As the Background Retake Supervisor, you will oversee the review, approval, and refinement of background artwork delivered by overseas studios, ensuring all backgrounds meet the project’s artistic vision, quality standards, and technical requirements. This role is critical to maintaining visual consistency, accuracy, and efficiency across episodic delivery.

You will be responsible for providing clear, constructive feedback to overseas partners, managing background retakes and fixes across TK stages, and supervising any artists supporting background revisions. This is a senior oversight role focused on quality control, creative problem-solving, and ensuring backgrounds integrate seamlessly into the production pipeline without impacting downstream schedules.

Areas of Accountability

Background Review & Quality Control (OS Deliveries)

• Review background layout and colour submissions from overseas studios to ensure adherence to approved references, including background keys, colour scripts, and asset libraries.

• Ensure backgrounds meet required standards for perspective, scale, composition, style, colour consistency, and level of detail across episodes and sequences.

• Assess whether backgrounds function correctly for the shot, including camera moves, framing, and parallax or multiplane requirements.

• Identify and flag creative and technical issues, including colour inconsistencies, missing elements, resolution errors, or file hygiene concerns.

• Verify technical compliance, including resolution, aspect ratio, bit depth, file format, layer structure, naming conventions, and pipeline requirements.

• Confirm backgrounds align correctly with animatics, rough animation, and character scale.

Feedback & Overseas Studio Communication

• Provide clear, concise, and actionable feedback to overseas studios within agreed turnaround times.

• Use annotated frames, screenshots, or drawovers where required to ensure clarity of notes.

• Ensure feedback supports efficient iteration and minimises repeat errors across future submissions.

• Maintain professional, consistent communication with overseas partners in line with production expectations.

Background Retakes & Creative Fixes

• Review colour animation and integrated background usage within shots to confirm accuracy against approved PSDs and background masters.

• Identify issues requiring technical fixes versus creative retakes and escalate appropriately.

• Undertake minor background fixes where required to support delivery timelines.

• Complete creative background retakes as directed by the Episode Director, Creator, or Art Director.

• Coordinate and manage supporting artists assisting with background retakes, ensuring quality and efficiency.

Creative & Production Collaboration

• Work closely with the Art Director, Directors, Production team, and other department leads to ensure background delivery aligns with creative intent and production schedules.

• Support visual continuity across episodes by proactively identifying risks or inconsistencies.

• Collaborate with Animation, Compositing, and Technical teams to resolve integration or pipeline issues related to backgrounds.

Team Management

• Provide guidance and direction to any artists supporting background fixes and retakes, and collaborate with other departments to resolve background-related challenges.

• Working with leads and other supervisors, help to delegate tasks appropriately, ensuring workload distribution is balanced and efficient.

• Promote clear communication, accountability, and a solutions-focused working environment.

• When requested, participate in the talent acquisition process with the Art Director and Talent Acquisitions Team to review portfolios and tests, and provide feedback if needed.

• Proactively manage team performance by conducting regular check-ins, providing timely feedback both positive and constructive, keeping detailed notes and promptly addressing underperformance issues to ensure improvement.

Skills/Experience

• 10+ years of experience working in 2D animation and significant experience reviewing and approving background artwork.

• Strong understanding of background design, colour theory, perspective, composition, and visual storytelling.

• Willing to lead teams and facilitate a productive team environment. Prior team management experience will be highly regarded.

• Proven experience working with outsource studios and providing clear, structured feedback.

• Strong technical knowledge of 2D production pipelines, file hygiene, and delivery requirements.

• Excellent communication, organisation, and time-management skills.

• Ability to work autonomously, prioritise tasks, and meet tight deadlines in an episodic environment.

• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud and Toon Boom Harmony.