Sr Cinematic Animator

At Wizards of the Coast, we connect people around the world through play and imagination. From our genre defining games like Magic: The Gathering® and Dungeons & Dragons® to our growing multiverse, we continue to innovate and build new ways to foster friendship and connection. That’s where you come in!

Atomic Arcade is a brand-new video game development studio located in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area led by industry veterans from AAA game and film studios. We are in the process of staffing up our development team with outstanding talent to build our first multi-platform, AAA game - a bold and contemporary new take on the GI JOE Universe starring the legendary character Snake Eyes! This is an excellent opportunity to not only build an outstanding AAA experience but to also help form the core foundations for the studio and team to build upon. We are proud to be part of Wizards of the Coast which is a division of Hasbro.

As a Senior Cinematic Animator at Atomic Arcade, you will be empowered to author spectacular cinematic content, collaborate closely with others to achieve goals, and deliver outstanding and varied cinematics that flow into and out of gameplay seamlessly.

The ideal candidate for this position is passionate about video games, especially game cinematics; has a strong strive to grow and improve; brings honed interpersonal skills; loves cinema and cinematography and demonstrates animation prowess.

We are considering on-site and hybrid working options as well as full-time remote candidates!

Responsibilities:

• Build high quality cinematic animation using both motion capture and keyframe animation techniques
• Collaborate with Cinematic Director to decide staging and camera angles for full cinematic sequences
• Previsualize cinematic sequences to prepare for motion-capture shoots
• Clean up and polish motion-capture animations
• Facial animation polish, including expressions, eyelines, and hand-keyed acting beats
• Craft interactive cinematic moments in concert with the Design Team
• Help to implement, maintain, and debug cinematic animation systems and iteratively improve cinematic pipelines and tools

Qualifications:

• Passion for making and playing games
• Understanding of core cinematic principals, including editing/pacing, camera movement, shot selection, and character acting
• Enthusiastic, positive, team-oriented; must be willing to interact and collaborate with all departments
• High level cinematic animation experience, including cleaning and polishing motion capture data to high fidelity
• Excellent keyframe animation skills
• Self-sufficient and self-motivated, can perform duties with little oversight
• Unreal Engine, Maya, or Motionbuilder, or comparable animation expertise
• Outstanding creativity and curiosity

Extra Credit:

• Familiarity with Unreal Engine Sequencer
• Past experience authoring cinematics for video games
• Additional tech experience (skinning, rigging, etc)
• Experience with 3D cinematography and camerawork
• Experience with motion capture acting or working with actors in mocap
• Experience developing 3rd person action games

We are an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer

The above is intended to describe the general content of and the requirements for satisfactory performance in this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities, or requirements of the position.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you are selected to move forward in our application process and need to request an accommodation, please let your recruiter or coordinator know.

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation range for this role. The range listed is just one component of Wizards of the Coast’s total compensation package for employees. Employees may also be eligible for annual and long-term incentives. In addition, Wizards of the Coast provides a variety of benefits to employees. Here’s a look at what your benefits package may include: Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance, Paid Vacation Time & Holidays, Generous 401(k) match, Paid Parental Leave, Volunteer Program, Employee Giving & Matching Gifts Programs, Tuition Reimbursement, Product Discounts, and more.

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