Lead Gameplay Animator

Skydance Media; Santa Monica (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

At a leading interactive entertainment company, the Lead Gameplay Animator will oversee and mentor an animation team. This role demands extensive experience in animation, from keyframe to mocap, with a focus on enhancing player experience. Candidates should be self-motivated with a robust technical background and a passion for innovative game design.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of animation production experience, including 3 years in game development.
• Experience in managing animation production teams and schedules.
• Ability to mentor junior animators and oversee animation quality.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of animators to ensure high quality animations.
• Oversee the production process and maintain project timelines.
• Collaborate with other departments to align animation with game vision.

Skills

Keyframe Animation

Mocap Experience

Creature Animation

Body Mechanics

Facial Animation

Character Acting

Physics Simulation

Animation Feedback

Tools

Maya

Python

Job description

At Skydance Interactive, we believe in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in interactive entertainment. Innovation in game design, technology and storytelling is the passion that drives our agile studio of dedicated and talented game creators. Collaboration across all disciplines is vital to our success and is at the core of the inclusive culture we strive to foster every day.

We empower our employees to take ownership of the features they develop and create their own solutions when challenges arise. As our studio grows, we want to bring even more risk-takers, innovators and diverse voices along for the ride as we continue to create the games that will defy convention and define the future of the medium.

Following the success of our 2020 genre-defining hitThe Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and our Webby nominated, Best Immersive Experience, Behemoth, we are currently working on several highly anticipated games for emerging platforms that we can't wait for you to play!

For information on Skydance’s privacy practices, see theSkydance U.S. PersonnelPrivacy Notice located athttps://skydance.com/privacy-personnel/.

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The Lead Gameplay Animator will lead and mentor a team of animators to develop and build high quality animations for gameplay. As an experienced animator, the Lead Gameplay Animator will use their expert-level understanding of the principals and mechanics of animation and a strong technical understanding of animation pipelines to guide and grow their team’s capabilities. With this role, the Lead will work closely with the Animation Director, alongside Designers and Engineers in order to define and enhance the player experience through gameplay.

Responsibility

• Leadership:

• Guide animation team in the overall look and feel of the animation, ensuring consistency in style and storytelling to the artistic vision of the project.
• Oversee the production process, including planning schedules and allocating resources (internal and external), ensuring the projects remain within budget and timelines.
• Work closely with other departments to ensure, understand the vision of the game and how those translate to interactive animation.
• Address any challenges that arise during production, whether they relate to creative differences, technical issues, or team dynamics.

• Team Management:

• Manage and mentor a team of animators (internal and external) in various aspects of animation production.
• Manage the schedule and work of the animation team on a project.
• Work with production to establish a timeline and needed resources.
• Work effectively with outsource teams.

Requirements

• 8+ years of animation production experience, with at least 3 years in game development.
• Shipped at least 1 title as a Lead.
• Keyframe and Mocap experience
• Creature animation experience
• Highly skilled in all facets of animation: Body Mechanics, Facial Animation, Creation Animation, Mechanical/Prop Animation and Character Acting.
• Experience working with Maya with familiarity with mel and Python scripting
• Understanding of all facets of animation pipeline including rigging
• An eye for in-game results and how animation must support gameplay
• Experience working with motion capture data.
• Understanding of physics simulation setup and implementation in Unreal and Maya.
• Receptive to feedback and able to work through an interactive process.
• Must be a self-motivated team member who takes ownership of their work.

Plusses

• Working knowledge of Animation Blueprints.
• Worked on a VR project.
• Familiarity with Python.

The annual salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $120,000 – $140,000. The salary offered may vary based on the candidate’s location, qualifications, experience and relevant expertise, among other factors. The range indicated is for base salary only and does not reflect the total compensation package, including bonus, benefits, etc.

We realize that skills and expertise can come from many different experiences and paths, and we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements as written in the job description.

#Interactive #LI-hybrid

Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.

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