Senior Real-Time Cinematic Artist – Art Center Cinematics Team

Snail Games USA•Beverly Hills, CA

1d•Remote

About The Position

Snail Games USA is seeking a Senior Real-Time Cinematic Artist to join the Art Center Cinematics team. This role is centered on cinematic camera work, shot layout, Unreal Sequencer execution, and previs, working closely with the Cinematic Director to turn rough creative direction, storyboards, references, and editorial beats into clear, reviewable in-engine sequences for game trailers, in-game cinematics, and cinematic gameplay moments. You will collaborate with dedicated lighting, VFX, mocap, and animation partners, while your primary ownership remains building strong, feasible cinematic sequences directly in Unreal Engine. The ideal candidate has a strong cinematic eye, moves quickly from rough direction to usable shot passes, and understands how to balance creative ambition with real production constraints.

Requirements

Shipped at least one video game title
Professional experience creating real-time cinematics, previs, cinematic layout, or game trailers.
Strong Unreal Engine experience, especially Unreal Sequencer.
Experience with Maya/Motionbuilder
Strong cinematic eye for camera, staging, timing, scale, composition, and continuity.
Ability to turn rough direction into clear, reviewable in-engine shot passes.
Experience building shots with existing assets, temp animation, and unfinished environments.
Ability to evaluate shot feasibility and communicate dependencies clearly.
Strong organization across shot lists, sequences, versions, exports, review notes, dependencies, and follow-ups.
Portfolio or reel showing cinematic camera work, layout, previs, or real-time sequence construction.

Nice To Haves

Experience creating game trailers or promotional cinematics.
Experience with in-game cinematics or cinematic gameplay sequences.
Background in cinematic layout, previs, animation layout, trailer capture, or virtual production.
Experience with Movie Render Queue, virtual cameras, mocap, or performance capture workflows.
Experience helping establish cinematic pipelines, shot conventions, or reusable Unreal setups.
Familiarity with short-form vertical video or social-first cinematic content.

Responsibilities

Block and refine cinematic shots directly in Unreal Engine with the Cinematic Director.
Create camera animation and shot layouts in Unreal Sequencer.
Turn storyboards, references, and rough direction into reviewable in-engine sequences.
Build fast previs/layout passes using available environments, temp assets, and placeholder animation.
Explore camera language, staging, timing, scale, and shot feasibility.
Identify which shots are production-safe, technically feasible, or reference-only.
Export rough cuts, playblasts, and review passes for creative feedback.
Keep shots, versions, Sequencer files, naming conventions, and review exports organized.
Track shot status, dependencies, blockers, and follow-ups so cinematic work stays visible and actionable.
Partner with animation, VFX, lighting, design, technical art, and production to flag dependencies and risks.
Help establish practical cinematic workflows and reusable Unreal setups.