Prep Artist (Mid Level)

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.

How to Apply

Please send your resume and prep breakdown reel to careers@picstol.com. Your reel should demonstrate:

• Before/after examples of cleanup work.
• Complex tracking solutions.
• Lens distortion handling.
• Clean plate creation.
• Digital paint work.
• Challenging reconstruction examples.

Required in Your Application:

• Resume detailing relevant experience.
• Breakdown reel showing technical process.
• Examples of problem-solving approaches.
• Documentation samples (if available).
• References from previous projects.

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.

We look forward to reviewing your application!