A Productions are looking for an Animation Director to work on the hit series Love Monster for CBeebies. The show will be produced in-house at our central Bristol studio.

Love Monster follows the adventures of the only monster in a town full of cute baby animals as he learns to navigate life, friendship and emotions.
Based on the best-selling books of the same name by Rachel Bright, the show celebrates how we are all different, the power of taking action and the joy of Love.
Following on from the great success of Series 1 for CBeebies that launched in January 2020, the show has been recommissioned for a further 26 episodes. We are looking for an Animation Director to build on the show's success and to help build on the wonderful world of Cutesville.

As Animation Director, you will oversee the animation on all episodes of Love Monster produced at A Productions. Working closely with the Director to understand the overall storytelling, style and humour of the show, you will brief the animation teams and review each stage to ensure the final animation is completed to the desired standard. Highly proficient in CelAction, you will have an excellent understanding of the software and be able to troubleshoot where necessary. Working together with production management, you will be responsible for ensuring the animation teams stay on schedule and making sure all client and director notes have been properly implemented. You should be self-motivated and have a proven ability in leading a team in a busy production environment. Excellent communication skills are a must, together with a clear understanding of a 2D animation pipeline.

A Productions ethos, established over numerous years and long form series, is to tell stories authentically; our success is based on the creative teams we build.

General Duties:
• Working closely with Rigging/Layout team to ensure an efficient transition from animatic and design into Animation
• Work with Production Management to schedule and assign shots to animators
• Work with the Director to brief animation teams on each episode
• Review animation passes and give animators notes/approve shots in a timely manner to ensure animation is produced on schedule and to the required standard
• Work closely with the animation teams to improve each delivery and in turn reduce retakes as production proceeds.
• Troubleshoot issues as necessary and assist animators with direct input to shots when this is a more time-efficient solution
• Attend any relevant meetings with the client and all other departments, both internal and external

Essential skills and experience
• Excellent knowledge of CelAction and the associated pipeline from pre through to post production
• Animation series experience
• Industry experience working as an Animation Director
• Experience leading a team
• Excellent communication skills in giving constructive feedback to animators
• Understanding of schedules and the ability to manage time and prioritise accordingly
• Demonstrable experience of maintaining good working relationships with a wide variety of people (clients/external partners etc)

A Productions are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion within our company and actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups. We are committed to equality of opportunity and are open to discussing flexible working hours.

No Agencies please

Please email your cover letter, CV and showreel
End date for applications 8th March 2021

To be based in-house in our Bristol Studio
All applicants must be eligible to work in the UK
Please mention in your application where you saw this job advertised