Hybrid | Character Animator (Facial & Performance Capture) — $50–$80/hour

24-Mag•New York, NY

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are sharing a specialised part-time opportunity for experienced character animators with deep expertise in facial animation, performance capture, and translating subtle human expression into convincing character performance. This role supports advanced AI research focused on performance transfer — preserving an actor's timing, emotion, facial expression, and physical nuance when transferring a performance into new visual outputs. Selected animators will help establish professional evaluation standards, curate challenging benchmark examples, and define how AI-generated character performances should be assessed.

Requirements

4+ years of hands-on professional experience as a Character Animator, Facial Animator, Performance Animator, or closely related specialist
Character or human performance must be a core part of your professional animation work
Verifiable credits on at least 2 feature films, animated features, or AAA game cinematics with recognised studios
Direct experience with facial animation and/or performance capture
Relevant experience may include facial keyframing, motion-capture solving, cleanup, motion editing, or technical design of facial and performance rigs
Exceptional eye for micro-expressions, emotional beats, timing, and subtle physical performance
Strong understanding of what makes animated human or character performance feel authentic
Familiarity with AI tools and visual-generation workflows
Ability to generate visual samples for evaluation and comparison
Excellent written English and ability to describe complex visual and performance details precisely
Must be based in the United States and able to attend occasional in-person working sessions in Playa Vista, Los Angeles or New York City

Nice To Haves

Reliable access to a 4K-resolution monitor is advantageous
Candidates should have specialised character-performance experience rather than backgrounds focused primarily on cinematography, lighting, colour, compositing, editing, environments, effects, layout, or generalist 3D work

Responsibilities

Evaluate AI-generated character performances for emotional authenticity and physical fidelity
Assess whether timing, expression, gesture, and movement accurately preserve the original performance
Identify subtle losses in emotional beats, micro-expressions, facial movement, and body language
Evaluate whether performances feel natural, coherent, and believable
Apply professional animation judgement to distinguish technically correct movement from convincing character performance
Assess facial keyframe animation, motion-capture solving, cleanup, and motion editing
Evaluate facial expressions, eye movement, lip behaviour, and subtle performance cues
Identify inconsistencies introduced during performance transfer
Review facial and performance rigs from the perspective of expressive fidelity
Apply knowledge of performance capture pipelines to complex evaluation scenarios
Define clear criteria for high-quality character and facial performance
Develop evaluation guidelines covering emotional resonance, timing, movement, and physical fidelity
Identify weaknesses or blind spots in existing evaluation methodologies
Translate expert animation judgement into structured and repeatable assessment criteria
Refine standards for difficult or ambiguous performance cases
Identify representative examples of performances ranging from straightforward to technically challenging
Curate benchmark material that tests nuanced character-performance capabilities
Select examples involving subtle emotional transitions, complex expressions, or difficult motion
Generate visual samples for targeted testing and comparison where required
Help establish meaningful reference points for measuring model improvements
Review AI-assisted visual outputs using professional animation standards
Translate subtle performance differences into clear and precise written descriptions
Produce observations suitable for evaluation templates, captions, and structured research data
Identify recurring model weaknesses across character and facial performance
Use AI tools and workflows to support testing and comparative evaluation
Work with other animation and visual subject-matter experts to maintain consistent evaluation standards
Participate in calibration sessions and structured review processes
Discuss complex performance cases and establish shared quality thresholds
Help define the expertise and evaluation criteria required for larger reviewer teams
Collaborate with research and programme teams on evolving evaluation methodologies