Stellar Creative Lab is strategically expanding its production pipeline. We are seeking talented, cinematic-focused Previs/Layout Artists (Camera & Staging) at the Junior, Mid, and Senior tier levels to contribute to an upcoming, high-profile premium streaming series for Marvel Animation.
In this role, you will effectively serve as the digital cinematographer for the project. Your primary responsibility is to translate traditional storyboards into a dynamic 3D digital space, ensuring that every sequence fundamentally supports the overarching narrative, thematic tone, and character arcs.
This discipline extends far beyond simple camera placement; it requires sophisticated, deliberate creative choices regarding framing, focal lengths, camera movement, and character blocking to establish an impeccable cinematic flow.
If you are a collaborative team player with a profound appreciation for the nuances of cinematography, a meticulous eye for detail, and a desire to piece complex stories together shot by shot under constructive directorial guidance, we encourage you to explore this opportunity.
Job Overview : Previs/Layout Artist
| Quick Overview | Details |
| Company | Stellar Creative Lab |
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Flexible Hybrid Workspace) |
| Employment Type | Full-Time |
| Project | Premium Streaming Series for Marvel Animation |
| Compensation | $62,000 CAD – $95,000 CAD per annum (Commensurate with experience) |
| Core Software | Autodesk Maya |
About Stellar Creative Lab
At Stellar, our foundational mission is to cultivate an exceptional studio environment where professionals genuinely thrive, collaborate, and feel valued. Production environments naturally experience cyclical shifts, breakthroughs, and demanding milestones; we navigate these inevitable dynamics as a highly synchronized, supportive, and interconnected team.
We deliberately reject production models that isolate artists. Instead, our studio culture is anchored in transparency, open communication, creative integrity, and mutual professional respect. We believe that technical mastery combined with an ego-free, collaborative spirit provides the ultimate framework for creative magic.
Scope of Work & Key Responsibilities as Previs/Layout Artists
As a Previs/Layout Artist at Stellar, your contributions will directly shape the visual rhythm and narrative clarity of the series. Your day-to-day operations will center around three core functional areas:
1. Cinematography, Staging, and Lensing
- Narrative Translation: Seamlessly bridge the gap between 2D scripts/storyboards and the 3D layout environment, meticulously realizing the creative vision established by the Director and Layout Supervisor.
- Shot Composition: Lens, frame, and compose every shot within the digital environment, utilizing an advanced understanding of focal lengths, depth of field, aspect ratios, and screen direction.
- Character Blocking: Block out fundamental character animations, poses, and positioning to set precise sequence timing, choreography, and dramatic staging.
- Camera Animation: Author, animate, and refine complex camera movements (including tracking shots, cranes, pans, and handheld simulation) to enhance the kinetic energy of a scene.
- Post-Animation Polish: Execute final camera wrap-ups, tracking adjustments, and visual polishes after the primary character animation phase is finalized, expertly managing any necessary structural revisions.
2. Pipeline Collaboration and Story Integration
- Editorial Alignment: Work in close partnership with the editorial department to ensure that all 3D layouts, shot durations, and cuts flow exactly as intended. Gracefully and efficiently adapt sequences to address pacing, structural, or continuity changes instituted by the editor.
- Animation Synchronization: Collaborate proactively with the character animation team to resolve complex spatial, staging, or asset collision challenges as they surface within the active production pipeline.
- Creative Agility: Receive, interpret, and positively implement creative feedback and technical revisions from supervisors in a highly organized, systematic, and timely manner.
3. Creative Problem Solving and Compositional Integrity
- Cinematic Troubleshooting: Leverage a deep, historical, and technical understanding of traditional live-action cinematography to invent elegant solutions for complex staging or spatial roadblocks.
- Pose Accuracy: Ensure character posing matches compositional priorities closely enough to generate completely accurate sequence timing, preventing downstream layout issues.
Position Requirements
Candidates will be thoroughly evaluated based on their portfolio quality, technical aptitude, and industry experience relative to the specific tier for which they apply.
Must-Have Qualifications
Professional Production Experience (Select Applicable Tier)
- Junior Level (1–2+ Years): Requires a baseline of 1 to 2+ years of professional production experience specializing in Previs, Layout, or Camera workflows. Candidates must possess a solid, demonstrative grasp of basic cinematic principles, a strong and clear showreel, and an active eagerness to absorb studio methodologies.
- Mid-Level (3–5+ Years): Requires 3 to 5+ years of established production experience. Candidates must be fully capable of independent execution, blocking and lensing highly complex sequences with minimal supervisory intervention from day one.
- Senior Level (5+ Years): Requires a minimum of 5+ years of distinguished production experience. Senior artists must demonstrate master-level proficiency in lensing highly intricate sequences, solving complex staging problems, and possess the leadership qualities necessary to mentor, guide, and support junior crew members.
Core Competencies and Toolsets
- Artistic Eye: A highly developed, verifiable understanding of the principles of cinematography—including advanced framing techniques, lens characteristics, camera mechanics, lighting interaction, and expressive character posing.
- Core Software Mastery: Proven, hands-on production experience operating fluidly within an established Autodesk Maya pipeline.
- Legal Eligibility: Applicants must be legally eligible to work in British Columbia, Canada, at the time of application.
Nice-to-Have Assets
- Familiarity or direct working experience with professional editing, post-production, and digital graphics software suites, specifically Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, and/or Adobe Photoshop.
Why Choose Stellar Creative Lab?
We are dedicated to building a workplace that supports both professional development and personal well-being.
- Flexible Hybrid Schedule: We support a modern, flexible hybrid work model designed to balance in-studio collaboration with remote autonomy, adapting fluidly to changing project requirements and team dynamics.
- Comprehensive Benefits Package: Access to a competitive, extended health benefits plan designed to safeguard your well-being.
- Professional Evolution: Ongoing professional development support, providing you with the resources needed to stay ahead of evolving industry technologies and creative trends.
- Incentivized Culture: A highly collaborative environment that strips away corporate ego, ensuring your technical expertise directly fuels global creative properties.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
At Stellar Creative Lab, we firmly believe that diversity and inclusion are the primary catalysts for meaningful creativity and authentic collaboration. We are unconditionally committed to building and maintaining a supportive, open, and diverse community where artists from all backgrounds can thrive.
We continuously analyze and iterate on our studio infrastructure to improve accessibility. We welcome and encourage any feedback or accessibility suggestions from applicants throughout our recruitment process.
Note: While all qualified candidates from around the globe are encouraged to express their interest, explicit hiring priority will be given to British Columbia residents, Canadian citizens, and Canadian Permanent Residents.
