Senior Layout Artist - Temp (SFD / Cinematics)

Blizzard Entertainment•Irvine, CA

1d•$40 - $73•Hybrid

About The Position

Blizzard Entertainment is seeking an experienced 3D generalist to join its cinematics layout department as a Senior Layout Artist. The layout department serves as a hub for cinematics, facilitating asset flow from modeling, surfacing, and rigging, and assembling and composing shots from previs through animation, simulation, FX, lighting, and compositing. The artist will work with previs, modeling, and rigging to turn rough scenes into production-ready shots; support animation and camera work with environments, continuity, and troubleshooting; and coordinate set creation and shot-by-shot set dressing with modeling, animation, and FX. The role requires broad technical and artistic understanding of 3D pipelines, shot composition, and film language. The role is anticipated to be hybrid, with some work on-site and some work from home. The potential home studio is Irvine, California, though other arrangements, including remote work, may be explored. This is a temporary position expected to last approximately 12 months, starting at the end of February. The position involves using Maya to translate and compose previs into shot assemblies, preparing scenes for animation, adjusting set dressing and static character poses, supporting animation and other departments, managing shot configurations, and preview rendering for quality review. The artist will organize assets, address technical and artistic gaps, and collaborate with technical and creative teams to improve tools, processes, communication, and workflows across concurrent projects and pipelines.

Requirements

At least 8 years of production or feature film experience in a layout or 3D generalist role.
Skill and experience building and dressing sets and environments, and composing shots for production.
In-depth technical and artistic knowledge of 3D pipelines.
Solid understanding of storytelling, film, and composition principles.
Skills in modeling, rigging, animation, and cameras.
Some knowledge of surfacing, lighting, rendering, and compositing.
Familiarity with scripting, especially in a 3D environment.
Strong communication and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to learn and work independently and creatively with diverse personalities under resource- and time-limited conditions.
Required application materials: resume, cover letter, and online demo reel.

Nice To Haves

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 written and oral organization and communication skills.
A strong interest in learning and efficiency.
Passion for Blizzard games, stories, characters, and worlds.

Responsibilities

Use Maya to translate and help compose previs into shot assemblies, and deliver scenes ready for animation.
Create, add, or adjust set dressing, static character poses, and crowd cycles to serve final shot composition.
Support animation and other departments at various stages, manage shot configurations, and create preview renders for quality review.
Organize assets, fill in gaps, and identify and solve technical and artistic problems not handled by other departments or standard pipeline procedures.
Work with programmers, artists, supervisors, directors, and production staff across multiple projects and pipelines to develop, fix, or improve tools and processes, and facilitate communication and efficient workflows.
Work with previs, modeling, and rigging to translate rough scenes into production-ready shots.
Support animation and camera work with environments, continuity, and troubleshooting.
Coordinate with modeling, animation, and FX on set creation and shot-by-shot set dressing.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Health savings account or health reimbursement account.
Healthcare and dependent care spending accounts.
Life and AD&D insurance and disability insurance.
401(k) with Company match.
Tuition reimbursement.
Charitable donation matching.
Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, and floating holidays.
Compassion and bereavement leaves and parental leave.
Mental health and wellbeing programs and fitness programs.
Free and discounted games.
Voluntary benefits, including supplemental life and disability coverage, legal services, ID protection, and rental insurance.
Potential relocation assistance if the Company requires a geographic move for the job.
Incentive compensation may be available but is not guaranteed.