Animator - High Moon Studios (Temporary)

Activision Publishing Inc.; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Paid holidays and vacation

Mental health programs

Relocation assistance

Job summary

High Moon Studios in Carlsbad, CA is seeking an Animator to join our team on a temporary, approximately 12-month basis. The role is onsite four days per week, and work arrangements may change at the company's discretion to meet business needs.

A strong portfolio showing personal contributions is required. You will collaborate with Narrative and Technical Animation teams, create polished animations using motion capture and hand-keying, and help iterate within a demanding AAA environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional animation experience on AAA, console titles.
• Solid First-Person and Cinematic animation with timing, weight and composition.
• Strong 3D animation fundamentals and techniques.
• Understanding cinematography and storytelling techniques.
• Able to rapidly learn new tools, processes and pipelines.
• Effective communication and collaboration across disciplines.
• Creative with ability to give and receive feedback.
• Pride in work and a positive attitude.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Narrative team to create cinematics and scripted in-game animations.
• Create polished action, cinematic, dialogue, and supporting animations using mocap and keyframe.
• Create previsualizations and present animation concepts to the Narrative team.
• Collaborate with teams across the studio to meet project goals and deliver high-quality work.
• Help troubleshoot animation and technical issues.
• Partner with the Technical Animation team to improve tools and pipelines and provide feedback.
• Implement and maintain animations in the game engine using proprietary tools.
• Experience using generative AI tools for creative exploration.
• Portfolio submission focusing on personal contributions with shot breakdown.

Skills

Animation experience

FPS/Cinematic animation

3D animation fundamentals

Cinematography & storytelling

Learning new tools

Collaboration & leadership

Creativity & feedback

Positive attitude

Job description

Job Title: Animator - High Moon Studios (Temporary)

Requisition ID: R028345

Job Description

Great games start with great people! If you've ever dreamt of using your talents on world-class AAA titles and contributing to some of the biggest names in video games, here is your perfect opportunity! We're excited to find an Animator to join our growing team in Carlsbad, California.

As an Animator, you'll be expected to execute a wide variety of animations to high degree of polish that our players have come to expect. Fear not, you'll have a team of veterans helping you accomplish that. If you share a passion for developing ground-breaking player experiences, then this may be the position you've been waiting for!

Please note that this role is a temporary position estimated to be for approximately 12 months. This role is based in our Carlsbad, CA office and follows an onsite work schedule of four days per week. Work arrangements may change at the company's discretion to meet business needs.

What you’ll do…

You must be comfortable with all facets of production, from the taking of an initial concept through to providing high-level feedback. You must be able to thrive in a challenging environment with an aptitude for critical thinking and analysis, boundless creativity, a good visual aesthetic, and a deep passion for playing video games.

Experience in first-person shooter (FPS) games and extensive knowledge of the Call of Duty games is a huge plus.

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Work with the Narrative team to create cinematics and scripted in-game animations.
• Create polished action, cinematic, dialogue, and supporting animations using motion capture and hand-key authoring techniques.
• Create previsualizations and present animation concepts to the Narrative team.
• Collaborate with teams across the studio to meet project goals and deliver high-quality work.
• Help troubleshoot animation and technical issues.
• Partner with the Technical Animation team to improve tools and pipelines and provide feedback on their development.
• Implement and maintain animations in the game engine using proprietary tools.
• Experience using generative AI tools for creative exploration.

To succeed you should have…

• 5+ years of professional animation experience, with experience working on AAA, console titles.
• Solid First-Person and Cinematic animation skills with excellent awareness for timing, weight and composition.
• Highly demonstrated skillset in all areas of 3D animation principals and techniques.
• Solid understanding in the language of cinematography and storytelling techniques.
• Can quickly learn and master new tools, processes and pipelines.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively, providing direction to drive scene vision to other disciplines and departments.
• Contribute and be part of a highly creative team, giving and receiving feedback.

• You take pride in everything you create and do it with a positive attitude.

Note:

A portfolio submission is required for this position. Please focus this portfolio on personal contributions to your projects. Please include a shot breakdown specifying what you were directly responsible for creating.

High Moon Studios

Founded in 2002, High Moon Studios is an award-winning studio developing for the Call of Duty® franchise, with past development on over 15 titles including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Black Ops 6 and Warzone 2.0, Bungie's Destiny 2: Forsaken, and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. We employ more than 170 people in Carlsbad, CA, a seaside city in San Diego County.

Our pride is our people and the experiences we have optimally crafted for our fans. High Moon's talent is comprised of gifted entertainment and technology professionals responsible for some of the most successful games ever made. We have award-winning developers, published artists and specialists recognized as among the best in their fields. Our studio has a history of using innovative techniques crafted to boost efficiency and product quality, which in turn enhances our studio's quality of life.

High Moon Studios is wholly owned by Activision. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.highmoonstudios.com .

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We're driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk's™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our "press start" is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.

We've not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we're forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.

We're in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater - this could be your opportunity to level up.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request [e-mail]. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/ .

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $30.47 - $56.35 Hourly. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role's range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.