Previz / Cinematic Animator

Job Description

PreViz'/Cinematic Animator (Star Wars Team)

Founded in 2010 by the original creators of the Call of Duty Franchise, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they'll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. From our roots as an indie studio to joining the expansive roster of studios at Electronic Arts, this remains our guiding principle. We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide. Our shipped titles include critically acclaimed multi-platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars™ Jedi: Fallen Order and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Join us for the opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talent in the industry.

We're looking for an experienced Previz'/Cinematic Animator to join our Star Wars team. Reporting to our Cinematic Lead, you will plan out and create animatics'/layouts for cinematic and gameplay sequences. Our ideal candidate has a strong understanding of MotionBuilder, Maya, and Unreal Engine, and can manage motion capture-based animations. We're imagining someone who gets excited to tell a compelling and great story with shot framing and composition, who will embrace our philosophy and help us create an incredible experience for our players.

What you'll do…
• Break down narrative scripts and use your sense of visual storytelling to create animatics that result in high-quality cinematics.
• Give strong consideration to cameras, lighting, environment and effects in our cinematics, as they all help tell the story.
• Use your character animation skills to take assigned in-game cinematic sequences and cutscenes to completion, with heavy involvement in acting and mocap direction and production.
• Partner with other cinematic designers and disciplines such as narrative, animation, motion capture, code, and vfx to create in-game animations that build an immersive world.
• Animate a varied and unique cast of characters.
• Understand the game and play it frequently to gain a greater context for how best to tell the story and make the game immersive.

What we value in Previz'/Cinematic Animator candidates...
• Storytelling. We look for animators to create shots and sequences telling the story with a clear grasp of visual cinematic language using cameras, lighting, and staging. You will also translate storyboards and animatics into a 3d layout in the game engine. Ensuring continuity between scenes and gameplay are consistent in quality throughout. We look for someone to take ownership of assigned in-game cinematics and cutscenes to get them to AAA quality with keyframe animation that seamlessly blends into gameplay.
• Passion. We look for previz'/cinematic animators who are highly passionate. Our cinematic team is constantly sharing inspiration and working to raise the quality bar. No one is phoning it in here – our team loves what they do and it shows in their work.
• Potential Over Experience. We value talent over years of experience. Experience counts, but potential is important too. We look for motivated developers who demonstrate a keen eye and quality in their work.
• Teamplayer. Positivity and a collaborative nature help to fuel greatness. Embracing feedback and critiques will help you tailor your work towards what's best for the game. Making games is a group effort and you will work closely with other accomplished departments that are experts in what they do. Teamwork is very important to our success.

Ideally, you also will have...
• 3+ years professional development experience as a previz'/cinematic animator for games or similar roles.
• A strong understanding of previz and layout that represents your insight on cinematography and composition.
• Experience animating humanoids, quadrupeds and creatures with a high degree of skill and artistry.
• A reel with examples of your work showcasing the above.
• Thorough knowledge of Autodesk MotionBuilder and Maya.
• Good communication and experience working with multiple departments to solve challenges to tell a compelling story.
• Experience working with motion capture data.
• A sense of timing and taste, and cinematic flair.
• Passion for games.

If this opportunity sounds like a great fit for you, please submit your resume and reel and we will get back to you once we have reviewed!

In addition to opportunities for creative impact and professional growth which come with being a member of our team, working at Respawn has many other perks and benefits! Learn more at respawn.com'/perks.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-g6b17q-18-220-187-178-42 in your application.