Senior Animator

About the Role

We seek a seasoned Senior Animator to produce top-notch, performance-centered animations specifically for cinematic, visual effects (VFX), and computer-generated imagery (CGI) projects. The candidate must possess a deep knowledge of body mechanics, acting, timing, and storytelling, delivering refined animations while guiding junior animation artists. Collaboration with teams such as rigging, layout, asset creation, lighting, and production is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate superior animations of characters, creatures, and objects for cinematic and VFX work.
• Create believable performances emphasizing acting, facial nuances, body mechanics, and weight distribution.
• Translate storyboards, animatics, layouts, and director feedback into engaging animations.
• Work closely with rigging, modeling, layout, effects, lighting, and compositing units to ensure seamless production processes.
• Maintain animation quality to meet project benchmarks while adhering to schedules.
• Diagnose and resolve animation and rigging-related challenges in partnership with rigging teams.
• Review and enhance animation shots by incorporating both creative insights and technical considerations.
• Provide mentorship and constructive criticism to junior and mid-level animators.
• Participate actively in daily reviews, feedback sessions, and creative meetings.
• Contribute to establishing animation practices, workflow improvements, and quality standards.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Minimum eight years of professional experience in feature animation, VFX, gaming, or cinematic production.
• Profound understanding of character animation, acting, body mechanics, weight and balance, timing, spacing, lip-sync, and facial animations.
• Strong grasp of fundamental animation principles.
• Effective problem-solving abilities and proficient shot planning.
• Capacity to manage multiple animation shots independently.
• Excellent verbal and written communication with teamwork skills.
• Keen attention to detail and commitment to quality.

Technical Skills

• Expert-level skills in Autodesk Maya.
• Good familiarity with animation rigs and production pipelines.
• Experience with camera animation and layout workflows.
• Knowledge of Blender and MotionBuilder is advantageous.
• Experience with motion capture and facial capture data is a plus.
• Basic scripting abilities in Python or MEL are beneficial.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous work on feature films, top-tier VFX, or high-end AAA gaming cinematics.
• Skills in storyboarding, 2D animation, character design, posing, and sketching add value.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine animation workflows is advantageous.
• Understanding of USD (Universal Scene Description) pipelines is a plus.
• Experience mentoring or leading animation sequences.

Desired Attributes

• A strong passion for storytelling through animation.
• An artistic eye with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to independently manage animation shots from initial blocking to the final polish.
• Direct collaboration with directors and VFX supervisors to realize creative visions.
• A positive, communicative, adaptable approach with a willingness to collaborate.
• Capability to excel in a dynamic production environment.

Join Us

If you're ready to innovate and make a significant creative impact, join a team that embraces bold ideas, cooperation, and growth to craft exceptional visual experiences together.