Job description
At AstraFrame, we craft character-driven stories that captivate audiences across film, television, and immersive media. We are seeking a Lead 3D Character Animator to join our Los Angeles studio and help bring iconic characters to life with cinematic performance, nuanced timing, and expressive acting. You will collaborate with directors, rigging, lighting, and editorial teams to deliver production-ready animation that meets the highest industry standards.
As a senior member of the animation team, you will own the performance of key characters from blocking through final polish, mentor junior artists, and contribute to pipeline improvements that accelerate delivery without sacrificing quality. If you are passionate about storytelling through motion and eager to push the boundaries of what is possible in 3D animation, we want to hear from you.
Responsibility
- Lead the character animation for sequences from blocking to final polish, ensuring expressive performances.
- Collaborate with directors, rigging, lighting, and editorial teams to realize creative intent.
- Mentor and review work of junior animators, providing constructive feedback and training.
- Maintain and enforce animation style guides, timing, and storytelling objectives across the project.
- Optimize pipelines for performance, memory usage, and workflow efficiency without sacrificing quality.
- Deliver high-quality lip-sync, facial animation, and performance capture cleanup when required.
Qualification
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience in 3D character animation for film, television, or AAA games.
- Proficiency in Maya or Blender with strong knowledge of rigging and skinning.
- Deep understanding of anatomy, acting, timing, and dramatic storytelling to drive character performance.
- Proven leadership experience; ability to mentor junior artists and collaborate across departments.
- Strong portfolio showcasing feature-quality character animation with expressive acting and lip-sync.
- Experience with facial animation and dialogue-driven performance.
- Familiarity with motion capture data integration and cleanup within a production pipeline.