Cinematics Director

At Wizards of the Coast, we connect people around the world through play and imagination. From our genre defining games like Magic: The Gathering® and Dungeons & Dragons® to our growing multiverse, we continue to innovate and build new ways to foster friendship and connection. That’s where you come in!

Atomic Arcade is a brand-new video game development studio located in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area led by industry veterans from AAA game and film studios. We are in the process of staffing up our development team with outstanding talent to build our first multi-platform, AAA game - a bold and contemporary new take on the GI JOE Universe starring the legendary character Snake Eyes! This is an excellent opportunity to not only build an outstanding AAA experience but to also help form the core foundations for the studio and team to build upon. We are proud to be part of Wizards of the Coast which is a division Hasbro.

We are currently looking for a passionate and experienced Cinematics Director to join us to define and execute on a highly engaging cinematic experience for the project.

Reporting to the Creative Director, the Cinematics Director will play a critical role in establishing the cinematic vision and road map for the project as we kick off pre-production. You'll work closely with the Creative Director, Narrative Designer and other subject area leaders to implement the narrative vision for the project.

What You'll Do:

• Spearhead the cinematic vision, collaborating with leadership peers to cultivate a compelling narrative that can translate into a memorable experience.
• Drive and direct end-to-end creation and execution of cinematic storytelling, from script to storyboards, to animatics to pre-viz to real-time rendered scenes.
• Set priorities for the team and ensure results align with broader product goals and schedule.
• Build positive relationships with external teams to ensure direction, tone, and style meet the qualitative and creative goals set by the internal team.
• Hire, manage, encourage, and nurture a complementary team of cinematic professionals to be leaders in their craft and grow in their careers.

What You'll Bring:

• Extensive credited CG directorial experience in video games with multiple shipped titles: 5+ years.
• Experience managing and nurturing a full spectrum of cinematic team members to executional excellence: 3+ years.
• Completed at least 1 full AAA game development cycle in a Cinematic Director or comparable position.
• Experience in preparing and directing motion capture, and performance capture shoots.
• Proficiency working with Maya/Motion Builder, Final Draft/Movie Magic Pro and Unreal specific cinematics tools.
• Excellent understanding and experience with the building blocks required to create engaging cinematic experiences with a keen eye.
• Keen understanding of how to craft cinematic moments in third-person perspective that contribute to player immersion with the narrative via compelling scene and shot composition and cinematography.
• Ability to communicate scene vision and direction to cast/talent in a way that is inspiring, creative, and elegant.
• Empowering and inspiring leadership with a diplomatic and collaborative approach and seeking diverse perspectives.
• Deep passion for being excellent at your craft, helping others to succeed, and setting a strong example for what it means for Wizards to be an industry leader.
• A deep network of industry professionals and proven ability to hire a strong cast and team to meet project goals.
• Able to effectively work in a hybrid in-office/work-from-home environment, including managing people and process through the associated challenges.

Nice to Have:

• Experience directing and managing external vendors.
• Experience in action centric AAA video games.

We are an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer

The above is intended to describe the general content of and the requirements for satisfactory performance in this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities, or requirements of the position.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.