Lead Cinematic Character Animator

NetEase; Guildford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

NetEase is seeking an experienced Animation Director to lead performance animation for flagship story sequences and cinematics. You will collaborate with Art, Design, and Engineering to shape production pipelines, quality standards, and efficient workflows, driving emotional storytelling across facial performances and dialogue scenes.

You will manage motion capture and in-engine integration, deliver high-quality character performances, and contribute to a fast-paced game development environment

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Animation, Film, Directing, Digital Media Arts or related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience as Animation Director, Action Director, Performance Animator or related role.
• Portfolio demonstrating both action-oriented and subtle dramatic performances.
• Strong understanding of cinematic language and emotional storytelling.
• Proficiency in motion capture data processing, keyframe animation, and in-engine performance integration.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of performance animation for key story sequences and interactive cinematics, overseeing facial performances, dialogue scenes, and action-driven performances to ensure emotional authenticity and cinematic quality.
• Collaborate with Art, Design, and Engineering to establish and maintain production pipelines and quality standards for performance animation.
• Define production guidelines and animation standards to drive scalable content creation workflows while improving quality and productivity.
• Leverage film and game industry experience to optimize motion capture and keyframe pipelines and resolve technical challenges.

Skills

Animation Director

Cross-functional collaboration

Pipelines

Motion capture

Keyframe animation

In-engine integration

Facial animation

Dialogue scenes

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Maya

Unreal Engine

Job description

NetEase is seeking an experienced Animation Director to lead performance animation for flagship story sequences and cinematics. You will collaborate with Art, Design, and Engineering to shape production pipelines, quality standards, and efficient workflows, driving emotional storytelling across facial performances and dialogue scenes.

You will manage motion capture and in-engine integration, deliver high-quality character performances, and contribute to a fast-paced game development environment