Gameplay Animator / Cinematics Artist

Turn Me Up Games; Burbank (CA); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a creative Gameplay Animator/Cinematics Artist to enhance in-game and cinematic animations. This role involves leading the animation process, refining character movements, and ensuring high-quality cinematics. As part of a talented team, you will have the opportunity to innovate and influence the visual storytelling of exciting projects. The ideal candidate will possess strong animation skills, a passion for narrative-driven games, and the ability to work collaboratively. Join a vibrant studio that values creativity and offers a dynamic environment for growth and exploration in game development.

Benefits

State-of-the-art development hardware

Sound and vocal recording booths

Walking distance from shops and restaurants

Qualifications

• Strong grasp of animation principles and cinematography basics.
• Experience with key-framed character animations and Blendshapes.

Responsibilities

• Create and implement gameplay and cinematic animations.
• Refine existing animations and contribute to development pipelines.

Skills

Cinematography

Animation Principles

Communication Skills

Teamwork

Time Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Animation or related field

2+ years experience in related field

Tools

Maya

Unreal Engine 5

SyncSketch

Job description

Job Title: Gameplay Animator / Cinematics Artist

Job Type: Contract

What We Need:

Turn Me Up is looking for a creative and dedicated Animator, specializing in Gameplay Animation and Cinematics. This animator will work with our internal team to create, clean, and implement in-game and cinematic animation.

We are looking for someone who will take lead on ideas, further developing our stylization, and making the experience of our internal project something that feels unique.

NOTE: This position can be remote, but candidates that are able to work in our office in Burbank, California are heavily preferred.

What You'll Do:

Cinematics

• Raise existing Cinematics to a higher quality standard.
• Modify and tweak camera angles in Cinematics based on our currently existing systems.
• Make storyboards for existing sequences, and propose new ideas to bring them to life.
• Own the Cinematics pipeline, making any modifications or tweaks to it as you see fit.

Animation

• Create stylized gameplay animations for a variety of characters.
• Work to refine existing animations and facial expressions for our characters.
• Implement animations within Unreal, and work with our talent teams to make the animations stand out in context of the gameplay.
• Work in a highly collaborative environment to fully realize our characters and environments through animations that reflect our characters' unique personalities.
• Contribute to Development Pipelines and contribute to Department processes.
• Review, Refine, and Reshape content in-game in the pursuit of improvement.

What Would Make a Strong Candidate:

Cinematics

• You have a strong interest in Cinematography in Video Games, Movies, or Television.
• You have a solid grasp on Cinematic Basics such as Framing, Timing, and Blocking.
• You have a reel showcasing any cinematic work you’ve contributed to.

Animation

• You have an animation reel showing key-framed character animations.
• A solid grasp of the principles of body movement, anticipation, overshoot, follow-through, squash and stretch and other facets of Animation.
• Experience working with Blendshapes.
• Strong technical and troubleshooting ability.
• Large visual database and a passion for narrative video games.
• Knowledge of related animation skills such as modeling, skinning, rigging, and retargeting animations to different rigs.

Soft Skills

• Strong communication skills and teamwork skills.
• You are a positive and independent worker, always working to inspire those around you with what you create.
• Ability to manage time and tasks with minimal direction.
• Ability to contribute exciting or innovative ideas and solutions.
• Understanding of gaming industry/video games, especially content produced by AA or AAA.
• Passion for learning all disciplines of game development as they relate to Cinematics and Animation.

Software Knowledge Requirements:

• Maya
• Unreal Engine 5
• SyncSketch experience is a plus.

Application Requirements:

• Portfolio demonstrating relevant skills and past work.
• Bachelor's degree in Animation (or related field) or 2+ years experience.
• 1+ year of experience in Film / Television / Games.
• Ability to work on-site in Burbank, CA is preferred.

We welcome applications from those who don't necessarily meet every requirement, and we especially encourage those from underrepresented backgrounds!

Title and Salary adjustable based on experience.

Who We Are:

Turn Me Up Games is an award-winning independent development studio based in Burbank, California, with additional offices in Genoa, Italy.

Since 2011, Turn Me Up has been responsible for 3 App Store Editors Choice Awards, 2 Emmy Nominated VR Experiences, and multiple AAA ports to Nintendo Switch such as It Takes Two, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, and the Borderlands Legendary Collection, to name a few.

Turn Me Up is committed to creating impactful games that challenge the way audiences are entertained and deliver experiences that resonate with players long after the game is turned off, in ways that are both comfortably familiar and excitingly unprecedented.

Headquartered in the heart of downtown Burbank, walking distance from dozens of shops and restaurants, our studio is fully-equipped with state-of-the-art development hardware, sound and vocal recording booths, and network and telecommunications infrastructure to support our incredibly talented staff, both locally and around the world.