The Coalition is a Microsoft first-party development studio located in Vancouver, Canada. We are the official home of the Gears of War franchise, and our objective is to forge the future of the IP and push the limits of Microsoft’s entertainment platforms and devices. Our team is comprised of deep creative and technical talent from across our industry and beyond, working cohesively to delight our fan base and pass expectations of what is possible.
As a studio, we lead from our values and work together to promote respect and inclusion, a growth mindset, G.R.I.T (Guts, Resourcefulness, Initiative and Tenacity), all while putting our team first. Join us and let’s go far together!
The Coalition is seeking an inspiring, highly motived Senior Cinematics Layout Artist. In this position you will be working with the Cinematics Director and in conjunction with Tech. Art, Animation, Environment, Tools, VFX and Lighting Teams to help deliver high quality scene layouts for interactive and non-interactive scenes in-engine. You will also be expected to help develop technical best practices for our workflow between Maya, Unreal 5 and Premiere.
Responsibilities
- Work with Cinematics Director and various departments of the Game Team.
- Pre-visualize Scenes in Maya and Unreal using concepts/script/storyboards.
- Motion Capture Session preparation and support.
- Technical Layout of real time scenes in Motion Builder, Maya and Unreal.
- Editing with audio using Premiere and Unreal.
- Final Camera polish
- Create and support seamless transitions between gameplay and cinematics.
- Tell stories and convey emotions through cinematic cameras, bring creative solutions to strengthen the scenes.
- To adopt a deep understanding of the proprietary tools and process used on the layout team and build upon that foundation.
- To foresee layout team needs and communicate tool requests effectively.
- To work with production on team dependencies, estimates and scheduling.
- Effectively train and mentor new layout artists as needed.
Qualifications
- Must have 5+ years of experience in video games, film/television or equivalent.
- Art-related degree and/or comparable professional experience.
- In-depth understanding of cinematic language, including strong emotional storytelling through staging, composition and editing.
- Solid knowledge of camera lenses and traditional principles of cinematography.
- Comprehensive understanding of the principles of animation.
- Ability to offer creative problem-solving ideas to cinematics related content.
- Ability to organize and manage time effectively to meet deadlines.
- Ability to communicate in a professional and positive manner.
- Must have good working knowledge of Maya, Motion Builder and Premiere.
- Unreal Engine or other game engine experience a plus.
- Animation, Rigging, Motion Capture and Video Editing experience a plus.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
Benefits and Perks
- Industry leading healthcare
- Savings and investments
- Giving programs
- Educational resources
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Opportunities to network and connect
- Discounts on products and services
- Generous time away
