Lighting Artist job at Waterproof Studios, Canada
Lighting Artist Job Summary Position Title Unreal Engine Lighting Artist Company Waterproof Studios Location / Eligibility North American Applicants Only Core Engine Unreal Engine 5 (Lumen / Path Tracer) Primary Focus Photorealistic Cinematic Lighting & Mood Composition Key Skillsets Color Theory, Technical Optimization, Visual Storytelling Company Overview At Waterproof Studios, we are masters of cutting-edge digital storytelling. We blend the boundary between traditional cinematic quality and real-time innovation to create breathtaking, immersive experiences. Our pipeline thrives on pushing technology to its limits, and our team is made up of passionate industry veterans who live for the details. We are currently seeking a visionary Unreal Engine Lighting Artist to join our elite cinematics team. If you are an artist who understands how to transform a raw 3D environment into a stunning, emotionally charged masterpiece using the power of light, shadow, and color, we want to build something incredible with you. The Role We are looking for a Lighter who does not just illuminate a scene, but breathes life and narrative purpose into it. In this role, you will be responsible for crafting stunning, photorealistic lighting that elevates our cinematic storytelling to AAA feature standards. Light is the ultimate storytelling tool; it guides the viewer’s eye, establishes the passage of time, and dictates the emotional weight of a scene. Working within Unreal Engine 5, you will take beautifully animated and modeled scenes and shape them into final, polished cinematic frames. You will collaborate closely with Art Directors, Technical Directors, and Compositing Leads to establish the definitive look and feel of our projects. Key Responsibilities Cinematic Lighting Design: Create compelling, photorealistic lighting setups for characters and environments within Unreal Engine 5, ensuring visual consistency across entire sequences. Narrative Continuity: Maintain a strong understanding of story beats to ensure that the lighting dynamically supports the mood, tension, and focus of the cinematic narrative. Mastery of UE5 Features: Leverage advanced Unreal Engine 5 rendering features—including Lumen, traditional baked lighting pipelines, and the Path Tracer—to achieve the highest possible visual fidelity. Technical Optimization: Collaboration is key. You will optimize lighting setups, manage render settings, and troubleshoot technical pipeline issues to ensure smooth playback and efficient render times. Post-Process & Color Grading: Fine-tune post-processing volumes, exposure settings, atmospheric effects, and basic color grading within the engine to deliver a polished, filmic final product. What We Are Looking For To truly excel in this position, you must bring a high level of proficiency and an uncompromising artistic eye to the following areas: Unreal Engine 5 Mastery: Deep, hands-on experience navigating UE5’s lighting architecture. You understand how to manipulate light types, reflection captures, and global illumination to achieve photorealism. Cinematic Eye for Composition: A sophisticated understanding of traditional film cinematography, including three-point lighting, color theory, value contrast, and atmospheric perspective. Photorealistic Aesthetic: A portfolio demonstrating a keen eye for real-world references—understanding how light interacts with different material properties, surfaces, and skin textures. Problem-Solving Mindset: The ability to balance artistic ambition with technical constraints, finding creative workarounds to keep scenes optimized without losing visual quality. Submission Requirements & Eligibility Important Note: This position is strictly open to North American Applicants only. Please ensure you meet this geographic requirement before applying. To apply, please submit your resume alongside a link to your current lighting portfolio or showreel. Your reel should showcase: High-end cinematic lighting examples demonstrating a strong grasp of mood, depth, and photorealism. Before-and-after breakdowns (gray-shaded vs. lit renders) to clearly highlight your specific lighting contributions. A diverse range of environments and characters, displaying flexibility in both interior, exterior, daytime, and stylized/moody setups. If you are ready to shape the look of next-generation real-time cinematics, apply to Waterproof Studios today!
