Naughty Dog - Cinematic Assembly Animator (Contingent)

Game Designer is needed in Santa Monica, United States.

Client: Naughty Dog

Location: Santa Monica, CA

Contract: No Job Type Listed

Job Description

This position is for temporary engagement through our staffing partner DZConnex. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States for this position. This is a hybrid position and will be based in our studio in Santa Monica, CA.

As a part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates will be expected to provide a portfolio or demo reel of their work and may be asked to complete a skill assessment test. The Cinematic Assembly Animator will be responsible for prepping and setting up cinematic assets in Maya and in game. They will work closely with Editorial and the Cinematography teams on the iterative revisions of scenes layout, ensuring that the scenes are building and running in the game engine.

Responsibilities

• Maya: Assembling cinematic scenes with characters/sets/props
• Loading character mocap data as Time Editor clips
• Updating the timing for iterative editorial passes
• Engine: Creating necessary assets to build cinematic animations into the game engine
• Debugging issues that may arise either in Maya or in Engine to ensure we maintain efficient workflow for the team
• Potential to also support the cinematography team with rough layout of cameras for scenes (skill set depending)
• Potential support of Facial performance solving

Requirements

• Experience with character animation using Maya
• Proficient using Maya’s Time Editor
• Basic understanding of scripting
• Technically proficient, able to grasp new processes and workflows quickly
• Creative, innovative problem solver
• Bonus Skills:
• Experience with animation production for games
• Experience working on cut scenes and/or interactive animation
• Experience using nonlinear animation editors (Time Editor, Story tool (mobu), etc.)
• Experience animating realistic humans, including facial animation

Benefits

This role is eligible for benefit offerings that include medical, dental, and vision.

The estimated base pay range for this role is an hourly rate of $57.69—$72.12 USD.

Company Overview

For 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We are currently working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and seek talented individuals to join us.

Naughty Dog games are lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and welcome diverse candidates, believing that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the success of our studio and titles.