Naughty Dog - Cinematic Assembly Animator (Contingent)

3D Animator 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. 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 and a remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. The company is currently working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and seeks talented individuals to join the team.

The Cinematic Assembly Animator will be responsible for prepping and setting up cinematic assets in Maya and in-game, working closely with Editorial and the Cinematography teams on iterative revisions of scene layouts, and ensuring that scenes are building and running in the game engine. Responsibilities include assembling cinematic scenes, loading character mocap data as Time Editor clips, updating timing for editorial passes, creating necessary assets for cinematic animations, and debugging issues in Maya or Engine to maintain an efficient workflow. There is potential support for facial performance solving and rough layout of cameras for scenes, depending on skillset.

Job Requirements

Candidates should have the following qualifications:

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

As part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates will need to provide a portfolio or demo reel of their work and may be required to complete a skill assessment test.

Additional Information

This role is eligible for benefits including medical, dental, and vision. The estimated base pay range for this role is $57.69—$72.12 USD per hour. Factors influencing base pay include job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about how we process personal information and data protection rights.