Cinematic Artist (Contract)

Job Description

Santa Monica Studio, part of the PlayStation family, is seeking a Contract Cinematic Artist to contribute to an upcoming new title. The Cinematic Artist will collaborate with talented developers to build genre-defining games, utilizing camera composition and cinematic motion to present character performances and story beats to the player. They will work closely with directors, leads, artists, and designers to deliver visually stunning camera work in support of the narrative goals of a large-scale new project.

Responsibilities:

• Assist the Narrative team with script breakdowns, scene staging, and layout
• Support the Narrative team with both live action and 3D pre-visualization
• Operate the virtual camera when shooting on the motion capture stage
• Process and clean up camera data following motion capture shoots
• Animate focus pulling and depth of field for cinematics
• Hand-animate cameras for cinematics and other narrative moments
• Assist with motion capture shoots, informing the stage crew of prop needs, checking for continuity and keeping track of editing needs for camera
• Give concise and timely feedback to outsourcing teams when needed
• Proactively facilitate requests or information needs regarding animated cameras
• Actively advance skill set and abilities by keeping aware of industry trends and techniques, evaluating competitive products, and learning new software packages and traditional art methods

Requirements:

• A. in fine arts or relevant curriculum, or equivalent skillset
• 1-3 years of industry or related experience
• A demo reel that demonstrates strong knowledge of fundamental cinematography principles
• Background in photography or cinematography
• Skilled in conveying framing ideas using rough storyboards
• High level of proficiency in Maya
• High comfort level with learning and utilizing animation systems and game engine pipelines
• Ability to rapidly prototype, iterate, and explore different approaches to shots
• Ability to succeed in a creative, team-oriented environment
• Excellent communication, time-management, and organizational skills
• Ability to reach across multiple disciplines to gather feedback and address cross-functional issues
• An enthusiasm for practical innovation and the ability to bring new ideas to the table

The role offers:

• Opportunity to work on an upcoming new title at Santa Monica Studio/PlayStation
• Collaboration with talented developers
• Contribution to genre-defining games