Senior Previz Artist - Temp (SFD / Cinematics)

Team Name:

Cinematics

Job Title:

Senior Previz Artist - Temp (SFD / Cinematics)

Requisition ID:

R026246

Job Description:

Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a talented Senior Previz Artist to assist our Cinematics team in creating the next generation of our award-winning cinematics! You should have experience previsualizing and supporting a director’s vision through appropriate use of staging, blocking, cameras, lenses, composition, motion, and editing. You are organized and creative, with the ability to solve problems efficiently.

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 a 12-month temporary position.

What You Bring to the Table

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

• Create complex, beautifully composed shots that clearly depict story beats through staging, blocking, camera motion, and character performance.
• Collaborate with a director, supervisor, lead, and other creative stakeholders, incorporating their feedback into a cohesive visual.
• Provide solutions to creative problems and be capable of pitching ideas verbally.
• Communicate clearly with production staff and manage multiple production tasks simultaneously.
• Maintain technical cleanliness in all work. Take personal accountability for deliveries and proactively identify possible technical concerns.

Minimum Requirements

Experience

• 8+ years of experience in film / VFX / animation / game production as a previz or rough layout artist working on complex, high fidelity sequences and shots.
• Professional Maya experience. Proficient with animation blocking for previz and familiar with modeling, rigging, shading, etc.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong cinematic knowledge. Instinctively understand cameras, lenses, composition, film language, and editing.
• Experience previsualizing shots from scratch without prior storyboards or visual reference. Ability to verbally pitch ideas clearly and concisely.
• Capable of growing through peer feedback and providing honest, constructive
  feedback to others.
• Understand the role of previz in production and the workings of linked production departments (modeling, rigging, final layout, animation, etc.).

Extra Points

• Understand the general themes and style of Blizzard games, cinematics, and franchises.
• Proficiency shooting with camera capture systems and processing resulting data.
• Capable of shooting well exposed and composed photos / videos in practical photography.
• Experience with Python or MEL scripting in Maya.

Required Application Materials

• Cover letter (optional).
• Resume (PDF preferred).
• Demo reel with a connected sequence of shots in digital format (website, blog, online album, etc.).

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including 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 is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment.  We aspire to have a culture where everyone