Senior Environment Artist

Senior Layout Artist - Temp (SFD / Cinematics)

City Irvine California Category Art / Animation Cinematics

Team Name:

Cinematics

Job Title:

Senior Layout Artist - Temp (SFD / Cinematics)

Requisition ID:

R028302

Job Description:

Blizzard Entertainment is currently seeking an experienced 3D generalist to join our cinematics layout department as a Senior Layout Artist. The layout department is the “hub” of cinematics, facilitating the flow of assets from modeling, surfacing, and rigging, as well as assembling and helping to compose shots from previz; working through animation, simulation and FX, all the way to lighting & compositing. The Layout Artist will work with previz, modeling, and rigging to translate rough scenes into production-ready shots; support animation and camera with environments, continuity, and troubleshooting; and coordinate with modeling, animation and FX with the creation of sets and shot-by-shot set dressing. Broad technical and artistic understanding of 3D pipelines, shot composition, and film language are all important.

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The potential home studio for this role is Irvine, CA. However, we understand each person’s circumstances may be unique and will work with you to explore other possible options, including remote work arrangements.

This is going to roughly be a 12-month temporary position starting at the end of February.

Responsibilities

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Using Maya, translate and help compose previz into shot assemblies, and deliver scenes ready for animation
• Create, add, or adjust set dressing, static character poses, and crowd cycles in service of the final shot composition
• Support animation and other departments at various stages, managing shot configurations, and preview rendering for quality review
• Organize assets, fill in any additional gaps, and catch and solve technical and artistic problems that are not handled by other departments or through typical pipeline procedures
• Work closely with programmers, artists, supervisors, directors, and production staff on multiple projects and pipelines concurrently, to develop, fix, or improve tools and processes, and facilitate productive communication and efficient workflows

Minimum Requirements

Experience

• A minimum of 8+ years of production or feature film experience in a layout or 3D generalist role
• Skill and experience in building and dressing sets and environments and composing shots for production

Knowledge & Skills

• Depth of knowledge in 3D pipelines, both technically and artistically
• Solid understanding of the principles of storytelling, film, and composition
• Skills in modeling, rigging, animation, and cameras
• Some knowledge of surfacing, lighting, rendering, and compositing
• Familiarity with scripting, especially within a 3D environment

Key Attributes

• Strong, dedicated communicator and problem-solver able to learn and work independently and creatively with diverse personalities under resource and time-limited conditions

Extra Points

• Extensive experience with Maya or Houdini
• Knowledge and experience with Unreal or other game engines
• Experience with RenderMan and/or Redshift renderers
• Proficiency in python scripting
• Familiarity with USD
• Expert organization and communication skills, both written and oral
• A thirst for learning and a knack for efficiency
• A passion for Blizzard games, stories, characters and worlds

Required Application Materials

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Online Demo Reel

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. ( www.blizzard.com ), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and i