Gameplay Animator (Contract)

Join the award-winning team that created God of War

Santa Monica Studio is seeking a Gameplay Animator for the development of an upcoming new title. Do you love collaborating with talented developers to build genre-defining games? Join us as we embark on a new journey!

The Gameplay Animator contributes to the overall project vision by breathing life into our creatures, characters, and game world. They have practical experience of prototyping, developing, and implementing combat, locomotion, and other gameplay animations, can effectively balance aesthetic goals with technical constraints, and have a proven track record of execution from concept to ship.

The Gameplay Animator will work closely with the Animation Director, Animation Leads, Combat Designers, and Technical Artists to deliver visually stunning animation work in support of the creative goals of a large-scale new project.

The ideal candidate has held a junior or mid-level role on at least one published title, is equally comfortable with keyframe and motion-capture animation pipelines, is comfortable working in Maya, and has worked with multiple game engines and animation systems. The ideal candidate is passionate about the craft of animation, and has a proven ability to combine creativity with technical capability to deliver visually stunning in-game animated experiences.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Animation Director, Animation Leads and the Combat Design Team during the pre-visualization process to develop combat and character navigation 3D pre-vis
• Ideate, implement and iterate on animation assets, balancing the needs of style and function
• Focus on character development, choreography, and timing of each move with the Animation Director and Gameplay Animation Lead
• Collaborate with Combat Designers and Gameplay Programmers to achieve the perfect balance between animation fidelity and gameplay responsiveness, to integrate moves into the game engine, and to monitor and troubleshoot any technical issues that might arise
• Animate keyframed characters, creatures, and props by hand; this includes hand-keyed facial expressions and lip sync as necessary
• Assemble, edit, clean up, and enhance motion capture data shot on stage, including both body and face
• Assemble and prepare navigation, combat, and world interactive move-lists for shooting on the motion capture stage
• Work with the Character Tech Art team to improve character rigs, tools, and workflows
• Proactively facilitate requests or information needs regarding any aspect of the animation creation process
• Actively advance skill set and abilities by keeping aware of industry trends and techniques, evaluating competitive products, and learning new software packages and traditional art methods

Requirements

• A strong demo reel that demonstrates expert knowledge of fundamental animation principles and acting skills, and the ability to create a full range of lifelike performances from the subtle to the dramatic and powerful
• Proficient command of weight, timing, and posing through both keyframing and the manipulation of motion capture data
• High level of proficiency in Maya
• High comfort level with learning and utilizing animation systems and game engine pipelines
• Ability to rapidly prototype, iterate, and explore animation style and functionality
• Ability to succeed in a creative, team-oriented environment
• Excellent communication, time-management, and organizational skills
• Ability to work across multiple disciplines to gather feedback and address cross-functional issues
• Strong production sensibilities, and the drive and talent needed to produce and implement the highest quality work
• B.A. in fine arts or relevant curriculum, or equivalent skillset
• 1-3 years’ industry or related experience

Preferred Experience

• AAA experience
• Experience working with MotionBuilder
• Experience working with proprietary animation engines and toolsets