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Technical Character Animator

Amazon Games, San Diego is seeking a Technical Character Animator to create and implement appealing and engaging creatures and player animations for a groundbreaking new IP. As a Technical Character Animator, you will collaborate with Animation Team, Art Team, and Design Team, help maintain or develop animation workflows, and create amazing animations to delight our customers. You’ll use a combination of state machines, key frame animation and motion capture techniques to bring characters to life. You will have a broad impact and a lot of discretion.

Responsibilities
· Work closely with art leads to implement animations into Unreal game engine
· Works effectively and collaboratively across all functional disciplines of the team.
· Accountable for delivery and integration of assets, ensuring that they meet the highest quality, defined objectives, and scheduled requirements
· Help develop animation workflows using both motion capture and key framing.
· Able to follow direction and react to critiques in a timely manner
· Collaborate with the concept, character, animation and tech art teams.
· Develop in-game cinematic technical setup, camera and character/creature animation to deliver cutting edge cinematic storytelling.
· Increase the team’s skills through mentorship of skills, process and artistic techniques.

Basic Qualifications

· 4 + years of experience with high-end game engine, including state machine creation, cinematic pipelines, camera work, and game animation integration.
· 1 + shipped game with animations integrated with state machines
· 2 + shipped AAA game titles or equivalent work e.g. live product development
· 3 + years of experienced in game development as an artist specializing in character / creature using motion capture, Maya or similar 3D software.
· Online Portfolio demonstrating cinematic and character art skills

Preferred Qualifications

· Excellent time management and work discipline.
· Experience working with Unreal Engine
· Experience working with outsourcing
· Experience working with Motion capture and Motion capture pipelines.
· Skill in another art-related fields – Illustration, painting, technical art
· Knowledgeable about game industry trends and animation techniques
· Must have a deep understanding of Game engine state machines for PCs and NPCs.
· Strong portfolio including examples of strong cinematic design sensibilities and attention to detail.
· Solid knowledge of next generation asset creation pipelines, tools, software.
· Strong grasp of cinematic visual language.
· Proven ability to learn new tools and techniques.
· Able to accurately estimate the time to complete individual tasks.
· Passion for making and playing great games.