Assistant Director
Job Description
At Brown Bag Films our motto is simple: “We love animation.” In fact, we love it so much we trademarked it! ‘We Love Animation™.’ That means we put our artists at the heart of everything we do! We are looking someone to join our team who shares our vision and will bring with them a passion for creating high quality content.
Reporting to: Director
Purpose: Why you’re here at Brown Bag Films
To deliver high-quality animation within agreed scope by providing creative leadership for the teams and by working closely with your Director, Producer, Broadcasters, and key production stakeholders.
Delivery: What you produce
- High quality storyboards and edits, from animatic through locked animation
- Clearly defined actions based on director/stakeholder notes and feedback
- Manage solutions for problems arising.
- Creative notes and feedback across all phases including post-production {if/ when applicable).
- Provide audio spotting notes, premix and mix notes {if/when applicable)
Measurements: How we measure it
- High quality on schedule delivery of episodes through all phases, within defined project scope
- Feedback from Creative Director, Director, Director of Production/SVP of Production, Stakeholder, Producer & Supervisors
- Team development & sustainability.
- Engaging episodes that flow, are emotionally engaging, and give a few genuine laughs
Key Responsibilities
What you are regularly responsible for doing:
- Leading effective collaboration with the Producer, Creator, Development, Episodic Director/Series Director, and Department Heads to create the highest quality production within the constraints of the project budget and schedule:
- Collaborating with the Episodic Director/Series Director/or Storyboard Supervisor to launch storyboards.
- Supervising edits at animatic, through animation and providing notes.
- Attending offline edits and provide edit and retake notes
- Locking Animatics and implementing all agreed Director/Network notes.
- Working with the Director and Producer to determine how best to tackle the creative challenges specific to the series and deliver on time.
- Reviewing episode scripts and providing directorial vision.
- Proactively driving discussion with Episodic Director/Art Director/Animation Director
- Providing feedback and sign off on visual deliveries (where applicable)
- Ensuring that Brown Bag's quality expectations are met in all deliveries
- Attending voice records (where applicable) to offer creative input.
- Attending launches when possible.
- Ensuring Director/Stakeholder notes are implemented across all passes of storyboard through final animation.
- Providing feedback on animation passes, and providing sign off (where applicable)
- Working with Animation Directors to ensure that the Animation Department is delivering on performance, style, and quality of animation.
- Work with sound engineer on pre mix and work with composers as well as give notes on cuts (where applicable)
- Attend onlines (where applicable)
- Actively and fully participate in production post-mortem to ensure learning is integrated into future practice and problems mitigated.
- Must have a good mix of aesthetic sensibilities and technical experience in 2D animated series production.
Key Requirements
Things that help you do your job (what is essential and what is desirable)
Knowledge:
- Comprehensive understanding of 2D and or 3D animation pipeline and processes.
- Strong applied understanding in storyboarding, animation camera composition, storytelling, and animation timing.
- Working knowledge of animation and Post Production techniques and terminology.
- Tertiary qualification in film, art or related field (desirable).
Experience:
- Extensive experience in storyboarding or directing, on at least 3 long-form Film/TV animation productions, likely to have had at least 2 Storyboard Supervisor credits.
- Strong experience in creatively leading all levels of crew and artistic staff.
- Successful track record of working with Stakeholders and executive leadership teams.
- Previous work on a comedic series is a bonus.
Technical skills:
- Expertise in Microsoft Office.
- Knowledge of Harmony Toonboom
- Expertise in Storyboard Pro
- Knowledge of Shotgrid/Database Tracking software
Behaviours {Competencies) - To be developed separately
Why work with us?
Perks! Perks! Perks! Not only is 9 Story Media Group / Brown Bag Films an amazing place full of artists, animators and creators from all corners of the industry, but we focus on helping staff grow and develop in their careers and make them long time team members. Along with a great work environment we offer first-rate health + dental benefits, summer hours, paid Health and Wellness Days, vacation periods that multiply with tenure, and more! We may love animation, but we love our employees even more!
Our Toronto office can be found in the cool and trendy Liberty Village with over 200 artists working on award winning animated children’s content. You will benefit from a competitive compensation package, interesting work and a fun/supportive work environment.
Applicants need to be legally eligible to work in Canada.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
9 Story Media takes diversity and inclusion seriously and we are committed to ensuring equity in the recruitment process. Candidates from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to, Indigenous peoples, Racialized and LGBT2SQ+ communities, candidates from a range of ages and religious beliefs and people with disabilities, are encouraged to apply. Should you require accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please let us know your requirements when contacted.
As a company, we deliver high-quality kids' content, and we seek to have diverse characters so that all our audience feels represented. We also want the same for our own workforce, and 9 Story Media is committed to looking for all kinds of talent to build a diverse workforce in which all identities are represented and respected.