Cinematic Artist (Contract) United States, Los Angeles, CA

PlayStation; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Contract Cinematic Artist to join their award-winning team. This role involves collaborating with talented developers to create visually stunning camera work that enhances storytelling in a new title. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in cinematography, experience with animation systems, and a passion for innovative storytelling. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a project that pushes the boundaries of gaming and narrative experiences. If you thrive in a creative environment and are eager to bring new ideas to life, we want to hear from you!

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of industry experience with a demo reel showcasing cinematography skills.
• Strong grasp of cinematic language and ability to work in a team-oriented environment.

Responsibilities

• Assist with script breakdowns and scene staging for narrative development.
• Operate virtual cameras during motion capture shoots and clean up camera data.

Skills

Cinematography

Camera Composition

Animation Systems

Communication Skills

Time Management

Organizational Skills

Education

B.A. in Fine Arts

Equivalent Skillset

Tools

Maya

MotionBuilder

Job description

PlayStation isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. Today, we’re recognized as a global leader in entertainment producing The PlayStation family of products and services including PlayStation5, PlayStation4, PlayStationVR, PlayStationPlus, acclaimed PlayStation software titles from PlayStation Studios, and more.

PlayStation also strives to create an inclusive environment that empowers employees and embraces diversity. We welcome and encourage everyone who has a passion and curiosity for innovation, technology, and play to explore our open positions and join our growing global team.

The PlayStation brand falls under Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation.

Join the award-winning team that created God of War

Santa Monica Studio is seeking a Contract Cinematic Artist for the development of an upcoming new title. Do you love collaborating with talented developers to build genre-defining games? Join us as we embark on a new journey!

The Contract Cinematic Artist contributes to the overall project vision by utilizing camera composition and cinematic motion to present our character performances and story beats to the player. They have practical experience in prototyping, developing, and implementing animated cameras, can effectively balance narrative goals with technical constraints, and have a proven track record of execution from concept to completion.

The Contract Cinematic Artist will work closely with directors, leads, artists, and designers to deliver visually stunning camera work in support of the narrative goals of a large-scale new project.

The ideal candidate has held a junior or mid-level role on at least one published title, has a strong grasp of cinematic language, is comfortable working in Maya and MotionBuilder, and has worked with multiple game engines and animation systems. The ideal candidate is passionate about the craft of cinematography, and has a proven ability to combine creativity with technical capability to deliver visually stunning in-game narrative experiences.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Narrative team with script breakdowns, scene staging, and layout
• Support the Narrative team with both live action and 3D pre-visualization
• Operate the virtual camera when shooting on the motion capture stage
• Process and clean up camera data following motion capture shoots
• Animate focus pulling and depth of field for cinematics
• Hand-animate cameras for cinematics and other narrative moments
• Assist with motion capture shoots, informing the stage crew of prop needs, checking for continuity and keeping track of editing needs for camera
• Give concise and timely feedback to outsourcing teams when needed
• Proactively facilitate requests or information needs regarding animated cameras
• Actively advance skill set and abilities by keeping aware of industry trends and techniques, evaluating competitive products, and learning new software packages and traditional art methods

Requirements

• B.A. in fine arts or relevant curriculum, or equivalent skillset
• 1-3 years of industry or related experience
• A demo reel that demonstrates strong knowledge of fundamental cinematography principles
• Background in photography or cinematography
• Skilled in conveying framing ideas using rough storyboards
• High level of proficiency in Maya
• High comfort level with learning and utilizing animation systems and game engine pipelines
• Ability to rapidly prototype, iterate, and explore different approaches to shots
• Ability to succeed in a creative, team-oriented environment
• Excellent communication, time-management, and organizational skills
• Ability to reach across multiple disciplines to gather feedback and address cross-functional issues
• An enthusiasm for practical innovation and the ability to bring new ideas to the table

Preferred Experience

• AAA experience
• Experience working with MotionBuilder
• Comfortable with basic scripting
• Experience working with proprietary animation engines and toolsets
• Experience with martial arts, acting, or dance