Lead Cinematic Designer

1 Month ago • 5 Years + • Design • $140,000 PA - $170,000 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

The Lead Cinematic Designer will lead the development of in-game cinematic content for an open-world action-adventure video game. This hands-on role requires translating narrative beats into immersive sequences that integrate seamlessly with gameplay. Responsibilities include guiding the creative vision and production pipeline for cinematic design, collaborating with writers, animators, designers, and engineers to deliver high-quality visual storytelling. The role requires a strong understanding of cinematic language and experience in Unreal Engine.
Must have:
  • 5+ years of game cinematic design experience.
  • Expert knowledge of Unreal Engine and Sequencer.
  • Strong sense of cinematic language.
  • Experience with motion capture workflows.
  • Excellent communication and leadership skills.
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
  • Innovative thinker and problem-solver.
Good to have:
  • Experience with performance capture direction.
  • Background in film, animation, or television.
  • Experience with open-world or non-linear narratives.
  • Familiarity with facial animation pipelines.
  • Ability to prototype cinematic systems.
Perks:
  • Full-time job with benefits.
  • Vacation time, sick time, and company holidays.
  • Parental leave.
  • Medical/dental/vision insurance.
  • Life insurance and disability insurance.
  • 401(k) match.

Job Details

Summary 

We are looking for a Lead Cinematic Designer to spearhead the development of in-game cinematic content for our open-world action-adventure video game. This is a hands-on leadership role where you will be responsible for translating narrative beats into compelling, immersive sequences that integrate seamlessly with gameplay. You will help to guide both the creative vision and the production pipeline for cinematic design, collaborating closely with writers, animators, designers, and engineers to deliver best-in-class visual storytelling. 

Core Responsibilities 

  • Lead the design and implementation of cinematic sequences using Unreal Engine’s Sequencer tool. 
  • Collaborate with other creative leads to enhance the playable experience with powerful cinematic storytelling. 
  • Define workflows and pipelines for cinematic production in partnership with technical and animation leads. 
  • Oversee a team of cinematic designers and animators, providing creative direction, mentorship, and feedback. 
  • Work with VFX and audio teams to enhance the polish and impact of cinematic sequences. 
  • Troubleshoot technical and performance issues related to cinematics. 
  • Continuously seek opportunities to innovate and find new methods of cinematic expression that blend gameplay and player agency with strong visual storytelling. 

Core Qualifications 

  • 5+ years of experience in cinematic design for games, with at least one shipped title in a senior or lead capacity. 
  • Expert knowledge of Unreal Engine, especially Sequencer and Blueprint-based cinematic integration. 
  • Strong sense of cinematic language: shot composition, lighting, pacing, camera movement, and editing. 
  • Experience with motion capture workflows, including blocking, cleanup, and implementation. 
  • Excellent communication and leadership skills; ability to align teams around a shared cinematic vision. 
  • Comfortable working across disciplines in a fast-paced, creative development environment. 
  • Innovative thinker with creative problem-solving skills who thrives in a collaborative team environment. 
  • Passion for narrative-driven, immersive gameplay experiences. 

Plus if... 

  • You have directed performance capture sessions or worked closely with actors. 
  • You have a background in film, animation, or television production. 
  • You have worked on open-world or non-linear narrative titles. 
  • You are familiar with facial animation pipelines or procedural cinematic systems. 
  • You can prototype cinematic systems using Blueprint or scripting tools. 

Description 

  • Full-time job with benefits.  
  • Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.  
  • Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeways. 

Similar Jobs

Ubisoft - Senior 3D Gameplay Technical Animator

Ubisoft

Montpellier, Occitanie, France (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Rockstar Games - Senior Technical Artist: Performance Capture

Rockstar Games

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
3 Weeks ago
Playstation - Studio IT Manager

Playstation

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Oculus VR - Senior Technical Animator

Oculus VR

Canada (Remote)
1 Month ago
Rockstar Games - Associate Principal Technical Artist: Performance Capture

Rockstar Games

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
3 Weeks ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

Ubisoft - Senior 3D Gameplay Technical Animator

Ubisoft

Montpellier, Occitanie, France (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Liquid Development - Senior 3D Animator

Liquid Development

(Remote)
3 Months ago
Halon - Senior Technical Animator

Halon

United Kingdom (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Ubisoft - Animator

Ubisoft

Pune, Maharashtra, India (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Sperasoft - 3D Animator

Sperasoft

Masovian Voivodeship, Poland (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
IO Interactive - Senior Gameplay Animator

IO Interactive

Istanbul, İstanbul, Türkiye (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS - Animator

KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
6 Months ago
Rockstar Games - Gameplay Animator (Mid/Senior)

Rockstar Games

Oakville, Ontario, Canada (On-Site)
2 Months ago
g3dk - Principal Gameplay Animator

g3dk

United Kingdom (Hybrid)
4 Months ago
Tencent - Senior Cinematic Animator

Tencent

Irvine, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Weeks ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in Santa Monica, California, United States

Sailpoint - Principal Engineer - Atlas Platform

Sailpoint

Austin, Texas, United States (Hybrid)
4 Weeks ago
Scale AI - Head of or Senior Director of Corp Development, Finance

Scale AI

San Francisco, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Epic Games - Senior UX Designer

Epic Games

Cary, North Carolina, United States (On-Site)
4 Months ago
Discord - Senior Litigation Counsel

Discord

San Francisco, California, United States (Remote)
1 Month ago
bytedance - Senior Machine Learning Engineer

bytedance

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
bytedance - Backend Software Engineer, Infrastructure Platform

bytedance

New York, New York, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Riot Games - Technical Product Manager II

Riot Games

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
bytedance - University Relations Partner - Early Careers, AMS

bytedance

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Philips - Solutions Program Manager, SRC

Philips

Murrysville, Pennsylvania, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
CyberArk - Senior Director, Product Marketing, AI Solutions and Platform

CyberArk

United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Design Jobs

Looks like we're out of matches

Set up an alert and we'll send you similar jobs the moment they appear!

About The Company

San Rafael, California, United States (On-Site)

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)

San Rafael, California, United States (On-Site)

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)

View All Jobs

Get notified when new jobs are added by Absurd Ventures

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

Job Common Plug