Narrative Animator (Contract)

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

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a talented Narrative Animator to join their award-winning team. This role involves collaborating with creative professionals to bring characters and stories to life through captivating animations. If you have a passion for storytelling and a strong foundation in animation principles, this is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to genre-defining games. Embrace the chance to work on innovative projects and enhance your skills in a dynamic environment that values creativity and technical expertise.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of industry experience in animation.
• Strong demo reel showcasing animation principles and acting skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with teams to develop narrative pre-visualizations.
• Animate characters and props, focusing on storytelling and timing.

Skills

Animation Principles

Storytelling Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Prototyping

Organizational Skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts

Equivalent Skills

Tools

Maya

MotionBuilder

Game Engines

Job description

Join to apply for the Narrative Animator (Contract) role at Santa Monica Studio

Why PlayStation?
PlayStation isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. Recognized globally, we produce a wide range of entertainment products including PlayStation5, PlayStation4, PlayStationVR, PlayStationPlus, and acclaimed titles from PlayStation Studios.

We strive to create an inclusive environment that empowers employees and embraces diversity. We welcome passionate individuals interested in innovation, technology, and play to explore our open positions and join our growing global team.

The PlayStation brand is part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation.

Join our award-winning team that created God of War

Santa Monica Studio is seeking a Contract Narrative Animator for an upcoming new title. If you love collaborating with talented developers to build genre-defining games, join us on this exciting journey!

The Contract Narrative Animator contributes to the project vision by bringing characters, creatures, and story to life through animation. They should have experience in prototyping, developing, and implementing narrative animations, balancing aesthetic goals with technical constraints, and have a proven track record from concept to ship.

The role involves working closely with the Animation Director, Animation Leads, Technical Artists, and Narrative Designers to deliver visually compelling animation work aligned with the creative vision of a large-scale project.

The ideal candidate has held a junior or mid-level role on at least one published title, is comfortable with keyframe and motion-capture animation pipelines, proficient in Maya and MotionBuilder, and experienced with multiple game engines and animation systems. Passion for animation, strong storytelling skills, and the ability to blend creativity with technical expertise are essential.

Responsibilities

1. Collaborate with the Animation Director, Leads, and design teams to develop performance-driven narrative pre-visualizations.
2. Ideate, implement, and iterate on animation assets, balancing style and function.
3. Focus on character development, storytelling, choreography, and timing.
4. Work with designers and programmers to integrate animation assets into the game engine and troubleshoot issues.
5. Animate characters, creatures, and props, including facial expressions and lip sync.
6. Edit and enhance motion capture data.
7. Prepare move-lists for motion capture shoots.
8. Collaborate with Character Tech Art team to improve rigs and workflows.
9. Proactively address requests and improve skills by staying updated on industry trends.

Requirements

1. Bachelor's degree in fine arts or relevant field, or equivalent skills.
2. 1-3 years of industry experience.
3. Strong demo reel demonstrating animation principles and acting skills.
4. Proficiency in weight, timing, posing, and working with motion capture data.
5. High proficiency in Maya.
6. Comfort with learning new animation systems and game pipelines.
7. Ability to prototype and iterate quickly.
8. Strong teamwork, communication, and organizational skills.
9. Ability to gather feedback and work across disciplines.
10. Strong production sensibilities and commitment to quality.

Preferred Experience

1. AAA game experience.
2. Experience with MotionBuilder.
3. Experience with proprietary animation tools.

For more details on data privacy and benefits, please refer to our policies and links provided in the original description.