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Senior Previs / Layout Artist (Cinematic)

Overview

id Software, part of the ZeniMax Media Inc. family of companies, is seeking a Senior Previs / Layout Artist to join our team.

id Software is looking for a full-time Senior Previs / Layout Artist to join our legendary team to create eye-popping cinematics for our games. As we continue to evolve the cinematic storytelling in our games, this role will play a critical part in laying the creative foundation for our in-game cinematics. This position reports to the Cinematic Supervisor and works closely with the Game Director, Art Director, storyboard artists and animation teams.

Responsibilities

The Senior Previs / Layout Artist is responsible for all facets of cinematic layout and pre-visualization. The successful candidate is responsible for, but not limited to:

• Camera placement and lens choices to support the story with strong shot composition and cinematic flow. Candidates must have a great sense of scale and the ability to realize background, characters and objects that work in proportion with each other to create a believable and cinematic world.

• Researching the cinematic genre, reference shots and style of current projects.
• Ingesting storyboards, temporary audio, and then using strong editorial skills to create pre-viz animatics that establish pacing and support creative iteration of early cinematic ideas.
• Reading and interpreting 2D storyboards and translating them into a 3D space/environment.
• Modeling and building early hard-site sets for blocking. Later working with the World Building team to ingest environment and set updates.
• Working with the Animation Lead and Game Director to plan and execute motion capture used in the cinematics.

• Using strong key-frame animation skills and motion capture performance blending to block out sequences and shots.
• Using available tools in Maya viewport to create viewport playblasts that represent varying FX elements, lighting, atmosphere etc.
• Providing various rough versions of scenes and shots, giving directors and editors options during the editing process.
• Maintaining the pre-viz edit.
• Updating cameras and blocking to support downstream creative changes and animation.

• Identifying any story, creative or technical issues that sets and cameras might have with the production and communicate it to the team.
• Working closely with the Cinematic Supervisor and Production team to establish and advocate schedules, hit deadlines and juggle priorities.
• Additional responsibilities include layout for marketing materials & creating cameras for game level flythroughs.

Qualifications

• Very high level of skill and understanding of filmmaking techniques including cinematography, lighting, acting, blocking and action sequence choreography. A deep knowledge of cameras, lenses, exposure, depth of field, shot composition are required.
• Software: High level of skill and experience with Maya and editorial software like Premiere and Resolve.
• Basic modeling and texturing skills required (Modo and/or Maya)
• Ability to keyframe animate humanoid and quadruped creatures.
• Motion capture clip ingestion, organization and blending to support shot creation.

• Editorial: Candidate must have a great sense of editorial constructs including pacing and understanding of continuity editing and the effects that editorial choices have on storytelling.
• Clear communication skills and ability to interpret and prioritize feedback.
• Minimum 5 Years of experience as a Layout artist on long-form animation, AAA game cinematics or film projects.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with production tracking software: ShotGrid and Jira.
• Highly organized
• Comfortable contributing to the creative process and offering new ideas
• Familiarity with film and animation genres

• Experience in photography is an advantage
• Awareness of the history of animation and filmmaking
• Comfort with data management, coding and tool creation a huge plus (Python).

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