Character Simulation Supervisor

A pug dog is easy to spot. It has tan fur, a squished nose, a curling tail, and a distinctive waddle as it shuffles from place to place.

If the pug were to become the star of a computer-generated film, those details must be under tight control. The tail must always curl just so, and the fur must always be the same shade of tan. A Character Simulation Supervisor watches over a team of professionals who render these details.

As a Character Simulation Supervisor, you work closely with the Modeling Supervisor, who creates physical, 2D, and 3D models of all of the film’s characters. These models work as skeletons that your team covers with a fine layer of computer programming. When the models are done, you assemble your team of Animators, Effects Supervisors, and Lighting Supervisors to begin work. As the Character Simulation Supervisor, you hire these people, and you may reach out to freelancers for special projects.

Each day, the team gives you small snippets of work that’s been completed, and you respond with detailed notes about what needs to change. Sometimes, you roll up your sleeves and demonstrate the adjustments yourself. Making the hair bend by 30 degrees while the light comes from the right and not the left could make all the difference in the world.

While the script for a standard film might be fixed and unchanging, a computer-based product might have a fluid script that changes every day. Often, this means that you’re asked to work and rework the same scenes again and again due to a changing storyboard.