Respawn Entertainment · 10 hours ago
Senior Cinematic Lighter (Star Wars Jedi)
LA Metro Area
Full-time
Hybrid
Mid, Senior Level
CA$112K/yr - CA$153K/yr
5+ years expRespawn Entertainment is a game development studio known for creating critically acclaimed titles. They are seeking a Senior Cinematic Lighter to create exceptional lighting for in-game cinematics, collaborating with various departments to enhance storytelling and visual quality.
Developer PlatformPC GamesVideo Games
Responsibilities
You will author lighting for real-time, in-game, cinematic sequences in UE5, supporting story, mood, composition, readability, continuity, and emotional storytelling, all to an exceptionally high standard
You will work in Sequencer to light scenes, maintain shot-to-shot continuity, and collaborate with other departments to produce visually stunning, technically complex, and emotionally resonant cinematics
You will partner closely with Level Lighting Artists to maintain a cohesive look and feel between gameplay spaces and cinematics
You will translate art direction, narrative needs, previs, and gameplay context into industry leading real-time cinematography
You will author and tune lighting using MegaLights and Lumen, balancing light counts and shadow quality against runtime constraints
You will align on shared standards: exposure ranges, lighting ratios, color palette, grade guidelines, fog/volumetric baselines, and readability rules, to maintain a consistent look
You will ensure cinematic shot lighting respects contextual and performance constraints and avoids jarring transitions in and out of cutscenes
You will profile and optimize lighting, atmospherics, and post effects to support a 60 FPS target on supported platforms
You will diagnose and resolve production lighting issues; exposure shifts, reflection artifacts, shadow noise/instability, volumetric artifacts, etc., and coordinate with Tech Art/Engineering when deeper rendering/pipeline work is required
You will produce cinematic lighting at an extremely high visual bar for real-time cinematics, through strong craft, cinematographic expertise, and collaboration
You will provide guidance and mentorship via reviews, conversations, and practical lighting notes to help keep the cinematic lighting standard at an exceptional quality level
You will improve workflows where helpful: give user feedback/help to develop our custom tools, provide input on workflow best practices, as well as write documentation
You will contribute to level lighting tasks if required
Qualification
Required
5+ years professional experience in real-time game lighting, including cinematic or narrative lighting responsibilities
Shipped at least one AAA title in a senior lighting-focused role (strong preference for multiple shipped titles, in a senior cinematic lighting role)
Strong production experience lighting in Unreal Engine 5
Demonstrated experience lighting real-time cinematics with Sequencer in UE5, or similar/equivalent tools, with the ability to maintain shot continuity
Strong working knowledge of Lumen lighting workflows and how to keep results stable and performant in motion
MegaLights experience (or equivalent dense dynamic lighting experience with strong performance discipline), with the ability to balance light counts, shadow quality, and runtime cost
Proven ability to light for a 60 FPS target, using profiling, iteration, and well considered tradeoffs while preserving artistic intent
Advanced understanding of cinematography, including camera and lighting language (blocking, lensing intent, exposure control, continuity, mood, and visual storytelling)
Advanced understanding of photographic techniques and methods, such as practical lighting approaches, lighting ratios, motivated lighting, key/fill/rim strategies, and using real-world reference to create believable results
Excellent art fundamentals: composition, mood, color theory, exposure, and cinematic lighting principles
A portfolio/reel featuring real-time UE lighting work (cinematic shots strongly preferred) with clear attribution of responsibilities and a brief explanation of approach
Mentorship/review leadership experience appropriate for a senior role that improves team output and consistency
Preferred
Bachelor's Degree in the Arts is a bonus, but not a requirement
Benefits
Paid time off (3 weeks per year to start)
80 hours per year of sick time
16 paid company holidays per year
Medical/dental/vision insurance
Life insurance
Disability insurance
401(k)
Vacation (3 weeks per year to start)
10 days per year of sick time
Extended health/dental/vision coverage
Basic life insurance
Company
Respawn Entertainment
Respawn Entertainment is an independent video game development studio located in the San Fernando Valley.
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknown2017-11-09Acquired
Leadership Team
B
Bruno Werneck
Principal Concept Artist
Recent News
2026-02-02
2025-12-25
Company data provided by crunchbase