Job description
BrightFrame Animation is seeking a seasoned Senior Character Animator to join our Los Angeles studio. You will bring characters to life with expressive performance, clean timing, and a strong eye for acting and storytelling. This is a full-time, client-focused role with opportunities to contribute to high-quality animated content across features, series, and commercials.
As a senior member of our animation team, you will collaborate with directors, designers, and rigging to deliver outstanding character performances that align with our stylistic goals and production schedules.
Responsibility
- Collaborate with directors and designers to translate storyboards and scripts into expressive character performances.
- Audit, adjust, and refine timing, posing, and acting to achieve storytelling goals across sequences.
- Animate in Maya/Blender, maintain clean keys, and ensure compatibility with the production pipeline and assets.
- Work with riggers to optimize rigs, solve deformation issues, and improve animation throughput.
- Review shots with the team, incorporate feedback, and deliver iterations on schedule.
- Mentor junior animators, provide constructive feedback, and contribute to internal style guides.
- Prepare reference materials, shot breakdowns, and timing charts to guide production.
- Collaborate with lighting and rendering teams to ensure final look matches the storyboard and style.
Qualification
- Bachelor's degree in Animation or 5+ years professional experience in character animation.
- Strong acting sense with the ability to convey emotion, intent, and personality through movement.
- Proficiency in Maya and/or Blender; solid understanding of rigging, dynamics, and cloth/sim workflows.
- Solid understanding of timing, weight, spacing, and animation fundamentals; ability to craft appealing silhouettes.
- Experience with production pipelines, asset management, and version control; familiarity with ShotGrid or similar tools is a plus.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills; comfortable receiving and applying feedback.
- Portfolio showcasing character performances across multiple projects; animation reel with a range of styles is preferred.
- Knowledge of ZBrush, Substance Painter, or similar tools is a plus.