Senior Animator - Freelance

RealtimeUK; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading animation studio is in search of skilled animators to contribute to an exciting AAA video game project on a freelance basis. Successful candidates will work on both realistic human and creature animations, providing feedback and support to enhance the animation pipeline. Candidates should possess a strong portfolio and an expert knowledge of animation principles, especially using Maya.

Qualifications

• Strong portfolio showcasing high-grade animations (realistic human or creature).
• Excellent understanding of animation principles.
• Ability to create appealing poses and manage weight in animations.

Responsibilities

• Create keyframe animations for characters.
• Utilize mocap data for character animations.
• Assist with animation quality standards and pipelines.

Skills

Animation Fundamentals

Maya

Facial Animation

Mocap Data Utilization

Portfolio Development

Job description

We are on the lookout for a number of UK basedexperienced animators to join us on a freelance basis for an exciting new Cinematics project for the next title in an existing AAA Video Game IP.

This role will see your working with our animation team crafting high-quality character animations for a heavily performance-led production.

You will work across both creatures and realistic human based characters, including facial animation and will have an excellent eye for the core principles of animation. You will be supporting the Animation Director to provide feedback on rigs and any potential obstacles to being able to deliver the required assets.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Create keyframe animation for a number of characters.
• Utilise mocap data for building high quality character animation.
• Assist and guide our animation quality standards and pipelines.

• Work on a wide array of character locomotive animations.
• Provide facial animation assets as per project requirements.
• Work with the Animation Director and TD-s to provide feedback on current rigs.
• Provide additional support in camera animation and pre/post vis work - if this is required and if it is a skillset you possess.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:

• Expert knowledge of Maya.

BONUS:

• Working knowledge of rigging, skinning, and animation controllers to communicate effectively with Technical Animators.
• Previous experience using, shooting, or integrating motion-capture data as a base layer for hand-keyed animation.

MUST HAVE SKILLS & QUALITIES

• A strong portfolio that shows multiple examples of quality Animation work. Please note at least some examples must exhibit high grade, realistic human, or creature animations.
• Good eye for final animation quality.
• Excellent knowledge of the core fundamentals of animation (weighting, timing, staging, squash/stretch etc).
• Can create strong appealing poses and has a good sense of weight.
• Be motivated, self-disciplined.
• Perform well under deadline pressure in a fast-paced environment, prioritising different tasks to achieve the project goals.