Role: Machine Learning Compositing TD
Location: Australia- 100% Remote
Who we are
Crafty Apes is a full-service global visual effects company operating in Canada, the UK, the US, and Australia with a roster of award-winning artists and technical supervisors known for their creative problem-solving. We specialise in photo real VFX for film, episodic content. Our mission is to bring our clients’ visions to life through exceptional visual effects—we deliver great shots while having fun!
This role sits right in the middle of creative work, technical development, and direct artist support. You will help build new workflows, train models, write tools, and make sure the entire studio understands how to use our ML systems in production.
The job mixes hands-on development with real production exposure. You will work with our R&D and pipeline teams, support artists on shows around the world, and stay grounded in compositing so you understand what works day to day. The goal is to help the team adopt ML cleanly, efficiently, and without disrupting creative work.
This position is part of our effort to expand ML adoption across the company. You will help shape how artists use these tools, how studios onboard them, and how we grow this new department globally.
What you would do
Work directly with artists, supervisors, pipeline, and production to understand their needs and translate them into usable ML tools and workflows
Build, test, and help deploy ML-driven tools into real productions
Write and maintain Python and PyTorch based scripts and utilities
Train and fine tune models with guidance from the ML team
Support global onboarding, documentation, and training sessions for artists and departments
Validate tools on actual shots to make sure workflows hold up in production environments
Keep a close connection to artist workflows so the tools improve, not complicate, their day-to-day tasks
Look ahead at new technology and help identify opportunities where ML can support efficiency and creative exploration
What we need
ML and Technical:
Comfortable with Python, basic PyTorch training concepts, and Git
Experience building simple tools and utilities for artist workflows
Ability to troubleshoot ML behaviors, workflow issues, and model output quality
Strong interest in learning model training, fine tuning, dataset prep, and optimisation
Artist and Production Support
Confident teaching and explaining technical concepts to artists and supervisors
Able to work with teams across multiple studios and time zones
Comfortable gathering feedback from shows and turning it into actionable improvements
Compositing Skills
Solid Nuke skills with a strong understanding of full 2D and 3D compositing workflows
Confident with keying, tracking, integration of CG elements, environment work, projections, multi-pass comp, color management, and shot finishing
Strong eye for detail, color, realism, and shot continuity
Ability to troubleshoot technical and artistic issues quickly
Comfortable taking shots from start to final when needed to validate pipelines
Understanding of how ML tools should plug into the comp workflow without breaking source-of-truth or creative intent
Soft skills:
Fast thinker who enjoys problem solving
Comfortable switching between technical tasks and creative tasks
Clear communicator who enjoys helping others learn
Curious, proactive, and excited about the potential of ML in production
How to apply:
- To apply, please submit your resume, a cover letter outlining your relevant experience, and a link to your portfolio or demo reel showcasing your work include breakdowns. As we understand the delays can occur in receiving final shots, please ensure that all work samples provided are as recent as possible.
Crafty Apes is an equal opportunity employer
