Job Description
At Skydance Interactive, we believe in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in interactive entertainment. Innovation in game design, technology and storytelling is the passion that drives our agile studio of dedicated and talented game creators. Collaboration across all disciplines is vital to our success and is at the core of the inclusive culture we strive to foster every day.We empower our employees to take ownership of the features they develop and create their own solutions when challenges arise. As our studio grows, we want to bring even more risk-takers, innovators and diverse voices along for the ride as we continue to create the games that will defy convention and define the future of the medium.
Our studio was founded in 2008 by several Treyarch veterans as The Workshop. For eight years, we built our reputation in the AAA console space working on hit titles such as Gears of War, XCom 2, Sorcery and The Evil Within.
In 2016, we joined forces with Skydance Media to form Skydance Interactive and set our sights on becoming the premiere studio in the burgeoning arena of Virtual Reality. Following the success of our first VR title Archangel, we elevated our ambition and tackled The Walking Dead universe in VR. The result was the 2018 genre-defining hit The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.
With the success of the award winning multi-platform hit The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, we are seeking a Lead Animator for our upcoming next-generation VR game projects.
The Lead Animator should display a strong knowledge of animation principles and be well versed in character and animation pipelines for games. You have a desire to help a team deliver emotive character performances that delight our players. Most importantly, you will inspire both the professional and creative growth of the team through individual contribution and leadership.
#Interactive
Responsibilities
- Work closely with the art director and design leads to drive and evangelize the artistic and gameplay vision for the game
- Take ownership of all animation and maintain and ensure high quality
- Assist with animation pipeline and associated workflows
- Collaborate effectively across all disciplines of the team to deliver visually impressive and fun gameplay
- Lead “by example” and animate key sequences to set the quality bar
- Learn, collaborate, and share animation techniques, tools, ideas, and best practices
- Setup and run motion capture shoots
- Schedule and organize animation tasks including key-frame animation, motion capture, clean-up, and implementation
- Lead, mentor, coach, and inspire a team of animators
- Review animation work clearly and efficiently on a daily basis
- A strong sense of acting, posing, timing, appeal, and all other animation principles
- Proficient communicator and leader
- Strong facial animation experience
- Extensive knowledge of animation retargetingAdvanced proficiency with Maya and relevant software
- Ability to self direct and be proactive
- Desire to innovate towards efficient processes
- Troubleshoot and tackle most any issues related to animation, technical or otherwise.
- Working knowledge of Unreal Engine 4 and Animation Blueprints
- Familiarity with Xsens motion capture solutions
- Familiarity with Jira, Confluence, Perforce
- Experience with Syncsketch and communicating notes through drawings
- Knowledge of character rigging
Skydance is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. We welcome and consider applicants for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy status, military/veteran status, disability, or any other protected category. Diversity in the workplace is not just a commitment, it is who we are and a reflection of what makes our world special.