Senior Cinematics Animator: Story-Driven Cutscenes

Placements24; Queenstown; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plan

Retirement plan

Career growth opportunities

Collaborative studio environment

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Cinematics Animator for a celebrated game development studio in Queenstown. You will craft narrative sequences and cutscenes that elevate player immersion, bringing characters to life through performance, timing and storytelling in a dynamic studio environment.

You will collaborate with directors, writers and artists, translate storyboards into cinematic sequences, and contribute to the animation pipeline while delivering assets on schedule in Queenstown.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in cinematic animation for games.
• Strong portfolio of cinematic character work.
• Proficiency with Maya or 3ds Max and animation pipelines.
• Experience with facial animation and lip-sync is essential.

Responsibilities

• Animate complex character performances, facial expressions, and body mechanics for cinematic sequences.
• Work from storyboards and animatics to create high-quality in-game cinematics.
• Collaborate with Directors, Art Directors, and Technical Animators to realize artistic vision.
• Ensure animation quality, timing, and emotional resonance meet project standards.
• Implement and polish animations within the game engine.
• Troubleshoot animation-related technical issues.
• Stay updated with trends in cinematic animation.
• Provide feedback to junior animators.
• Contribute to development and refinement of the animation pipeline.
• Ensure timely delivery of animation assets per project schedules in Queenstown.

Skills

Cinematics Animation

Character Animation

Facial Animation

Game Engines

Storytelling

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Animation

Tools

Maya

3ds Max

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Cinematics Animator for a celebrated game development studio in Queenstown. You will craft narrative sequences and cutscenes that elevate player immersion, bringing characters to life through performance, timing and storytelling in a dynamic studio environment.

You will collaborate with directors, writers and artists, translate storyboards into cinematic sequences, and contribute to the animation pipeline while delivering assets on schedule in Queenstown.