WHAT DOES A SHADING/LIGHTING TECHNICAL DIRECTOR DO? (In the Entertainment industry. What does a Shading/Lighting Technical Director Do?)

Deferred Shading / Photo Credit: Learn OpenGL

WHAT DOES A SHADING/LIGHTING TECHNICAL DIRECTOR DO? (In the Entertainment industry. What does a Shading/Lighting Technical Director Do?)               

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What does a Shading/Lighting Technical Director do?                  

Shading/Lighting Technical Director

A shading/lighting technical director is a crucial versatile member of the CGI team who adds surface qualities to objects: adding depth to sets and characters with shadows, as well as light to provide illumination that helps accentuate the mood and emotion of a scene. Many shading/lighting technical directors also spend a great deal of time writing programs and code to be used during the rendering process.

Lighting TDs/Lighters make sure there is consistency in lighting, color balance and mood between the various elements of a shot or scene. When appropriate, they ensure the computer-generated imagery looks photorealistic to match the live action plates.

Lighting TDs/Lighters add the lighting that creates atmosphere, increasing realism, tone and depth in a scene and clarifying location, weather and time of day. They balance individual elements to enable the compositors to produce a convincing image. They refer to the production designs and apply that visual style as faithfully as possible, taking care to maintain continuity.

They match technical skill with aesthetic judgement to create images that not only look good but are easy to render (i.e. output; translating computer data into images).

On some projects, they may be involved in the research and development of different effects for the Art Director or Lighting Supervisor. In a large company or on a larger project, they are often part of a team, but they need to be able to work with a minimum of supervision, understand the tools available and know how to use them to create the desired effects. On smaller productions, the role of Lighting TD/Lighter may be combined with that of Modeler or Texture Artist.

Lighting TDs/Lighters need to work closely with the rendering and compositing departments to understand what is required at the next stage and ensure their material is easy to use and delivered on time.

On smaller projects, lighting is a fundamental skill required by generalists who cover more than one role. On larger productions, there is likely to be a team of dedicated Lighting TDs/Lighters.

In many companies in the UK, particularly facility houses, Lighters are called Lighting TDs (Technical Directors) and can work their way up through the lighting department, starting from Junior TD. In feature animation, they are known as Lighters or Lighting Artists.

Duties

The main duty of the shading/lighting technical director is to make sure that effects look as good as possible with the available resources and to guide all areas of production shading and lighting. Shading/lighting directors develop and implement the appearance of texture and color of objects, creating shadier code in rendering software for CG in a variety of ways, including 3-D paint and regular texture painting. It is the duty of shading/lighting technical directors to write tools to facilitate lighting and shading rendering techniques so that shots can maintain the highest standard and continuity as required in the pipeline. Shading/lighting directors work from references that may be from paintings, drawings, photographs and film, as well as actual reference objects and locations, though they can also create with only verbal or written descriptions. These technical directors will work with a variety of different departments, including modeling, art, digital paint, and lighting, so knowledge of the requirements and processes of each department, as well as clear communication through the pipeline, should be priorities of every shading/lighting technical director.

Skills & Education

The highly technical and artistic nature of this position makes it one that requires extensive education and experience. While knowledge of basic artistic concepts like shading and composition are a good foundation, an education in computer science, mathematics, or engineering are just some of the degree programs that many shading/lighting technical directors pursue. The leadership aspect of the job also requires that candidates possess at least minimum a few years of experience in visual effects or equivalent work before becoming shading/lighting directors. Coding, procedural shading, and software knowledge is an absolute must, and shading/lighting technical directors commonly write surface, light, displacement, and volume shades for rendering software such as Renderman, Mantra, and Mental Ray. Many companies require knowledge of C/C++, Python, and PyQt, as well as familiarity with professional graphics packages such as Maya, Nuke, HDK, Liquid, and Shake, among others; it is also advisable to keep up on the changes in technology, as it evolves at a rapid pace. In the end, while artistry will go a long way for a shading/lighting technical director, technical proficiency and knowledge of the rendering process are crucial to the job.

To do this role, you will need to:

• Ensuring there is consistency in lighting, color balance and mood between the various elements of a shot or scene…
• Making sure the computer-generated imagery looks photorealistic to match the live action…
• Adding the lighting that creates atmosphere, and adds realism, tone and depth to a scene…
• Have a strong sense of light and shadow demonstrated by artwork, photography, theatre, film or CG work…
• Have knowledge of color theory, including through art history knowledge…
• Be able to follow design reference and have sympathy with wide range of styles…
• Be able to light characters and environments, interior and exterior, different times of day, etc…
• Have an understanding of composition and the ability to enhance mood by lighting…
• Have a good working knowledge of computer animation packages, particularly Maya…
• Have a good working knowledge of 2D paint software and various industry-standard rendering programmers, such as Renderman and Mental Ray…
• Have good working knowledge of palettes and cluts (Color Look up Tables)…
• Be able to do UV mapping…
• Have a good understanding of math’s and physics…
• Understand the principles of cinematography including depth of field, density, use of filters…
• Have good problem-solving skills…
• Be able to work with a minimum of supervision…
• Be able to function as team leader, if required…
• Have good communication skills…
• Have good team-working skills…
• Be able to take direction and be willing to address constructive feedback…
• Be able to deliver on schedule, working calmly and efficiently under pressure…
• Show respect for the procedures and requirements of a particular studio, production or pipeline…
• Have knowledge of the requirements of the relevant health and safety legislation and procedures… 

What to Expect

Shading/lighting technical directors can expect to work in a variety of different stages during a production, but will spend most of the job in rendering. Computer scientists are more suited to the job than the solely artistic type, so if you want a more artistic job in visual effects may want to consider another career; however, a career as a shading/lighting technical director still gives you a great amount of artistic and creative freedom, provided you know how to write the shadier programs and work in almost every operating system there is. Depending on the project, a shading/lighting technical director may need to write just a few lines of shadier code or a dozen pages’ worth, so a comfortable computer chair is recommended, though not always provided. However, after a few years and a few successes as a shading/lighting technical director, you can be sitting pretty in almost any chair you like.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty 101, Careers Hub, Sokanu, Raindance, Film Connection,

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Deferred Shading / Photo Credit: Learn OpenGL