Lead Animator: In-Game & Cinematics

PlayStation Studios Visual Arts and PlayStation Studios Malaysia provides world-class content, development and services to PlayStation Studios. Our team is always at the cutting edge of technology and partners with the industry’s best minds and companies. This is your opportunity to work closely with game industry professionals from all over the world under one roof!  

Always at the cutting edge of technology, the teams work with studios like Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Santa Monica Studios, Guerrilla Games, Bend Studios, SuckerPunch, San Diego Studio, Japan Studios, and more PlayStation first-party teams, providing our services to these studios. 

We are looking for a Lead Animator who is highly proficient in all aspects of high-quality animation. This person needs to be an organized and diligent leader, strategic, and thoughtful in all interactions. 

Our Lead Animators are dedicated, focused, self-motivated, and guide teams to produce high-quality animation.  They work within all styles of animation.   
 
This is to be an FXT position for a year with the possibility of extension. 
 

Responsibilities

• Effectively communicate with supervisors, management, production, and staff daily 
• Understand and interpret feedback on all work from supervisors and clients. 
• Review animators’ assignments and provide constructive feedback. 
• Ensure that all supervisor and Dev Studio team notes are addressed. 
• Understand how all video reference pertains to each animator’s assignment. 
• Mentor animators on how to be more efficient. 
• Confirm continuity between animation assignments. 
• Have a full understanding of all animation tools being used on the project – both internally and client-developed 
• Be present at reviews with the supervisor and all animators on your team. 
• Educate the team regarding current animation techniques. 
• Lead by example when necessary to illustrate how to approach difficult assignments. 
• Update and maintain pose libraries and Show Wiki. 
• Identify potential risks to delivery timelines. 
• Provide final approval on animation assignments in specific instances. 
• Train and acclimate new animators to the team. 
• Assist in the documentation and maintenance of up-to-date processes for the animation team. 
• Serve as a positive role model for the team to follow in attitude, ability, proactivity, communication, and productivity within the department.  
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.  

Qualifications

• Minimum of 1 shipped AAA game as a Senior Gameplay Animator (or equivalent)  
• Minimum of 5 years of animation experience in the entertainment industry 
• Expert knowledge of Maya 
• Strong background in AAA facial animation workflows  
• Knowledge of aesthetics of character animation and movement  
• Knowledge of pipelines, workflows, and toolsets used in key frame and motion capture animation. 
• History of mentorship within the entertainment industry 

Desired qualifications

• Understanding of camera composition and layout 
• Experience with FACS based rigs 
• Ability to evaluate facial rigs aesthetically and technically 
• Has worked directly in game-engine builds or Devkits 
• Comfortable working in a global team environment 
• Team management experience and/or training 
• Python knowledge  
• C, C#, or C++ knowledge  

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