charming details of our characters, props and environments. They are the savants of light, colour and creative problem solving. 

Your day-to-day will focus on creating the lighting of our episodes, finessing the colours in compositing, whilst always keeping the right balance between high quality and meeting deadlines. You will also be responsible for distributing work across your team members so that the workload is evenly balanced, and communicating with your supervisor and other departments to make sure the project is running smoothly.

This opportunity requires talent to be based in the UK and will require the right to work in the UK. We are very happy to discuss flexible, hybrid and remote working options for all our vacancies.

Please note that this vacancy can close early if we receive a high number of applications.

This role is due to start from Mid October 2026.   Day to Day:

•  Leading a team of lighting and compositing artists
• Creating lighting scenes in Maya with assets from the animation and effects departments and then compositing these rendered shots in Nuke to create the final shot. 
• Tweaking provided light rigs, render set-ups and compositing templates to achieve the required look shots.
• Tweaking render settings to optimise the efficiency of renders.
• Monitoring renders to ensure they are within a given render time budget.
• Arranging daily catch ups with your team to make sure they are on track and aware of their daily tasks.
• Working with the Supervisor to brief your team on new episodes.

Managing your team efficiently to meet the deadlines of all assigned shots. Flagging to the Supervisor and Production in advance if there are any potential issues. 

Responsible for quality control across your team's episodes, and making sure the episodes are presented to the Director and Supervisor in a way that is clean and to the high standard of the production. 

Fixing errors and glitches through problem solving and addressing notes efficiently.

Talking up and down the pipeline to other supervisors and leads, troubleshooting any issues, as well as keeping Production and Supervisor aware where appropriate. 

Supervising or working on R&D to make sure any necessary research is done before each episode starts.

Producing templates for L&C with or without the support of team members, to maintain consistent quality across your team and support junior team members.  

Taking on the more challenging or technical shots in the episode. 

Mentoring the team and helping with their development, including participating in your team’s review sessions along with the Supervisor. 

Updating the Supervisor on the team’s progress, communicating any concerns regarding the teams’ performance and wellbeing 

Must Have:

• Great communication and a motivational team leader, naturally sharing your knowledge and skills with other team members
• Knowledge of lighting principles and how light is used to meet a creative brief, especially in stylised animation
• Technical understanding of how lighting works in 3D rendering - different types of lights, render setups, physically based rendering, ray tracing and global illumination - using Maya and a render engine comparable to Redshift
• Technical understanding of biased rendering to optimise sampling, making your renders efficient and avoiding noise and artefacts

An understanding of colour theory, aesthetics and composition

Technical understanding of utility passes (Z, Position and Normals) and how they are used in compositing using Nuke.

Understanding of camera depth of field

Problem solving skills to find the best approach to meeting the brief as well as troubleshooting issues and asking questions if unsure.

An eye for detail for scrutinising final shots for any errors or inconsistencies

Ability  to respond positively to feedback and develop from it  

Confidence in working independently. Being diligent, taking initiative and being reliable

Being organised and managing yours and your team’s time efficiently

Ability to help and support your team, contributing to the development and growth of your team members e.g. setting defined goals and giving clear direction

Bonus Points:

• Previous experience as a Lead L&C Artist on an animation production
• Knowledge of Python scripting
• Knowledge of After Effects
• Experience using FTrack
• Knowledge of shading
• Understanding of a 3D production pipeline

Blue Zoo is a leading animation studio in the UK, with a world-class reputation as the go-to place for creating bold, fun and characterful animation. Established in London in 2000, the studio has grown to become the largest dedicated CG animation studio in the UK, picking up a shelf full of BAFTAs, an Annie and an Emmy along the way!

We couldn’t be prouder that Blue Zoo is the first major animation studio in the world to receive B Corp certification. We’ve been independently certified by B Lab, a non-profit organisation who award the B Corp certification. The certification verifies companies who are working to improve the lives of employees as well as industries as a whole. The certification process involves over 170 rigorous metrics to improve the lives of our staff, customers, suppliers, and the local community, ensuring we are not just saying we are ethical with empty gestures, but independently evidencing it.

We are going through an exciting period of growth and are building a studio that is full of amazingly talented, happy artists, making work they are proud of, which in turn makes a small contribution to a happier world. Blue Zoo believes that a healthy balance in our lives - whatever our situation - is key to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We offer flexible working to support this.

We look for people who have expertise, enthusiasm and are motivated to make things better. You’ll work alongside a talented and diverse group of people who respect each other's differences and seek to understand and embrace fresh perspectives. 

What we’ve got for you:

• 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 loads of discounts and offers.
•  Online wellbeing programme.
•  Profit share (for employees who have been with us for 2+ years).

Blue Zoo is committed to creating and nurturing an inclusive studio that promotes and values diversity and invites everyone to ‘bring their whole selves’ to work. We believe that companies that truly embrace and value diversity, and create an environment where everyone from any background can do their best work, are better companies. 

To be engaged our people have to feel included and valued. We work hard to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is embedded in the way we work, not just an initiative. We strive to engender a studio community that feels a deep sense of pride and commitment that transcends any role, department or level and works together to produce excellent and engaging work.