So Chris, why do you care what a 2D Pipeline Technical Director is?
My team is currently hiring for a Junior 2D Pipeline Technical Director position. It's a fairly specific position within an animation studio so I've been clarifying queries about what the role of a Technical Director ( or "TD" ) is within 2D series animation and what steps people could take if the role is an aspiration.
And why is your opinion relevant?
I have worked in animation for 10+ years, 6 of them with Harmony and the last 4 in a TD or TD-adjacent role. My studio experience is limited to UK & Ireland, but I have dealt with teams in Canada, USA, China, Philippines. I also hire, manage and train TDs. I'm sure there are differing opinions and I will happily update this information from relevant discussions.
Note: This post discusses what, from my experience, a 2D Pipeline TD is, not what it should be .
Definition of 2D Pipeline TD
Is it Harmony TD or 2D Pipeline TD?
Toon Boom Harmony is the principle (and currently most popular) animation software used in the 2D animation productions I work on. There is an element of interchangeability between the terms as there is no real standardisation in the industry, but generally:
A 2D Pipeline TD ( or 2D Animation Pipeline TD ) would refer to a role supporting entire series pipeline. Commonly including additional storyboarding, editing, design, production and rendering software (i.e. Storyboard Pro, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Shotgrid/Ftrack/Google Sheets , Deadline respectively) in addition to Harmony support and custom tools.
A Harmony TD would refer to supporting the departments using Harmony specifically i.e. Scene Build, Rigging, Animation, FX, Compositing. Supporting the Harmony import/export processes as well as workflows within Harmony.
I'll be referring to the role as 2D Pipeline TD from now on as that is the broader role of the 2 and a lot of the responsibilities have parallels.
What about 2D TD, is that the same?
Often not, typically the title 2D TD refers to a role supporting the 2D side of a 3D VFX pipeline i.e. Compositors and Colourists and not referring to 2D Animation. This will be clear when you read the job description.
Lets go back a step, What is a Technical Director?
I'd highly recommend reading Lydia Martinez's blog on All About Technical Directors Part 1 Part 2. It is a great explanation for what a TD is in most 3D, Games and VFX contexts. But I think the 2D Pipeline TD is a very specific subset with very little existing documentation.
So...what is a 2D Pipeline TD
Unlike 3D and VFX TD roles, 2D Pipeline TDs often do have some leadership responsibility. This is probably due to Harmony animation workflows being relatively young in UK & Ireland so the 2D Pipeline TD is needed to set up the workflows and help teach it to production teams and art leads. Essentially, they :
- Have a good understanding of both the art and technical world of 2D animation, so can act as a bridge between the two.
- Are empathic to artists needs, and work to improve their colleagues efficiency, output or reduce likelihood of errors.
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